Gazette - The rural beat

COVER - REMOTE AND NORTHERN POLICING

Kent Police engage environmental crime co-ordinator

by Cst Andrew Small Kent Police, U.K.

About four years ago, Kent Police — one of the 43 police forces in England and Wales — conducted research to determine the issues of greatest concern to people living in rural communities. These issues included theft of agricultural equipment and trespassing for the purposes of poaching. While the research confirmed that residents were confident about rural policing, it also showed a clear need for police to broaden their awareness of problems in the countryside.

In 2005, following the research, Kent Police created a rural and environmental crime coordinator position — the first of its kind within the U.K. Police Service.

The co-ordinator focuses his efforts on several areas, including wildlife, environmental crime, heritage crime and crime prevention as it relates to public order and antisocial behaviour in rural and coastal areas.

The introduction of the role has received highly positive feedback from the farming community, while remote communities say they feel more reassured now that they have a dedicated officer.

Rural partnerships

One of the co-ordinator’s primary objectives is to proactively engage Kent’s rural communities and build relations with partner agencies, such as local councils and farming organizations.

This work has been so successful that the co-ordinator is now in regular contact with more than 40 organizations, including Natural England (responsible for wildlife licensing and protection of various protected areas), the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA), the Forestry Commission of Great Britain and local wildlife trusts. In particular, the co-ordinator has developed a solid working relationship with the farming community and now regularly attends National Farmers’ Union meetings.

Crimes against animals

Since 2005, the co-ordinator has led several national and international wildlife crime investigations in Kent that have resulted in convictions. These successes were achieved by working in partnership with experts who could demonstrate the effects of animal cruelty, sometimes using forensic techniques.

One case involved badger baiting, an illegal rural activity in which a badger is captured from the wild and placed in a pit with a fighting dog. The subsequent attacks serve to entertain spectators.

In a joint operation with the RSPCA, Kent Police used seized video evidence of the incidents to convict one person of animal cruelty offences in 2006. This person was also banned from possessing pets for five years.

A second case led to the first conviction of dolphin harassment in England. The animal in question was a solitary dolphin that regularly swam in the waters off the Kent coast and was protected from interference by the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981. The dolphin had become a common attraction for visitors, and the community — with the help of the local media — launched a campaign to protect it.

In June 2007, a member of the public noticed and videotaped two men entering the water and touching the dolphin. This harassment was also witnessed by a local police officer. Police arrested the men and launched an investigation in partnership with marine conservation groups and dolphin behavioural experts. Both men were convicted in April 2008.

Protecting heritage

Kent has a rich heritage and there are many cultural and architectural sites at risk from deliberate damage and interference. The rural and environmental crime co-ordinator has worked with archaeologists and English Heritage to ensure that the nation’s history is protected.

The co-ordinator developed a heritage crime course for police officers and archaeologists — the first of its kind in the U.K. Greater information sharing has subsequently led to the conviction of a person who damaged five archaeological sites in Kent and Sussex between July and December 2007.

The rural and environmental crime co-ordinator collaborates with eight police officers across Kent who act as additional points of contact in rural communities. As a team, these officers can more effectively address rural crime, and the constant contact with neighbourhoods ensures that residents’ concerns are rapidly addressed.