The Countryside Alliance is carrying out a survey of crime in the countryside. As you work through the survey you will eventually come to a section where they are particularly interested in wildlife crime, which I took to include illegal use of lead shot in killing wildfowl in England and Wales and loss of Hen Harriers, Peregrines, Goshawks etc on grouse moors and other shoots.
I’m sure they’d like to hear from you.
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Worked my way through the rather dull survey but then gave them a broadside in the final question 🙂
Was also able to give some commentary on the question on rural crimes in your area that have no victim and tend to go unreported. The joy of living in the rural raptor killing fields of the north.
Something seems really dodgy here.
We get police messages to pass on to a area of our local coomunity and have received a message of a survey
National Rural Crime Network.
This appears to be exactly the same as the one on your blog of Countryside alliance.
The one we received talks of having as part of it “Wildlife Crime” but when you fill it in nowhere does it give you a chance to enter a answer on wildlife crime although there is a chance at the end to enter a comment.
It all sounds dodgy to me cynic that I am.
Perhaps not Dennis, survey questions are designed in such a way to receive answers sought and rarely offer free text option.
Imagine having to analyse a collection of wildlife related crime when sceptic I am is inclined to thoughts of some seeking funding for large landowners to raise private unit(s)?
Making WC reportable and a few decent prosecutions might send out a message to the law breakers? We can but ‘aspire’?
Dear Mr. Avery,
Thank you for your interest in the national rural crime survey. You may wish to be aware that the survey is actually being undertaken by the National Rural Crime Network which was set up in 2014. Further information is available on the NRCN website – http://www.nationalruralcrimenetwork.net where the survey form is also hosted. The CA is one of a number of rural based organisations along with 30 police forces across England and Wales who are helping us to promote the survey and assist with our other activities. Please contact me if you would like further information. Regards, Nick Payne
Isn’t the headquarters of the ‘rural based’ Countryside Alliance based in London?
Dear Mr Payne,
I wouldn’t mind a bit more information if that’s okay. What considerations are wildlife crime given within the National Rural Crime Network? There does not seem to be any organisations with trained wildlife crime investigators that are members of the NRCN. Have the RSPB, RSPCA, League Against Cruel Sports or International Fund for Animal Welfare been invited to the NRCN?
Regards,
Jack Riggall
I see that the Countryside Alliance are one of the members of the NRCN but are they the main backers of the survey? Also, I wonder why the RSPB, IFAW, LACS & RSPCA aren’t part of the network?
Someone should send them on a course on questionnaire / survey questions? To progress through the survey you have to opt for one of their options which was frequently not true. Best guess, so they clearly don’t go for accuracy (free text box option) or science?
Compulsory postcode will see a visit from big brother’s brother?
Seems to me the Countryside alliance have in effect hijacked this survey.
Yes, I had a look at the survey and it wouldn’t pass many statistical tests. Living in a town I was bumped off straight away – despite the fact that I used to manage the largest single landholding in England ! But then, as you go on, you realise that the survey is aimed at propping up the myth that crime is a serious problem in rural areas – by fishing for responses mainly from people who have suffered crime. On which I always remember the rural Suffolk Bobby we met in a very well concealed Forestry Commission car park who told us that our thief haven accounted for more crime than the rest of his beat put together !
And, I suspect, it is not persecution of protected wildlife that is the target of this survey.