Meeting with Glos Police and Crime Commissioner Martin Surl

As part of my work with GABS and Glos Wounded  Badger Patrol I was invited to a meeting at Gloucestershire Headquarters with Police and Crime Commissioner Martin Surl last week.

I am team leader of Glos WBP Legal Liaisons and along with other members of GABS, we met with members of Glos Police and Martin Surl to share and discuss our experiences of the Badger Cull Pilot. 

Afterwards PCC Martin Surl tweeted 

" Vanessa, thanks for coming to see us, tough issues I know, but let's keep the dialogue going".

Why our role at GABS Legal Liasions is still important

"The Independent Experts Panel (IEP) concluded that the cull was both ineffective and inhumane," says Tina Martin, head of GABS's Police Liaison Team, "but claims that there were no public safety issues are completely wrong." During the cull the group kept meticulous records of every incident that occurred during their nightly Wounded Badger Patrols.

"We sent through a specimen list of 26 crimes committed by cullers to the Police in January," continues Tina Martin. " including 5 firearms offences, multiple incidences of harassment and intimidation, wildlife crimes and culling on land without the owner's knowledge or consent. These, however, are just the tip of the iceberg." Of the many harassment incidents, six were committed by the same individual, a man whose attempts at intimidation became so commonplace the group started to refer to him as 'Mullet Man' due to his distinctive hair style.

"We are being frustrated by a very slow response from the police," continues Tina Martin. "We've had several meetings with them since last year and yet there has been very little progress with their investigations. We feel their whole approach to the cull was biased by an assumption that the protest would be 'unlawful', and this led them to completely ignore crimes committed by the cullers."

Some of these crimes happened right in front of officers, including the incident where live ammunition was left on a public footpath. "Not only was this a serious firearms offence but the shooter was acting alone," continues Tina Martin, "this being in direct breach of the safety conditions of the cull licence, which required that night shooters must have another person acting as a safety lookout. The officers on the ground actually led this individual to and from the site, but because they hadn't read the licence conditions they didn't even realise he was committing a crime until we pointed it out."

The GABS Police Liaison Team have reminded police that any breach of the cull licence leading to the death or capture of a badger constitutes a criminal offence under the Protection of Badgers Act 1992. Equally, secretly adding roadkill badgers to the cull was not only an offence under the Act 1992 but also the criminal offence of fraud.

"Our protests and monitoring of the cull were entirely lawful," concludes Tina Martin, "and it is totally galling that we have uncovered such a wide range of criminal activity amongst the cullers as well as so many threats to public order and safety. The government has been completely irresponsible handing over the cull contract to a company hastily created by the NFU, who have conducted themselves in such an incompetent and dangerous way. However, we will not allow a slow response from the police to let the government get away with claiming the cull was safe, and we will be pursuing all these cases with the police until they are properly resolved."