Wildlife crime stoked by cash pressures, warns animal officer

WILDLIFE crime is being fuelled by increasing pressures on some country estates to be financially viable, Scotland’s first wildlife crime officer has claimed.

Pc James McGovern took up the new full-time post at Lothian and Borders Police last month as part of increased efforts to target the problem both within the area and across the country.

Speaking at the Law Society of Scotland’s annual conference Property Matters, Pc McGovern told delegates the crime was more extensive than previously thought.

"As soon as you scratch the surface of something like this you discover just how much is actually going on," he said.

"It varies from location to location. There are marked trends in certain areas, such as poaching or wild bird poisoning and trapping in rural areas, whereas hare coursing or breeding fighting dogs are traditionally urban issues."