Lancashire police step up hunt for deer poachers

14/09/2009 14:44:41 Police need public help to catch poachers
September 2009. People across Lancashire are being asked to report suspicious activity as police prepare to hunt for poachers.

Deer poaching tends to increase at this time of year, peaking in the weeks before Christmas, and police are stepping up activity across Lancashire to disrupt and catch poachers. However police also need the assistance of members of the public who suspect that poaching is taking place near them.

Black market
While hundreds of deer are lawfully and professionally culled by trained deer stalkers every year, many more are cruelly killed by poachers looking to sell the meat on the black market.

PC Duncan Thomas, Lancashire's dedicated Wildlife Officer said, "It's the sheer cruelty of the methods used by poachers, the associated criminality and the lack of standards in terms of game and venison handling that concerns us.

"Poachers will target deer indiscriminately and will have no respect for the females of the species with dependant or suckling young. As well as taking animals, poachers are often responsible for thefts from farms and rural areas, so it is not just the local wildlife that is affected by them but also rural residents. There are also the associated problems of threats to farmers and game keepers, along with damage to property and crops.

"We take a tough stance on all rural crime and continue to work closely with our partners such as BASC, the National Wildlife Crime Unit, the British Deer Society, the Forestry commission, and local gamekeepers, land owners and farmers amongst many others to crackdown on such activity."

The work going on in both Lancashire and across the Country will be supported by the new role of National Poaching Co-ordinator which comes in post from today (Thursday 10th September) within the National Wildlife Crime Unit (NWCU)

PC Thomas added; "In terms of volume crime, poaching, including deer poaching is our most reported incident, the same offenders tend to be linked to other aspects of rural crime and operate in highly organised gangs often across force boundaries. The launch of the new NWCU anti-poaching coordinator is a significant step forward to combating this lucrative and nefarious criminality."

The following advice is given when reporting an incident of poaching -

• Ring police on 0845 1 253545, or 999 if appropriate. Alternatively, you can report any activity anonymously via Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
• Clearly state you are reporting a criminal offence and need uniformed police assistance.
• If the offence is in progress, the offenders are at the scene or about to leave, then state this.
• If safe, maintain observations and be ready to guide patrols into the area effectively.
• Do not challenge the offenders unless you are confident that it is safe to do so.
• If other criminal matters have occurred, for example damage to fencing/crops or if dogs or firearms are involved report this.
• Even if the offence is historical please report all suspicious behaviour or signs of illegal activity, this information is essential when trying to establish patterns or poaching hotspots