"Wildlife crime must be taken seriously at every level of policing and government" - Jim Clark, Naturewatch Foundation.

Report reveals incidents are being systemically overlooked. 

Urgent action is required to address wildlife crime and ensure incidents are taken seriously, according to a new report.

The report, published by the Naturewatch Foundation, draws on Freedom of Information responses from 33 police forces and a detailed survey of 128 frontline officers and call handlers. 

It reveals that over 4,400 incidents were recorded between August 2023 and October 2024. However, experts believe the actual number is far higher — and that poor and inconsistent recording practices make it impossible to determine the true scale.

Furthermore, it found that 78 per cent of recorded cases resulted in ‘No Further Action’, and only 16 per cent of wildlife officers surveyed had experience with wildlife or animal welfare prosecutions.

Jim Clark, wildlife crime campaign manager at Naturewatch Foundation, said: “The report highlights a disturbing pattern: wildlife crime is consistently treated as a low priority, despite the significant impact it has on biodiversity, public safety, and the rule of law. Inconsistent crime recording also means we still do not know the true scale of the problem, and if we cannot count it, we cannot combat it.” 

“This lack of urgency not only enables wildlife crime to persist unchecked but also signals to offenders that these crimes carry little consequence.” 

The report also found that 90 per cent of respondents wanted more face-to-face training, and 81 per cent believe wildlife crime should be made notifiable. A total of 87 per cent of respondents said they do not believe wildlife crime is dealt with robustly by the courts. 

In light of the findings, Naturewatch is calling for urgent reform to make wildlife crime notifiable, allowing for consistent national data collection, better trend monitoring, and stronger enforcement.

It also wants a commitment from DEFRA to review and strengthen wildlife protection legislation and the establishment of a mandatory wildlife recording framework.

Jim continued: “If we are serious about tackling the biodiversity crisis and building a society that respects all life, wildlife crime must be taken seriously at every level of policing and government.”

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