Case Explained:This article breaks down the legal background, charges, and implications of Case Explained: Decline in wildlife offences in Scotland – Legal Perspective
Recorded wildlife crime offences in Scotland have risen and dipped in recent years, new figures show.
Offences increased by 15 per cent between 2022-23 and 2023-24 from 220 to 254 offences, before falling by 27 per cent between 2023-24 and 2024-25 to 186 offences.
The statistics present findings from multiple stages of the criminal justice system, including law enforcement, prosecutions, supporting evidence and intelligence.
The 2024 report introduces two major improvements:
- Data is made available one year earlier from some sources, including recorded crime (data up to 2024-25).
- Analysis is presented which links those convicted of wildlife crimes to previous convictions for other crimes, such as threatening and abusive behaviour.
Other key results from the report include:
- The Crown Office received 72 wildlife crime cases in 2023-24. The most common outcome was an alternative to prosecution (e.g. fine) (42 per cent). Thirty-five percent of cases were prosecuted, and of those, 64 per cent were convicted, 28 per cent were acquitted and 8 per cent were pending trial. These patterns are broadly in line with previous years.
- Half of those convicted of a wildlife offence between 2019-20 and 2023-24 had at least one conviction for a non-wildlife offence in the previous 10 years. A particularly high percentage (76 per cent) of those convicted of hunting with dogs (typically hare and deer coursing) had previous convictions for non-wildlife offences, for example, assault and threatening or abusive behaviour.
Read the full report here.