Your 2005 WCO of the year!

[Skyline]

Sadly, the number of charges laid does not necessarily indicate GOOD law enforcement practices.

First off, let me say that there are many great conservation officers out there doing a lot of good work...you guys know who you are, so do not take what I have to say personally.

If you look at the overall enforcement picture for wildlife infractions through out North America you will notice a disturbing trend................most of the charges are minor offences that do nothing to decrease the poaching and illegal trade in wildlife.

In one annual enforcement report that I looked at in excess of 80 % of the charges by a wildlife agency were for offences such as failing to leave the wing on a game bird and having a loaded weapon in a vehicle (where it is not legal). The indications were also that the majority of the charges were the result of road blocks on highways.

It is a symptom of larger problems.............lack of personnel in the field, and in this case I mean out in the field/bush......not in a truck on a highway, and a lack of discretion on the part of some officers.

One problem is related to sickly state and provincial budgets for wildife enforcement.

The second is a lack of understanding of enfocement officers on using discretion and cultivating the local people to assist them in their work. If you constantly lay nickel and dime charges against people just to boost your 'stats' and/or make a supervisor happy, you quickly alienate the general public...........the ones who might come to you with some information on a poaching ring or a guy that is shooting game out of season, etc.

Letting an average every day hunter off with a warning for minor wildlife infraction may just create some good will and that hunter is far more likely to call with good information about a serious problem, than if he was charged for forgetting to leave the wing on one of his birds. (I am not suggesting that 'problem children, mouth pieces and repeat offenders shouldn't have their wrists slapped).

I have noticed a downward spiral in the use of 'discretion' by the law enforcement community as a whole in the last decade, but particularily with the wildlife enforcement agencies.