November 2025
Since the first Wildlife and Countryside Link report in 2016 The National Wildlife Crime Unit have led vital work to coordinate the response against wildlife crime. There has been improved training for local police forces in wildlife offences, and some Police and Crime Commissioners, including Devon, listing Wildlife Crime as a priority area.
Despite some positive progress, Wildlife and Countryside Link reports continue to show that wildlife crime remains widespread and serious, yet conviction rates remain alarmingly low. Just 15% of reported wildlife crime reports in 2024 resulted in a conviction. When excluding convictions for crimes in fisheries this figure drops down to just 2%.
This low ratio of convictions to reports is not because reports are wrong or exaggerated. In fact, the number of reported incidents is likely to be just a drop in the ocean as many offences are under-reported to, and incorrectly recorded by, the police.
The low level is the result of poor communication and recording of crimes and a general low prioritisation by enforcement authorities who are working with limited resources.
Our series of Wildlife Crime reports demonstrates over many years that the current approach to enforcement is not working, and that wildlife is being failed by this continuing pattern. For the few that are convicted, a lack of sentencing guidelines means that the penalties imposed by magistrates are all too often inconsistent, inadequate and cannot be regarded as being preventative. In recent research, 87% of officers told Naturewatch Foundation that they do not feel wildlife crime is dealt with robustly by the courts.
Wildlife crime is not victimless. As animals lose their lives, rural communities live in fear. Hare coursing and badger baiting are particularly ferocious crimes, often committed by individuals who are involved in other organised or violent criminal activity. Better enforcement of wildlife legislation is also an effective intervention for community safety, as violence directed towards wildlife is also frequently a warning sign of escalating violence against people.
A recent polycriminality report by the National Wildlife Crime Unit shows that investigating wildlife crime can highlight links to other criminality. Tackling wildlife crime will work in harmony with and contribute to the Government’s mission to make safer streets and halve violence against women and girls.
Important policy gaps remain and are allowing criminals to too easily get away with the offences or if some of the few convicted, often receive disproportionately low penalties.
Government must:
1. Make wildlife crime offences (hare coursing, bird of prey and endangered species persecution, badger baiting and others that are listed here) notifiable to the Home Office, to vastly improve police data and better tackle the issues.
2. Work with the Sentencing Council to develop sentencing guidelines in England and Wales for key wildlife crimes
3. Increase penalties for wildlife crime offences to provide a stronger deterrent. Rightly, the Animal Welfare (Sentencing) Act 2021 brought in higher levels of sentencing for companion animal welfare offences. While this was a welcome legislation change, penalties for crimes against wildlife did not receive the same attention. Already in 2020, the Scottish Animals and Wildlife (Penalties, Protections and Powers) (Scotland) Act had combined the higher sentencing for companion animals with offences to wild animals.
4. Ensure officers, including neighbourhood police officers, are trained to detect and confidently respond to wildlife crime and animal welfare offences, either online or in face-to-face sessions is vital to improve the response.
Read the full list of recommendations for Government and detailed 2024 data for incident reports and convictions here.
Lisa Manning is a Policy Officer at Wildlife and Countryside Link
The opinions expressed in this blog are the authors' and not necessarily those of the wider Link membership.
Lisa Manning is a Policy Officer at Wildlife and Countryside Link
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