Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the National Wildlife Crime Unit on the number of wildlife crime cases.

The Home Office works in partnership with DEFRA to improve the response to rural and wildlife crime. Together, we supported the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) to deliver the Rural and Wildlife Crime strategy for 2025-28. The strategy sets out operational and organisational policing priorities in respect of tackling rural and wildlife crimes.

In 2025/26, the Home Office provided the first funding since 2023 to the National Rural Crime Unit as well as continuing funding for the National Wildlife Crime Unit. This funding boost of over £800,000 will help these policing units provide specialist operational and investigative support to local forces and law enforcement agencies across the UK to tackle crimes that predominantly affect rural communities. We are continuing this funding through 2026/27.

The National Wildlife Crime Unit has overseen the police national response to wildlife crime, including hare coursing, which through Operation Galileo has resulted in a 40% reduction in offences.