Wildlife Crime is Being Overlooked on National Scale, Reveals New Report from Naturewatch Foundation
Naturewatch Foundation launches Policing Wildlife Crime: Make Wildlife Count report at the Wild Summit 2025 and calls on government and police forces to take urgent action.
Wildlife crime across England and Wales is being systematically overlooked, under-recorded, and inadequately addressed, leaving thousands of wild animals unprotected. This is the stark warning contained in a new report published today at the Wild Summit by animal welfare charity Naturewatch Foundation, titled Policing Wildlife Crime: Make Wildlife Count.
Drawing on Freedom of Information (FOI) responses from 33 police forces and a detailed survey of 128 frontline officers and call handlers, the report exposes serious gaps in how wildlife crime is recorded, investigated, and prosecuted. Among its most alarming findings are:
● Over 4,400 wildlife crime incidents were recorded between August 2023 and October 2024. The actual number is believed to be significantly higher,...
