Last week we blogged about an incident caught on a Forestry Commission Scotland camera in spring 2017 showing two masked individuals, one carrying a firearm, within 30m of a raptor nest site in a public forest (see here).
Forest Enterprise Scotland refused to tell us at which species’ nest and in which public forest this incident took place because “the disclosure of this information would adversely affect the protection of the environment to which the information relates“.
We were shocked to learn that, even though this incident was reported to the police, Police Scotland has remained silent. There have been no appeals for information to help identify the masked gunman and his accomplice, and so far, no warnings to the public about this serious threat to public safety.
This isn’t the first time Police Scotland has withheld information on suspected raptor persecution crimes that had the potential to adversely affect public safety. A similar incident was recorded in another FCS woodland (Glen Nochty, Strathdon) in 2014. In that case, a gang of masked, armed men was filmed on at least four occasions shooting at a goshawk nest in broad daylight in a public forest. It took Police Scotland nine months to release the footage and appeal for information (see here).
And it’s not just cases of masked, armed gunmen at raptor nest sites that Police Scotland is keeping under wraps. This is the only police force in the UK that is withholding the details of cases involving highly toxic poisons that have been used to target and /or kill birds of prey. Not only are the locations of these cases being kept hidden from the public, but the names of the poisons are also being kept secret – many of which are so dangerous that it is an offence to even possess these substances, let alone lay them out where the public might stumble across them (e.g. see here).
Police Scotland has previously argued that it withholds information “in only a very few cases” as part of its investigative strategy. The evidence suggests otherwise (see here) and see this table from the RSPB’s 2015 Birdcrime report:
Following last week’s blog about the masked gunman and his accomplice in a public forest in spring 2017, we tweeted the Scottish Government’s Justice Secretary, Michael Matheson, and his colleague Annabelle Ewing (Minister for Community Safety & Legal Affairs) and requested they ask questions about this case in the interests of public safety. Both of them ignored our requests and have not responded at all. Neither has Police Scotland.
That’s pretty shocking, isn’t it? Here we have Forestry Enterprise Scotland, Police Scotland, a Cabinet Secretary and a junior Minister all willing to put public safety at risk in the interests of protecting dangerous, raptor-killing criminals. What is this, the wild west?
We’d encourage blog readers in Scotland to write to local MSPs and request that questions are put to the Justice Secretary about this serious threat to public safety. Blog readers not resident in Scotland but who might visit on holiday and are concerned about the risk of meeting masked, armed gunmen in a public forest are encouraged to email Justice Secretary Michael Matheson directly: scottish.ministers@gov.scot [mark it for the attention of Mr Matheson].
UPDATE 30 December 2017: Masked gunmen at goshawk nest in Moy Forest (here)
Raptor Persecution UK 
There were also 6 ‘Withheld’ in the 2016 RSPB report, all but one in the Borders and the other in Dumfries and Galloway.
Well said blogmeisters!….I would also like to add the fact that for many years back in the wild and woolly 80s and early 90s when the RSPB really got stuck in on following up poison cases SASA [and its several different named predecessors] would name specific locations of confirmed poisoning incidents [baits and/or victims] in their annual reports and then, due to pressure from the gamekeeping/shooting/landowning lobby these locations were “redacted” = covered up. No blame on the tremendous work done by the analysts…this came from on high within the government….How does that fit in with protecting the public?
There ia no excuse for not doing something about this.
No-one other than a Police officer of member of the Armed Services carrying a firearm in public should be masked or have their faces covered
Legitimate armed deer stalkers often wear camouflaged face masks in public areas but I take and agree with your point.
I have written to the Minister, thanks for the link.
I notice a Red Kite was poisoned in Hertfordshire in 2015. Could you tell me where?
Try the search engine on the right.
I live in England, but holiday ever year for several weeks in Scotland. I will send an e-mail as you have suggested. I will also send e-mails to the various cottage companies that I have used, explaining my concern of my family stumbling across a masked gunman in a remote public place.
The whole things stinks and casts a very poor light on Police Scotland and their political handlers
Once again – keep scything away at that long grass !
The fact that this sort of thing is sadly commonplace in forests bordering game shoots, where war was declared on raptors hundreds of years ago, does not mean that it will always be covered up.
Cameras only cover a tiny % of Schedule 1 nest sites so the tip of the iceberg………….
Keep up the pressure !
Terrible attitude from police scotland. They clearly are ignoring the raptor issue and ignoring the public.
They should at the very least come clean and admit the difficulties it has in dealing with wildlife crime and ask for assistance from partner agencies namely Sspca and Rspb. This will not happen for fear of the truth beng exposed.
You can only fool some of the public some of the time!
There is a hilarious skit on most recent episode of Scot Squad when Chief Commissioner Cameron Miekelson tries to come up with a motto for their great skill at doing nothing at all. It is in first third.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b09g2yjp/scot-squad-series-4-episode-1
Aye, I used to think Scot Squad was an exaggeration, now I’m not so sure.