Badger Trust Training for Police Forces – helping to push back on badger crime
- Badger Trust Staff Team
- May 26, 2022
- 5 min read
Badgers have a long history of cruelty and persecution in the UK, spanning hundreds of years. To this day, badgers remain one of the most persecuted species in the UK despite having one of the highest levels of protection in law. From blood sports to development concerns, thousands of badgers become the victims of wildlife crimes each year.
However, very few end up being brought to justice, with outdoor crime scenes especially difficult. Badger Trust training for police forces in England and Wales aims to ensure those police officers arriving on the scene know how to identify a badger sett and evidence of badger crime.
I joined a Badger Trust police training session at Essex Police HQ with around 20 officers ready, like me, to be briefed on all things badger.
Craig Fellowes, Wildlife and Crime Training Officer for Badger Trust with over 30 years of wildlife crime experience, took the officers through the training presentation. It was great seeing all the officers so engaged and asking questions about badgers in general and the law in particular.
The officers were aware they had to collect evidence of the crimes against the badger and the sett very carefully and collect more comprehensive evidence that could help in prosecutions under various wildlife acts.
Badgers and their setts are legally protected. The Protection of Badgers Act 1992 outlines the protection badgers receive under the law and the exceptions. Schedule 6 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 also protects badgers and, depending on the situation, the Animal Welfare Act, Abandonment of Animals, Wild Mammals Protection Act and the Hunting Act. That’s a lot to consider.
The videos of badger cruelty were brutal for everyone to watch but necessary to work out what crimes to charge offenders. Crimes against badgers range from malicious crimes, such as horrific badger baiting, sett interference, snaring and unlicensed shooting, to negligent crimes, mainly sett interference related to forestry, farming and development.
Badger Trust had launched a new crime campaign that day, Protection of Badgers 30, to push for stricter sentencing for crimes against badgers. However, during the three decades since the Protection of Badgers Act was passed, sentencing related to animal welfare has moved on. As a result, there's now a glaring inequality for crimes against badgers.
For example, under the Animal Welfare (Sentencing) Act 2021, those committing the most severe animal cruelty crimes to a domestic animal in England and Wales can face prosecution with up to five years in prison. However, under the Protection of Badgers Act, the maximum sentence for committing a similar crime against a wild badger is just six months.
The best part of the day was to follow the forces’ enthusiastic rural and wildlife crime officer, Jed Raven, taking us all to visit some local badger setts. Craig set everyone a mission to find more than one sign of badger activity – crucial in prosecutions to show badgers were around when the damage happened. It was great to see so many people getting excited at signs of badger poo, claw marks on trees, badger footprints or signs of bedding material. One officer won a packet of jammie dodgers for being the first to find a distinctive badger hair!
We then visited an old sett, probably not now in use, and saw the differences with an active badger sett. A couple of passers-by looked, panicked when a group of officers emerged from the wood and were quickly reassured when told it was only a training session.
It was a great day, expertly handled by Craig and supported by Jed, and I got a lot out of it, as did all the officers, I’m sure. One told me that they wouldn’t forget the day they got excited looking for badger poo! Another conversation that struck home was how incidents like domestic violence are linked to incidents of animal cruelty.
It’s hard to imagine the mindset of people who go out to dig out and hurt badgers or hunters who block their setts. Yet sadly, it’s all too common, and a training day like this helps officers identify and collect evidence in a way that supports prosecutions.
Thanks to Essex Police for hosting and taking part, and good luck to them in catching the people who persecute badgers.
Peter Hambly
Executive Director of Badger Trust
Further information
Badger Trust provides training to police forces across England and Wales and has now trained 42 of the 43 police forces. Wildlife crime has remained a prominent issue facing badgers and causes a staggering number of badger deaths each year. Yet very few end up being brought to justice. Outdoor crime scenes are especially challenging. Badger Trust aims to ensure that any police officer arriving on the scene knows how to identify a badger sett and evidence of badger crime.
Badger Trust relies on reports of illegal activity at badger setts from the public. It also receives crime reports from its affiliated Badger Groups and supporters. The charity’s experienced Crime Officer – dedicated to monitoring and tracking badger crime across England and Wales – reviews the reports and works closely with the police to follow ongoing investigations and assist as needed, giving the best chance to achieve more wildlife crime prosecutions.
Every report received supports vital campaigning work calling for changes to the law to improve the lives of thousands of animals. As a member of Wildlife Link, the data shared also forms part of the annual Wildlife Crime report.
What can you do to Act for Badgers?
1. PBA30 Campaign: tougher sentencing to protect badgers
You can join our PBA30 campaign and add your voice to our call for better protection for badgers. We’ve written to the Defra Secretary of State, Rt Hon George Eustice MP, to ask him to extend sentencing for badger crime. This would mean sentences for crimes such as badger baiting and shooting would present a real deterrent to badger abusers.
You can write to the Secretary of State and your MP too. The more letters they receive, the more chance we have of bringing about change, and as quickly as possible.
2. How you can report badger crime and suspicious incidents
Recording and reporting badger crime helps investigators bring offenders to justice.
If a badger crime or suspicious incident is in progress:
call 999 and ask for police assistance
ensure you get a reference number for your call
If a badger crime has already happened:
call the police on their non-emergency number 101, or online to your relevant police force using “report a crime”.
ensure you get a reference number for your call
In all cases, keep yourself safe and do not approach or disturb the scene.
