ON reading your article about badger baiting and wildlife crime ("I always worry about coming back here in case it's been dug out again", Herald Magazine, June 27) readers may be struck by the polar opposite views from the conservation charities and the police.
I was employed as the civilian wildlife crime co-ordinator for the former Strathclyde police for many years so I believe I know a fair bit about the issues involved. To help the public decide which view is correct, let me point out a few things. The Police Service say they are fully committed to dealing with these issues - why, then, did they make an experienced, full-time, civilian employee with many years' knowledge of dealing with wildlife crime (and who also happened to be a registered badger worker with Scottish Natural Heritage) redundant and replace him with an inexperienced police officer?
Detective Superintendent Sean Scott says "that city areas do not require a full-time officer" because of demand. How wrong he is. In my experience there were more wildlife crimes reported from urban areas than from rural ones. Everything from badger baiting and deer coursing to illegal snaring and bird of prey persecution were almost daily happenings in Glasgow.
Several years ago I was checking a badger sett that I knew had been targeted by baiters. This sett is in the east end of Glasgow not far from Celtic Park. I approached the sett only to discover that the badger baiters were already there with their dogs - in broad daylight, in built-up Glasgow. Fortunately, after a call, the local wildlife crime officer and others were on the scene to arrest the culprits. This is the benefit of having experienced and knowledgeable full-time officers in the city.
Since being made redundant I have had cause to report wildlife crimes myself, including one involving badgers. The police response was appalling. The wildlife crime officer who turned up did not do even the most basic scene of crime examination, nor did he know which laws had been broken. There was no follow up and, despite this being clearly a crime, the case has stalled dramatically.
Sir Stephen House has shown himself to be good at the numbers game but the reality for wildlife in Scotland and for those conservation groups dealing with wildlife crime is different. It doesn't matter how many extra wildlife crime officers there are if they are not given the time and knowledge to investigate any reports properly.
Joe Connelly,
22 Worsley Crescent,
Newton Mearns.
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