LONDON, United Kingdom, April 24, 2002 (ENS) - Criminals who trade in wildlife and animal parts will have a tougher time of it in Britain from now on. A new unit of the National Criminal Intelligence Service was created on Monday to concentrate on combating serious wildlife crime at both national and international levels.

The National Wildlife Crime Intelligence Unit will have its hands full from the start dealing with smugglers of such lucrative items as caviar, ivory, shatoosh shawls, parrots and birds of prey.

UK Environment Minister Michael Meacher (Photo courtesy UK government)

One estimate suggests that the global wildlife trade amounts to as much as $US20 billion per year, possibly a quarter of that being illegal.

"These people will go to extraordinary lengths to get hold of wildlife specimens," said Meacher. "We know that some specimens are collected to order. We also know that wildlife crimes are organized. There is also some evidence of links with other crimes, including drug trafficking."

The conservation group WWF and its wildlife trade monitoring group, TRAFFIC, welcomed the new National Wildlife Crime Intelligence Unit.

WWF-UK's Head of Species Programme Stuart Chapman said, "The creation of this unit is a big step forward for cracking wildlife crime, and provides support for front line conservation efforts around the world. Stamping out illegal wildlife trade in the UK will impact on a global business that is driving some species towards extinction."

Crawford Allan, TRAFFIC's global enforcement coordinator, said, "Criminals involved in wildlife crime will now be thinking twice about their activities, knowing that they are the targets of a dedicated national unit. One by one the key players involved will inevitably fall foul of the NCIS unit and end up paying dearly for it."

In January, in what the multi-agency Partnership for Action Against Wildlife Crime calls "the most significant wildlife case ever brought before the UK courts," Raymond Humphrey was found guilty of 22 offenses relating to the smuggling of endangered birds of prey from Thailand. He was caught with two accomplices at Heathrow Airport when customs officers found two suitcases containing 23 birds of prey. He was sentenced to six and a half years in prison, the longest prison sentence handed out so far.

In anticipation of capturing more criminals like Humphrey, the new National Wildlife Crime Intelligence Unit will collect and analyze intelligence from a wide variety of sources and refine this into operational packages. Unit personnel will work closely with police and customs officers to take forward investigations and prosecutions. They will have access to police and other databases, as well as to sophisticated intelligence gathering systems and analysis techniques.

Reptile skin accessories confiscated by HM Customs officials at Birmingham Airport (Photo courtesy TRAFFIC)

"We are committed to combatting this ugly crime and the National Wildlife Crime Intelligence Unit will give us an excellent opportunity to complement the work of the Police and HM Customs and Excise by tackling wildlife crime at the highest levels," Meacher said.

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs is contributing £440,000 towards the establishment of the Unit. Police Chief Constables are contributing a further £100,000.

Meacher is convinced that the need for this unit is greater now than ever before. "Crimes against wildlife continue, pushing some of our most endangered species ever closer to extinction. And as the net closes in on these criminals, they find ever more sophisticated ways of evading detection," he said Monday. "We need equally sophisticated techniques to make sure that we track down, prosecute and punish these big time criminals."

Within England and Wales, The Countryside and Rights of Way Act of 2000 introduced tough new enforcement measures aimed at combating crimes against native wildlife species. Penalties were increased to fines of up to £5,000 or terms of imprisonment of up to six months.

Police officers' powers have also been strengthened, with new powers of arrest and improved search warrant provisions.

During the 1980s, police forces throughout Britain recognized the need for a specialist officer with some expertise in wildlife matters to take the lead in enforcing the growing number of laws protecting wildlife. These specialists have the title of Wildlife Liaison Officer (WLO).

The London Metropolitan Police first appointed a WLO in 1986. Since then the concept has become popular, and now every British police force has appointed a Wildlife Liaison Officer, and most have also appointed other officers to assist them.

Wildlife Liaison Officer with the London Metropolitan Police takes custody of a tiger cub. (Photo courtesy London Metropolitan Police)

In London, Metropolitan Police Wildlife Officers have found ivory, reptile skins and even an endangered species of tropical fish being offered for sale.

In April 2001, the London Police strengthened and reorganized its arrangements for dealing with wildlife crime. The restructured Wildlife Crime Unit is now part of the Met's Specialist Operations Command. The unit maintains contact with the many conservation organizations, government departments, other police forces and individuals involved in wildlife protection and also acts as a focal point for information and inquiries from the public.

The British government is a signatory to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) which bans the trade in species of birds, animals and plants whose wild populations are threatened. The international trade hastens the extinction of these species in the wild and, in some cases, is the principal threat to their survival.