Conservationists are calling on Prime Minister David Cameron to step-in and save Britain’s world-leading National Wildlife Crime Unit (NWCU), which is dedicated to combating wildlife crime, according to a report in The Independent.
The National Wildlife Crime Unit’s funding is due to end in March 2016, which has lead to both conservationists and some ministers insisting the government acts to maintain the unit, using whatever funds needed.
The unit costs £427,000 a year with the majority of funding coming from the Home Office and the Department for Farming, Environment and Rural Affairs (DEFRA).
The report states: "Britain is a hub for the international illegal wildlife trade, investigators say, and in 2015 alone the NWCU orchestrated the seizure of more than 400 items banned under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES).
"It also helps coordinate the work of police forces around the country combating domestic wildlife crimes such as hare coursing and the persecution of birds of prey."
The National Wildlife Crime Unit is too important to lose. Will you join me in urging the UK Government to maintain funding to this vital police unit?
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