Chief Inspector Andy Brown, who is responsible for policing 9000 square kilometers of Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross, told gamekeeping students at their annual prize giving in Thurso that it was unfortunate that some individuals and bodies chose to consistently accuse gamekeepers, stalkers and ghillies of committing crimes against wildlife.
The Chief Inspector said the approach had damaged the traditional co-operation between the police force and the hundreds of wildlife managers who helped in countless cases of missing persons or in poaching or badger baiting incidents.
“I want to forge strong links with the gamekeepers, stalkers and ghillies to rebuild that good working relationship that previously existed, to help prevent and detect crime in our rural community,” he said.
“I also believe that this partnership will create the foundation for better working between all bodies involved in the prevention of rural crime, especially wildlife crime. My vision would be to see a strong partnership, built on good communication, trust and mutual respect between all bodies, where all work together for the benefit of our land, community and heritage.
The Chief Inspector’s words were welcomed by the leader of the Scottish Gamekeepers Association, Alex Hogg who described his views as “refreshing and enlightened”.
“The students leaving the College should be proud of their qualifications and the profession to which they now belong,” he said. “They should not be starting their careers tainted by unwarranted negative publicity. To that end we have been working hard to build bridges with other rural agencies to find positive ways of going forward. The challenges ahead call for a calm and science based approach. ”
And North Highland College gamekeeping course tutor John Waters agreed that recent attitudes by some agencies had created a huge gulf, and instead of a respectful working relationship there was now suspicion and distrust between conservationists and gamekeepers.
“We want solutions to problems in the countryside and the only way to achieve that is by talking and compromise,” he said. “Professional trained gamekeepers do not commit wildlife crime. It is literally more than their jobs are worth because if they were found guilty they would also lose their homes and any prospect of a future career.”