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CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora) issues

Ministry of Defence training courses

A programme of CITES training courses have been arranged for Royal Navy personnel by Mark Gray from the MoD police.

The first course took place in November 2006. It was attended by a Crown Prosecution Service wildlife advisor; a Provost Sergeant from 17 Port and Maritime Regiment based at Marchwood, Southampton; Royal Navy Service Police from a variety of warships based at H.M.N.B. Portsmouth and from the Royal Navy Police Headquarters (East) based at HMS Nelson; and members of the Ministry of Defence Police and Civil Servants from Fort Blockhouse in Gosport and H.M.N.B. Portsmouth.

The course included an overview of:

  • CITES and examples of CITES specimens;
  • the impact that CITES has on the armed forces, and on Police and Customs officers;
  • The Control of Trade in Endangered Species (Enforcement) Regulations (COTES) 1997 and the Customs and Excise Management Act 1976.

It also included:

  • a CITES species smuggling scenario;
  • a presentation given by HMRC staff from the CITES Team at Heathrow Airport about their work, including smuggling case studies and information about smuggling trends;
  • a presentation on the Bushmeat trade and the associated risk of disease transmission.

Participants also saw a display of CITES specimens many of which had been seized at Heathrow Airport.

The course formed part of an ongoing CITES crime reduction and training package that Mark Gray is implementing at H.M.N.B. Portsmouth and for the warships based there. He has started training Ministry of Defence Police Officers in COTES legislation, and this is now being followed up by training members of the Ministry of Defence Guard Service (M.G.S.) in what to do on finding CITES specimens, including those found during entry and exit searches.

A number of courses for Police Officers and the Ministry of Defence Guard Service have been completed. In the next few months, Mark hopes to have all Police Officers and Guards based at Her Majesty’s Naval Base, Portsmouth trained in CITES awareness; what to look for when carrying out searches of personnel and vehicles coming into and leaving the base; smuggling techniques; and health and safety issues surrounding plant and animal handling.

Both the Royal Navy and The Ministry of Defence Police have embraced this awareness campaign, The Royal Navy are running several CITES awareness articles over the next few months in a paper called "Navy News" which is sent out to all Royal Navy sailors worldwide, the Ministry of Defence Police are also running a CITES article soon in the Force magazine "Talk Through". If you would like any more information about the courses please contact the PAW Secretariat in the first instance.

Campaign Against Illegal Poisoning of Wildlife

The Campaign Against Illegal Poisoning works to protect wildlife from poisoning with pesticides either from careless use or deliberate attempts to poison. It is co-ordinated by Defra, and is supported by a wide range of organisations associated with animal welfare, nature preservation, field sports and game keeping.

The main objectives of the campaign are to:

  • Advise farmers, gamekeepers and other land managers on legal ways of controlling pests.
  • Advise the public on how to report illegal poisoning incidents and to respect the need for legal alternatives.
  • Investigate incidents (under the Wildlife Incident Investigation Scheme) and prosecute offenders.

During the years the Campaign has been in existence, much work has been done to achieve these objectives. A freephone number (0800 321 600) has been established to make it easier for the public to report incidents.

Further information about the Campaign can be found at: www.pesticides.gov.uk/environment.asp?id=504

Wildlife Incident Investigation Scheme

The Wildlife Incident Investigation Scheme (WIIS) investigates the deaths of wildlife, including beneficial insects and some pets, throughout the UK where there is evidence that pesticide poisoning may be involved.  More information can be found at:
www.pesticides.gov.uk/environment.asp?id=58

Page last modified: 18 November, 2009