Wildlife Crime Penalties Review Group: report
Report from the review group commissioned by Scottish Government to examine whether the penalties for wildlife crimes were adequate and a deterrent.
Annex 3 - Background tables for questionnaire responses
Q1. Do you consider that the penalties available to the courts for wildlife crime in general are a deterrent?
| Answer | Number of Respondents | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Yes | 13 | 21% |
| No | 43 | 70% |
| Both | 1 | 2% |
| Don't Know | 4 | 7% |
| Total | 61 |
Q2. Do you consider that the penalties imposed by the courts for wildlife crime in general are a deterrent?
| Answer | Number of Respondents | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Yes | 6 | 10% |
| No | 56 | 90% |
| Don't Know | 0 | 0% |
| Total | 62 |
Q3. Are there any particular sorts of wildlife crime where you believe the penalties imposed are not appropriate?
| Answer | Number of Respondents | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Yes | 47 | 81% |
| No | 7 | 12% |
| Don't Know | 4 | 7% |
| Total | 58 |
Q4. Are there any particular sorts of wildlife crime where you believe the penalties imposed are appropriate?
| Answer | Number of Respondents | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Yes | 21 | 35% |
| No | 19 | 32% |
| Don't Know | 20 | 33% |
| Total | 60 |
Q5. Are wildlife crime penalties:
| Answer | Number of Respondents | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Too low | 49 | 82% |
| About right | 8 | 13% |
| Too high | 2 | 3% |
| Some too low, some about right | 1 | 2% |
| Total | 60 |
Q6. On a scale of 1 to 5, where 1 represents minor regulatory offences and 5 represents the most serious offences such as murder, where would you place the following offences
| Offence Type | Average |
|---|---|
| Killing birds of prey | 3.8 |
| Failing to observe trapping or snaring regulations | 3.2 |
| Badger baiting | 3.7 |
| Removing or damaging freshwater pearl mussels | 3.5 |
| Trading in endangered species | 3.9 |
| Poaching (deer, salmon etc | 2.6 |
| Killing bats / destroying bat roosts | 3.5 |
| Coursing (of mammals with dogs) | 3.5 |
Q7. Which of following (court admonishment, court fine, community payback order (CPO), prison) would be appropriate for the following offences?
| Offence Type | Number (and %) of Respondents | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Admonishment | Court Fine | CPO | Prison | Total | |
| Killing birds of prey | 1 (2%) | 13 (22%) | 11 (18%) | 55 (92%) | 60 |
| Failing to observe trapping/snaring regs | 5 (8%) | 34 (58%) | 17 (29%) | 25 (42%) | 59 |
| Badger baiting | 1 (2%) | 19 (32%) | 15 (25%) | 51 (86%) | 59 |
| Removing/damaging pearl mussels | 1 (2%) | 28 (47%) | 25 (42%) | 28 (47%) | 59 |
| Trading in endangered species | 2 (3%) | 15 (25%) | 12 (20%) | 52 (88%) | 59 |
| Poaching (deer, salmon etc) | 12 (20%) | 35 (59%) | 29 (49%) | 15 (25%) | 59 |
| Killing bats/destroying roosts | 2 (3%) | 30 (51%) | 27 (46%) | 27 (46%) | 59 |
| Coursing (of mammals with dogs) | 1 (2%) | 24 (41%) | 24 (41%) | 36 (61%) | 59 |
Note: Respondents could select more than one appropriate penalty for each type of offence and so the sum of the percentages in each row is greater than 100%.
Q8. On a scale of 1 to 5, where 1 represents "not at all" and 5 represents "completely", to what extent do you think that Scottish criminal courts should take into account the impact of wildlife crime when sentencing?
| Average | |
|---|---|
| (a) on the environment (or ecosystems)? | 4.6 |
| (b) on rural businesses? | 3.6 |
| (c) on the Scottish brand as regards tourism, food and drink exports? | 4.2 |
| (d) on animal welfare? | 4.5 |
Q9. Do you think that different or additional penalties, other than those listed in Q7, should be available to the Scottish criminal courts to deal with wildlife crime?
| Answer | Number of Respondents | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Yes | 42 | 74% |
| No | 9 | 16% |
| Don't Know | 6 | 11% |
| Total | 57 |
Q10. Should Court judgements provide background information on why certain penalties have been imposed?
| Answer | Number of Respondents | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Yes | 58 | 95% |
| No | 1 | 2% |
| Don't Know | 2 | 3% |
| Total | 61 |
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