Derbyshire trust's delight as funding secured for national crime unit

The trust said that the closure of the unit would have had a devastating impact in Derbyshire where wildlife crime is rife – the county is currently one of the worst places in the UK for illegal bird of prey persecution.

This national specialist unit investigates crimes such as deliberately harming wild animals, damaging nest sites of birds and tackling the illegal trade of protected species. It supports and works closely with the police and their wildlife crime officers in the county.

Tim Birch, Head of Advocacy and Conservation Strategy at Derbyshire Wildlife Trust said, “We are delighted that the Government has come through and provided funding for another four years for this extremely important unit. Without the support of the National Wildlife Crime Unit there would have been devastating consequences for the police fighting wildlife crime within our county. Now it has been saved wildlife crimes can continue to be properly investigated and where possible prosecuted by the police.”