A review is currently getting underway to consider whether extended powers should be given to inspectors of the Scottish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SSPCA) to enable them to investigate some wildlife crimes.

This has been on the cards for many years now and has resulted in some hysterical reactions from the usual suspects. A number of pro hunting organisations, amongst them The Scottish Gamekeeper’s Association (SGA) and Scottish Land & Estates (SLE) have made a lot of noise about ‘campaigning’ charities having powers to investigate wildlife crime. There have been suggestions that SSPCA inspectors would not be properly trained and that ‘innocent’ gamekeepers and estates would be at risk of ‘persecution’.

Many SLE members are also members of Scotland’s District Salmon Fishery Boards (DSFBs). These DSFBs appoint fisheries bailiffs who have powers of search, entry and arrest under the Salmon and Freshwater Fisheries (Consolidation) (Scotland) Act . The SGA allows fisheries bailiffs to be members. It seems strange that organisations that are so desperately opposed to extra investigative powers for the SSPCA are quite happy when these bailiffs have far greater powers. The SSPCA are not seeking to arrest wildlife criminals or planning to carry handcuffs, both things that DSFB bailiffs currently do.

Surely SLE, the SGA and other pro hunting organisations can have no serious objection to the very limited extra powers being sought by SSPCA when DSFB bailiffs have far greater powers.

SSPCA inspectors are highly trained and experienced with a long history of success in some very serious and complex cases. Why would any organisation concerned about wildlife crime as we are sure both SLE and the SGA are, be remotely concerned about extra resources being devoted to investigating this scourge of the Scottish countryside?

Perhaps they would like to tell us?