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Publication - Progress report

Wildlife crime in Scotland: 2017 annual report

Published
21 December 2018
Directorate
Environment and Forestry Directorate
Part of
Environment and climate change
ISBN
9781787814967

The sixth wildlife crime annual report, with new data from the financial year 2016 to 2017.

View supporting documents Supporting documents

Appendix 2A - Further information on COPFS Case Outcomes

*= data suppressed. See Appendix 2.

Table A: Outcomes of all fish poaching cases


 2012-13 2013-14 2014-15 2015-16 2016-17
No action 13 11 9 10 8
Alternative to prosecution 18 16 21 15 20
Prosecuted 24 33 8 5 7
of which convicted 19 23 8 * *
No. of reports received 55 60 38 30 35

Table B: Outcomes of all other wildlife cases


 2012-13 2013-14 2014-15 2015-16 2016-17
No action 22 19 15 30 19
Alternative to prosecution 12 14 13 12 15
Prosecuted 37 32 32 18 25
of which convicted 25 24 20 12 20
No. of reports received 71 65 60 60 59

Outcomes by Individual case category
Offences relating to badgers
For the period 2012-2017, a total of nine cases relating to badgers were reported to COPFS.

Table C: Offences relating to birds


 2012-13 2013-14 2014-15 2015-16 2016-17
No action * * * 9 *
Alternative to prosecution * * * * *
Prosecuted 11 12 10 * 9
of which convicted * * * * *
No. of reports received 20 21 17 15 24

Table D: Offences relating to cruelty to wild animals


 2012-13 2013-14 2014-15 2015-16 2016-17
No. of reports received 7 10 11 * 8

Table E: Offences relating to deer


 2012-13 2013-14 2014-15 2015-16 2016-17
No. of reports received 8 * 5 * *

Table F: Offences relating to hunting with dogs


 2012-13 2013-14 2014-15 2015-16 2016-17
No. of reports received 9 13 6 15 7

For the period 2012-2017, of the 50 cases reported, 24 (48%) were prosecuted with 17 (71%) of those prosecuted being convicted.

Table G: Other wildlife offences


 2012-13 2013-14 2014-15 2015-16 2016-17
No action 8 6 * 9 *
Alternative to prosecution 7 5 * 6 *
Prosecuted 8 6 7 5 6
of which convicted * * * * *
No. of reports received 23 17 17 20 14

Other conservation offences

For the period 2012-2017, fewer than five cases relating to other conservation offences were reported to COPFS.

Contact

Email: Hugh Dignon

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