Reprieve for National Wildlife Crime Unit

Further to our post about the danger of closure that was facing the National Wildlife Crime Unit, it is pleasing to let you know some good news about its future.

Yesterday Environment Minister Rory Stewart announced that £1.2m of funding will be provided over the next four years to enable the NWCU to continue operations until at least 2020.

National Wildlife Crime Unit Facing Closure

The first Wildlife Crime police officer we had in Merseyside went to work for the National Wildlife Crime Unit (NWCU). The NWCU was set up in 2006 to investigate offences including rare-bird egg theft, deer poaching, the trade in endangered species, hare coursing, illegal taxidermy and cruelty to wild animals.

The NWCU is set to close within six weeks unless the government renews its funding, most of which comes from the Home Office and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. Read more in this article in the Guardian.

You may like to sign the petition to demand continued government funding for the vital work of the NWCU:

https://you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/save-and-protect-the-national-wildlife-crime-unit