Key Points

When a wildlife crime is suspected, the first step is for it to be reported to the police (or detected by the police), and then recorded. Further steps may include investigation to assess whether the recorded crime should be part of a case submitted to the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) and then a decision on whether there is sufficient evidence for the case to be prosecuted. Ultimately a court case may result in a conviction or acquittal. All these stages may be supported by relevant scientific evidence and intelligence.

This report presents statistics relating to 2022-23 for the various stages described above. Although these sets of statistics are related, direct comparisons between them cannot be made due to differences in data sources, timing and the bases on which statistics were collated. For example, several recorded crimes may be included in one COPFS case (involving multiple sources of scientific evidence), and subsequent criminal proceedings may occur in a different year.

Police recorded crime (offences)

Recorded wildlife offences down by 23% in 2022-23.

Key points figure: wildlife crime offences from Police Scotland Recorded Crime statistics, 2018-19 to 2022-23.

• There was a 23% decrease in wildlife offences recorded by Police Scotland in 2022-23 compared with 2021-22 (220 and 286 respectively), bringing recorded wildlife crime back close to pre-pandemic levels. Much of the decrease in 2022-23 related to a reduction in ‘Other wildlife offences’ which had included many recorded crimes in 2021-22 related to Operation Tantallon - a police operation that targeted the theft and illegal sale of wild peregrine falcons.
• The Police Scotland divisions with the highest recorded wildlife offences were the Highlands and Islands (35), the Lothians and Scottish Borders (32) and the North East (31).
• Over half of all recorded wildlife crimes in 2022-23 were categorised as either offences involving birds (31%) or fish poaching (25%).

Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service cases

• The Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service received 63 cases in 2022-23 relating to wildlife crime (which may include more than 1 offence per case), with fish poaching being the most common category (30 cases).
• Of these 63 cases, 37 (59%) received an alternative to prosecution (e.g. fine), 15 (24%) were prosecuted, and 11 (17%) resulted in no action.

Criminal proceedings (people proceeded against)

• Criminal proceedings statistics for 2022-23 show that 36 people were proceeded against for wildlife crimes – a substantial increase from 2021-22 (20 people) and 2020-21 (2 people) which had been impacted by COVID-related court closures and reduced capacities.
• Of these 36 people, 25 (69%) were found guilty for at least 1 offence. Looking over the 5-year period (2018-19 to 2022-23), the average conviction rate is 66%, with a monetary penalty being the most common main penalty. The average monetary fine for all offences was £823. There were no custodial sentences in this 5-year period.

Scientific evidence and intelligence

• Of the 10 cases investigated by the Science and Advice for Scottish Agriculture (SASA) Wildlife DNA Forensic Unit, badger persecution (3 cases) and raptor persecution (4 cases) were the most common type.
• 174 suspected wildlife poisonings were investigated by the SASA Chemistry Branch, with 12 of the incidents attributed to pesticides, and 3 identified as abuse incidents (i.e. deliberate intent to harm). The number of abuse incidents involving birds of prey has fallen from 9 in 2019-20 to 1 in 2022-23.
• 121 cases were submitted to Scotland’s Rural College (SRUC) Veterinary Services as suspected wildlife crimes in 2022-23. Around half of mammal cases were identified after further investigation as crime related (18 out of 37, 49%) and around a fifth of bird cases (15 out of 84; 18%).
• The Scottish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Special Investigation Unit) took part in 101 wildlife crime investigations in 2022-23, including 28 where they assisted a police-led investigation, and 73 where the Scottish SPCA was the sole investigator.
• The police National Wildlife Crime Unit gathers intelligence relating to wildlife crime in Scotland, with the most common intelligence information being in relation to hares, fish and deer.

Wildlife crime priority areas (further analysis of recorded crimes)

Some types of wildlife crimes (relating to badgers, bats, trade in endangered species, freshwater pearl mussels, poaching and coursing and raptor persecution) are designated as being “priority areas”. Police Scotland provide further detailed analysis to allow these areas to be separately identified from within the broader crime classifications of the recorded crime data presented earlier.

• Poaching and coursing was the most common offence type in 2022-23 (108), with fish poaching related to around half of these offences (55 out of 108; 51%).
• 22 offences related to raptor persecution, of which 15 (68%) involved peregrine falcons.
• 16 offences relating to badger persecution, 14 of which (88%) involved digging, damage and obstruction to setts.
• CITES offences dropped back to more normal levels in 2022-23 (3 offences) following a spike in 2021-22 attributed to Operation Tantallon (46 offences).
• There were 11 trapping and snaring offences recorded, considerably lower than the level seen in the preceding 4 recent years (average 27).