Your data on MRCVSonline
The nature of the services provided by Vision Media means that we might obtain certain information about you.
Please read our Data Protection and Privacy Policy for details.

In addition, (with your consent) some parts of our website may store a 'cookie' in your browser for the purposes of
functionality or performance monitoring.
Click here to manage your settings.
EmailIphone Application    Posted: 12th July 2024

Naturewatch wins award for wildlife crime work
The charity's wildlife crime training package has been provided to over 5,500 police staff.
The charity has trained police officers in tackling the issue.

Naturewatch Foundation has received a Charity Awards prize for its work supporting the police in tackling wildlife crime.

The animal welfare charity is recognised for its ‘Police control room wildlife crime training package’, which advises police staff how to handle calls regarding wildlife crimes. This includes offences such as badger baiting and hare coursing.

Since its introduction, the training package has been provided to over 5,500 police staff in less than 12 months.

The training package was created by Naturewatch Foundation in partnership with the National Wildlife Crime Unit and RSPCA. Advice was supported with the expertise of Thames Valley Police.

Using animations, the package aims to give the learner a better understanding of what a caller or witness may be experiencing with wildlife crime. This includes visualisations of the stages of a wildlife crime, such as the ‘dig’ in a case of badger baiting.

The course means that police control room operators, who are responsible for logging calls and dispatching the right officer, know which resources may be needed to enact an effective police response.

The charity was recognised with the Charity Awards prize in the ‘Animals and Environment’ category as part of a ceremony on Tuesday, 9 July.

Kate Salmon, campaign manager and project lead, said:  “We are overwhelmed by this award and I commend the dedicated police officers up and down the country, whose teams are usually under-resourced, that continue to fight week on week to stop British wildlife being brutally persecuted.

“Our work to support them continues and it’s a real delight to be recognised for what we do for animal welfare.”

She added: “Wildlife crime has such dire consequences for our rural communities, as well as causing suffering to the animals involved, including the dogs used so disgustingly by the people who are meant to protect them. It must end.”

Image © Shutterstock

Become a member or log in to add this story to your CPD history

Applications open for MMI research grants

News Story 1
 RCVS' Mind Matters Initiative (MMI) has launched round two of its veterinary mental health research grants.

Researchers have until 11.59pm on Wednesday, 28 May 2025 to apply for a grant for research which reflects MMI's 2025 focus areas.

Only one Impact Grant was awarded last year, and so this year there are two Discovery Grants and one Impact Grants available. Each Discovery Grant is worth £5,000 and the Impact Grant is worth £15,000.

For more information or to apply, email researchgrants@rcvs.org.uk to contact the MMI team.

 

Click here for more...
News Shorts
Germany livestock import ban lifted

The UK government has amended its ban on the import of livestock, meat and dairy products from Germany.

Defra said the decision follows 'rigorous technical assessment' of the measures applied and the current situation. "If the situation changes, we will not hesitate to take necessary action in response to the FMD outbreaks in the European Union to protect our domestic biosecurity," it said.

The ban was implemented in January following an outbreak of foot and mouth disease (FMD) near Berlin. Personal imports of meat, milk and dairy products will remain in place at a country level.