Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi yesterday dismissed BirdLife Malta’s repeated calls for a wildlife crime unit, and the need to beef up the resources of the Administrative Law Enforcement Unit (ALE), which deals with, among others, illegal hunting and trapping.

Replying to questions during a political activity organised by the PN in Buskett, Dr Gonzi said reports over the last year have shown that the number of cases of illegal hunting and trapping had decreased.

“ALE police are doing their duty. We don’t need a special branch. It’s not like we have a disastrous situation. The police are doing their part and a good number of hunters and trappers are observing the law.”

But a BirdLife spokesperson told this newspaper that illegal cases of hunting and trapping are widespread and the conservation organisation regularly receives injured protected birds that would have just been shot.

The ALE currently operates with a maximum of 30 staff and a handful of vehicles. The BirdLife spokesperson said setting up a wildlife crime unit would be a wise decision, particularly considering that Malta lies on one of the three main migratory flyways used by birds to travel between their African wintering grounds and European breeding grounds.

BirdLife’s Raptor Camp 2008 report states that the total number of illegal incidents recorded by Raptor Camp teams (between 13 and 28 September) increased by 71.5 per cent over the previous year, with 362 illegal incidents recorded.

Moreover, last month, BirdLife revealed videos and stills of poachers roaming the countryside and shooting protected birds, taken during the spring watch camp.

The Prime Minister spoke about a number of other issues during yesterday’s activity organised as part of the PN’s European parliament election campaign.

He accused the Labour Party of saying what suits them best, and said he was scandalised that the PL spokesperson for the environment, Leo Brincat said during a TV discussion on wind farms, that the PL would base its decision on a public perception survey.

“God help us if we had to take decisions based on public perception surveys.” He appealed to voters not to choose those who speak according to what suits them best, and said the PL’s way of doing politics is a threat to thousands of jobs.

However, in a statement, Mr Brincat said he simply said that every decision should be based on independent technical studies, and on the basis of public perception surveys as recommended by government consultants Mott MacDonald five years ago.

Dr Gonzi pointed out that the Labour Party had not made any suggestions to the government on the radical reform of the Malta Environment and Planning Authority.