Wild Birds Regulation Unit to commit to ‘similar’ levels of enforcement as 2013

The introduction of harsher penalties on illegal hunting has "already had a noticeable positive effect on bird-related crime trends, particularly illegal targeting of protected birds", according to Sergei Golovkin, head of the Wild Birds Regulation Unit.

Golovkin rebutted allegations that the new, harsher penalties for illegal hunting was simply paying lip-service to environmental concerns due to the limited enforcement resources.

Golovkin said that the introduction of the new penalties was carried out "in parallel with the introduction of stricter and more precise regulatory controls, a doubling of enforcement presence in the field, an increase in the intensity of field inspections and surveillance and in conjunction with better inter-agency coordination" to promote compliance.

He also confirmed that 10,378 persons are licensed to hunt on land, stressing that "this does not imply that all licensed hunters would avail themselves of hunting opportunities at the same time, or during the entire autumn season", however.

"The Wild Birds Regulation Unit is in close liaison with the police and the AFM to ensure adequate field enforcement presence in the countryside, particularly during anticipated peak raptor migration," Golovkin told MaltaToday, adding that preparations are underway for the enforcement operation.

Over the past few weeks, the Wild Birds Regulation Unit says it has delivered specialised training to enforcement personnel and provided up-to-date regulatory information to relevant commanding officers for dissemination amongst field staff.

A precise number of ALE officers that will be deployed is currently unavailable, however Golovkin indicated that  "similar enforcement deployment levels as those deployed during autumn season in 2013 are being maintained".