Teen arrested after birds of prey harmed in Wiltshire
19-year-old man held on suspicion of raptor persecution.
A teenager has been arrested following two warrants executed in Wiltshire.
Wiltshire Police's new Rural Crime Team led two raids, one in Pewsey and the other in Beckhampton on Wednesday (23 Sept 2020).
NEW RURAL CRIME TEAM IN ACTION
They were backed-up by officers from Hampshire Constabulary, South West Forensics, the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB), the National Wildlife Crime Unit, Natural England and the Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service.
A 19-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of raptor persecution under the Wildlife and Countryside Act
Firearms were seized as part of ongoing enquiries
The carcasses of a number of birds of prey, including red kites and buzzards, were found during the raid in Beckhampton
REMAINS OF DEAD BIRDS DISCOVERED
PC Marc Jackson, Wiltshire Police Rural Crime Team, said:
"Following an extensive search of both locations, we have recovered the remains of a number of birds of prey, including red kites and buzzards. The recovery of these remains presented a number of complex challenges and we are grateful for the support from other agencies."
"Our enquiries continue into how these birds were killed and disposed of. If anybody has any information that they think could support our investigation, please contact us on 101."
Inspector Liz Coles, Tactical Lead for Rural Crime in Wiltshire, said:
"Today's warrant shows that we take all aspects of rural crime seriously and we will proactively work with partners to protect wildlife and our rural communities. Last week saw the introduction of the new dedicated rural crime officers to the team, and this is a prime example of how they will help us moving forward."
"We continue to develop more intelligence-led policing in relation to prevention, detecting criminal activity and proactive operations".
Wiltshire Police are part of the national initiative called Operation Owl. The initiative sets out to raise awareness of raptor persecution, encouraging the public to be vigilant for signs of this criminal activity, and to report suspicious activity to the police.