Half the story damages police relationship with shooting community
Conor O'Gorman
Firstly, let’s be clear – BASC unreservedly condemns all wildlife crime and we are appalled that someone would leave five dead goshawks in a public car park in Kings Forest, Suffolk. Nobody who has read the story can fail to be shocked.
BASC has a clear track-record of calling out wildlife crime. We have done it here, here and here, for example. We have a well-publicised zero-tolerance policy on raptor persecution. We have said many times that it damages shooting’s very survival and we will expel any member convicted of such crimes.
Secondly, we have no reason to disbelieve or refute the evidence presented by Suffolk Constabulary’s Rural, Wildlife and Heritage Team that all five goshawks were shot.
Nevertheless, there are clear issues around the initial publication of the police appeal for information on the deaths of these goshawks that sadly undermine their attempts to secure information that could help identify offenders.
Reckless
The police tagged BASC and the National Gamekeepers’ Organisation in a tweet that said: “Here’s a chance for the shooting community to protect it’s (sic) reputation & future. Do the right thing. Tell us who shot these 5 young #goshawks dumped in the Kings Forest. This is shocking and there should be no hiding place for the culprit. There is no place for this in 2023. #233.”
This was a reckless and unhelpful joining of dots that unfairly left the blame at the door of the “shooting community” with about the same logic as suggesting the entire “driving community” would be to blame because one person uses a car in a hit-and-run.
When right-minded people jumped on the thread to secure clarification, the person operating their social media account published a ruck of freestyle comments that dug in their position even further. This was done apparently without any consideration that the perpetrator does not necessarily need to be a lawful, legitimate shotgun holder to use a shotgun in the commission of a crime.
BASC contacted Suffolk Constabulary’s central press team to raise our concerns and, in fairness, the tweet was quickly taken down. However, it was subsequently replaced by a tweet linking to a joint police press release with the RSPB.
Unanswered questions
For clarity, BASC is not being an apologist for the person (s) who may have been involved in the deaths of these goshawks.
But to secure the best possible outcome for an investigation such as this, the police are duty-bound to operate without favour or prejudice. Their original tweet smacked of forming an opinion as to the probable community from which the culprit would come, then working their investigation backwards.
For BASC to comment on such a matter in a helpful way that could add value to an investigation, we need the police to present more of the facts. And to act with impartiality and without prejudice.
To only present half the story is to provide no story at all. And, quite frankly, few people appear to believe the narrative of the half-story given so far.
Without divulging information sensitive and critical to any investigation, it would be helpful if the police could tell us:
- What makes them think the birds were all shot in the same location, as per the line in their press release?
- Were all the birds shot with the same type of shot? What investigations have been done on this?
- Are the birds all the same age? Are they wild birds? Are they wild birds from the same family unit? Have any DNA tests been done?
- Is there any suggestion that the dead birds have been stored in a freezer before being dumped? If so, for how long? What is the state of decay of the birds? Does any of this information lead investigators in a particular direction?
- Is there an official record of goshawk nest sites in this area? Are there any reports of tampering with nests? Is there any video footage of suspicious activity in the area?
This is not an exhaustive list; nevertheless the ‘back-story’ would assist organisations like BASC in joining a police appeal for information.
With more information presented to us in an impartial manner, BASC would also have considered matching the offer of a financial reward for information tabled by the RSPB and Wild Justice.
Half-way to helping
This brings us on to one final point.
Can we assume the RSPB has more information on the matter than BASC as they were very quick yesterday to offer a £5,000 reward for information leading to conviction; shortly followed by a similar pledge from Wild Justice? It would be useful to know whether RSPB are complainants, victims, witnesses or have any other relationship with Suffolk Constabulary.
On the record, numerous senior BASC staff have been trying for a day and a half to contact officers within the rural crime unit. We have emailed, called and left voice messages without receiving a single reply as of 5pm this evening.
Raptor crime is a serious issue that is not treated lightly by BASC or any other organisation in our sector. We understand it inflicts a damage that undermines the good work that supports sustainable shooting and conservation.
But with only half the story, we can’t even get half-way to offering help on appalling incidents such as this.
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