Crime against wildlife in Scotland not increasing, although reporting is up

We need to keep such reports and statistics in context. Is the amount of wildlife crime actually increasing, or do these figures just underline the fact that more of these crimes are being reported by the public or detected by the police? The fact that the number of offences reported in Lothian and Borders increased from eight to 42 when a police officer was "dedicated to tackling wildlife crime" is possibly evidence of his effectiveness. It does not automatically point to an increase in criminality in the countryside.

There is an extensive series of statistics on offences involving airguns in Scotland. Over the past five years, recorded airweapon offences have fallen by 12 per cent, and over the past ten years offences have fallen by almost 60 per cent. Figures such as these do not support the anecdotal comments from the Scottish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.

The British Association for Shooting and Conservation is an active partner in the fight against wildlife crime, with a proven disciplinary procedure for dealing with those convicted of wildlife crime. But to suggest that airgun crime is increasing and to imply that those managing the countryside routinely resort to illegal poisons and illegal traps is misleading.

The vast majority of airgun shooters do so in a safe and responsible manner, and the vast majority of gamekeepers and other land managers carry out their work legally, often in conjunction with the police and to the benefit of a well-managed countryside.

(DR) COLIN B SHEDDEN

Director, BASC Scotland

Trochry, Dunkeld

Perthshire

The Scottish Countryside Alliance does not condone any illegal activities, and certainly not crimes against wildlife. We can and will comply with the request of Tayside Police Wildlife Crime unit to encourage our 10,000 members to, "stand up and be counted" to flush out the perpetrators.

It is a great pity that the Scottish Executive has been able to release figures for the numbers of wildlife offences recorded, and yet not the types of crime. Lothian and Borders police were also unable to break down their 42 recorded offences by type of crime. A detailed breakdown would enable rural communities to assist the police more effectively in tackling wildlife crime.

Crimes against wildlife take many forms, disturbance of nesting sites by construction, damage to marine life by industrial pollution, badger baiting, etc. We understand the vast majority of offences against wildlife in Tayside have not been related to countrysports interests. Indeed, Tayside Police said recently that for the first time since Victorian times there has been not a single case of raptor poisoning in their area.

Responsible gamekeepers, farmers and countrysports people are the eyes and ears of the countryside and are at the forefront of the fight against wildlife crime; there are successful country watch initiatives in Perthshire which illustrate this. To make unsubstantiated suggestions that poisoning of birds of prey is "commonplace" in the Lothians and Borders will only serve to alienate law-abiding countrysports people and will not help to emulate the successes of other police force areas.

TONY ANDREWS

Chief executive, SCA

West Mains, Ingliston

Midlothian