Yard backs wildlife crime unit in fight against traffickers

 
Respected: Sergeant Ian Knox, head of Scotland Yard’s Wildlife Crime Unit, is retiring
GLENN COPUS
16 January 2014

Scotland Yard has pledged to continue funding its specialist wildlife crime unit to tackle growing links with organised gangs.

Senior officers say criminals are making huge profits from trafficking the products of endangered species such as powdered rhino horn, which is now said to be more expensive than cocaine.

The future of the five-strong wildlife crime unit was in doubt after an animal charity said it could no longer continue with a £100,000 annual grant, which funds two posts. The respected head of the unit, Sergeant Ian Knox, is also retiring.

It tackles a variety of crimes, ranging from the trapping of wild birds in east London to the international trade in elephant ivory.

Commander Richard Martin, the Met’s head of intelligence and covert policing, said the force and the Mayor’s Office for Policing and Crime would continue to fund the unit.

He said: “The unit will remain a single unit but a lot of work will be done by a wider group of analysts. We will have the same number of people investigating wildlife crime in the unit but if we identify wider crime networks then we can use other Met assets to target them.”

He added that research by the charity the World Society for the Protection of Animals, which has funded the two full-time posts in the unit for two years, had shown strong links to organised crime.

Mr Martin said: “We know there are people profiting from this crime and that is perhaps not surprising when powdered rhino horn is being traded at £40,000 a kilo.

“When we know of people who are profiting in this way we want to use the full range of assets that we have to target them and take their profits away.”

Mr Martin was speaking a month before 60 heads of state are due to attend a global summit in London highlighting the plight of endangered species.

Prince William, a strong supporter of animal charities, is said to be making a speech at the event, which has been organised by David Cameron and William Hague in response to the growing threat to the tiger, elephant and rhino.

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