Rebecca Pow MP, co-chair of the Animal Welfare All Party Parliamentary Group, has welcomed the guarantee of funding for the National Wildlife Crime Unit for the next 4 years after a long campaign.

The Unit is highly specialised and is dedicated to tackling wildlife crime such as illegal dear poaching, hare coursing and rare bird egg theft. The NWCU provides intelligence not only for individual police forces but also acts at the UK focal point for all EUROPOL and INTERPOL activity on wildlife crime related matters.

Rebecca campaigned and lobbied, alongside World Animal Protection (WAP), for the funding for this unit to be re-established after previous arrangements came to an end. WAP ran a wide public campaign to pressure the Government into extending the provisions. Alongside this, Rebecca wrote to Ministers urging them to carefully consider the future of the NWCU and asked questions on the floor of the House of Commons regarding the valuable work the unit does to bring about prosecutions. In a welcome move funding from DEFRA and the Home Office has now been guaranteed for the NWCU for the next 4 years.  

In addition to this Rory Stewart, the Minister responsible, announced there would be an extra £29,000 provided annually for the next four years to help tackle wildlife crime committed online. This is an increasing area of global criminal activity and Rebecca, who is also a Vice-President of the Somerset Wildlife Trust, has welcomed the Governments recognition of this worrying trend.

Rebecca said;

‘I am absolutely thrilled that DEFRA and the Home Office have guaranteed the funding for this vital organisation that does so much to protect our wildlife. Rory Stewart listened to those of us who campaigned on this issue and it demonstrates the clear commitment that this Government has to the natural environment. This is a fantastic development that will go a long way to protecting British wildlife from those who choose to abuse it and I am particularly pleased that the Government has reacted to the changing nature of wildlife crime by providing further funding to tackle online crime.’