Currently in the UK the maximum penalty available to the courts for offences against wildlife are £5000 or a six month jail term. As wildlife crime continues to threaten some of the UK's most spectacular wildlife it seems reasonable to ask for an increase in the penalties the courts can use for such offences. As part of the law commission consultation, among other things we are calling for the Penalties to be increased to a maximum £50,000 fine and/or up to 12 months in prison in the Magistrates’ Court, and unlimited fines and/or up to five years in prison in the Crown Court. Do you agree? Vote on the poll below.
If you are passionate about protecting our wildlife and want to make a difference, now is the time. The consultation closes on 30 November so please take a few minutes to write why we need to protect wildlife and why it is important to deter would be offenders by increasing the penalties for such crimes. You can send your response to wildlife@lawcommission.gsi.gov.uk
If you need a reminder about why we need to deter crimes against wildlife, please read the latest Birdcrime report.
Warden Intern at Otmoor.
I could never do a job like that, I'd end up chucking offenders off a cliff!
Our herring gulls are red listed birds. Think about that the next time you hear some flaming idiot calling for a cull of them.
Clare Bailey said: I could never do a job like that, I'd end up chucking offenders off a cliff!
Pete
Birding is for everyone no matter how good or bad we are at it,enjoy it while you can
Absolutely, if you tie them up and then leave them on a cliff top at Dunwich and wait for a major storm!
On a more serious note I'd like to say that I think one of the major problems of preventing wildlife crime is not knowing what convicted offenders are getting up to following their convictions. I seem to recall a particular egg thief who has been caught more than once but continues to try to rob nests. Perhaps these people could be put on a permanent tag?
Clare, that's the sort of idea you could include in your letter to the law commission consultation! A major repeat offender was given an ASBO preventing him from visiting Scotland between February and August. You can read the whole article in the latest birdcrime report (it's linked in my original post).
Ian H said: Clare, that's the sort of idea you could include in your letter to the law commission consultation! A major repeat offender was given an ASBO preventing him from visiting Scotland between February and August. You can read the whole article in the latest birdcrime report (it's linked in my original post).
It looks like most of you agree that the penalties should be increased! If you have voted but not submitted a comment yet to the law commission review there is still time. Just a short email or letter saying why you think wildlife needs better protection can make a real difference!