Remember the 3 Rs: Recognise, Record, Report Badger Crime
- Badger Trust Staff Team
- Jul 12, 2022
- 5 min read
Badger Trust provides helpful information and resources to stop badger crime.
It’s day two of Stop Badger Crime week as part of Badger Trust’s PBA30 campaign, celebrating the 30th anniversary of the Protection of Badgers Act (1992). Unfortunately, whilst the Protection of Badgers Act was a landmark moment for badger protection in Britain (making it illegal to interfere with badgers and their setts) thirty years on, badger persecution crime is rising.
The Wildlife Crime Report 2020 revealed a 36% rise in badger crime between 2019-2020, with badger baiting and digging increasing throughout COVID-19 lockdowns. The ‘lockdown effect’ contributed to an ideal environment for badger crime to take place unseen as the public stayed home in the early part of the pandemic.
However, with lockdowns now over, sett interference (blocking and destruction) is on the rise, as planning and development proposals are rushed through in attempts to deal with the backlog caused by the pandemic. The lack of sufficient ecological surveys in areas under development is a breach of the Wildlife and Countryside Act (1989). The damage this does to badgers leads to a breach of the Protection of Badgers Act (1992).
Yet it is also clear that the Protection of Badgers Act (1992) is not well known. A 2022 YouGov and Badger Trust poll found that 64% of British adults were unaware that badgers and their setts are protected by law. It is not always easy for members of the public to recognise signs of badger crime, and a lack of sufficient evidence collection can make it difficult for reported crimes to lead to successful prosecution.
How to Recognise, Record, Report crimes against badgers
Badger Trust has created resources to help the public Recognise, Record, and Report badger crime and raise awareness of the legal protection for Britain’s most iconic native species. Badger Trust encourages everyone to use the Three Rs principle: Recognise, Record, and Report.
RECOGNISE
The first milestone for protecting badgers from persecution is to recognise signs of sett interference. The following examples are key indicators that a badger sett has been illegally interfered with:
Blocking or obstructing sett entrances (e.g. with soil or other debris)
Damage to tunnels or chambers from ploughing, harvesting or use of heavy machinery
Complete destruction of the sett
Disturbance of a badger in a sett, even if there’s no damage to the sett itself
RECORD
The second important principle is to record evidence that the sett has been interfered with without compromising the crime scene. Photographs and videos can be used in court, so the evidence must be reliable and accurately recorded. Most crucially, evidence must be provided that the sett is active.
Proving current use
A badger sett in ‘current use’ will have the following signs:
open sett entrance holes
freshly dug soil at the entrance (known as a ‘spoil heap’)
pawprints, hair, scratch marks
faeces pit (known as ‘latrines’)
a well-used run
signs of foraging
Proving crime
Any malicious or negligent interference with a badger sett is illegal under the Protection of Badgers Act (1992). Interference should be photographed without disturbing the crime scene. It is helpful to remember these simple tips:
When and where
When recording on a phone, turn location on so that the location is recorded in the footage metadata. Include landmarks if filming for further evidence of location.
Narrate
When using video, tell the camera what you can see, but limit the narration to objective information.
Demonstrate scale
If you are taking close-ups, consider placing a standard object (e.g. a coin or shoe) into the shot to demonstrate scale. Better still, use a tape measure.
Label the evidence
If you are documenting multiple similar-looking items, consider numbering them to help you distinguish between them later. You could use numbered pieces of paper or fingers.
REPORT
Now that the crime has been recognised and recorded, the final step is to report it. There are two fundamental parts to reporting: reporting the crime with the police (so the crime can be responded to) and reporting the crime to Badger Trust (for the crime to be recorded as part of national badger crime statistics).
Reporting to the Police
If the crime is in progress, do not approach the perpetrator. Stay safe, and call 999.
If the crime has already been committed and the evidence has been recorded, call the police on their non-emergency number 101, or report online to your relevant police force using ‘report a crime’.
Alternatively, if you wish to report the crime anonymously, you can report the crime to crime stoppers.
Reporting to Badger Trust
Please report all badger crimes to Badger Trust as well as reporting to the local authorities.
Badger crime is not currently listed as a notifiable offence by the Home Office, so police are reliant upon organisations such as Badger Trust to monitor badger crime statistics to assess national trends in badger persecution.
Badger Trust crime reports can be made online via Badger Trust’s website And there’s a new Badger Watch app currently in testing, ready for everyone to use from Autumn 2022.
Why Report Badger Crime?
Watch Chief Inspector Kevin Kelly, Head of the National Wildlife Crime Unit, explain why it’s important to report badger crime.
Recognise, Record, Report Resources
As well as the information provided here and on Badger Trust’s website, a range of resources are available including:
The Three Rs Poster
The Three-Rs poster is ideal for schools, colleges, and community centres and can be downloaded free.
Badger Watch app
The new Badger Watch app is currently in BETA development phase. However, on Saturday, 16th July 2022, the 30th anniversary of the Protection of Badgers Act (1992), the app will begin field tests with Badger Trust Group members.
The Badger Watch app will guide users to Recognise, Record, and Report badger crime and provide a step-by-step process to follow whilst out in the field and on the move.
Other Stop Badger Crime campaign posters you can download and display
Badger Trust Protect Both: A4 poster
How to report Badger Crime: A4 poster
Help us campaign for tougher sentences
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.
More ways you can get involved and make a difference to badgers
Share this article on your social media with the hashtags #PBA30 and #StopBadgerCrime
Join our clan and help protect badgers by becoming a Badger Trust supporter
Get involved with your local Badger Group and make a difference to badgers near you
Visit the Brock shop for badger-themed gifts – 100% of the profits go back to our campaign work for badgers and your purchase helps spread badgery joy
