Press release from National Wildlife Crime Unit:
OPERATION EASTER RELEASED FOR 2023 – STOPPING EGG THIEVES & EGG COLLECTORS
The nationwide enforcement campaign to safeguard our nesting wild birds is underway for 2023.
Egg burglars will go to any lengths to rob the nests of unusual wild birds. Operation EASTER is figured out to stop them in their tracks.
The taking of wild bird eggs is a major criminal activity yet it stays an illegal pastime for some figured out people. Whole clutches of eggs can be drawn from a few of the UK’s rarest birds with possibly ravaging effects. The eggs are saved in secret collections.
Detective Inspector Mark Harrison from the UK NWCU says:
“Operation Easter has actually represented over a quarter century and this is an important piece of cops work that might quickly go ignored.
This year we are stepping up our efforts to safeguard the UK’s rarest birds of victim from would be burglars as we have actually seen the boost in wild taken chicks and eggs that have actually gone into the genuine falconry market. This criminality triggers us some issue for the continuous nature status of a few of the world’s most renowned birds of victim. The NWCU co-ordinate the policing reaction, making sure devoted Police Wildlife Crime Officers from the taking part UK police get an as much as date intelligence rundown, issue fixing strategies and access to professional detectives from the NWCU. As constantly, the success of this operation counts on the general public who are our eyes and ears and our crucial partners who raise the profile of such criminal activities to keep them a concern for UK wildlife criminal activity policing”.
Operation EASTER was established in Scotland 26 years back. The operation is now assisted in by the National Wildlife Crime Unit (NWCU) in combination with police and partner companies throughout the UK. The operation targets egg burglars by sharing intelligence and supporting enforcement action.
In recent years the operation has actually likewise been broadened to cover some emerging patterns of criminal behaviour such as the online sell eggs and the disruption of nests for photography.
If you have any details on egg burglars, or those who interrupt unusual nesting birds without a license, you need to call your regional cops by calling 101 – ask to talk to a wildlife criminal activity officer if possible. Nesting will remain in full speed in April so please get in touch with the cops if you see anybody acting suspiciously around nesting birds.
Information can likewise be passed in self-confidence to Crimestoppers by means of 0800 555 111.
ENDS
