Man fined for bird trapping in bases

A man was fined €2,000 last week after confessing to bird trapping offences dating back to January in the Achna forest area, the Sovereign Base Area (SBA) police said on Monday.

The culprit was arrested while in possession of eight freshly killed thrushes, two mist nets and an active bird imitating device during a coordinated operation between the SBA police and members of the Committee Against Bird Slaughter (CABS).

During the operation, members of the CABS team reported hearing an imitating device emanating from a semi-fenced orchard.

Despite the man’s attempts to flee upon the police officers’ approach, he was apprehended and confessed to the crimes.

SBA police Superintendent Panicos Panayi, in charge of the dedicated Community Action Team (CAT) and tasked with anti-bird trapping operations, reiterated the determination of the force to see hefty fines for potential trappers.

“There has been a lot of talk in regards to fines for bird trapping offences potentially being reduced but we remain committed to ensuring that those caught carrying out this illegal activity are brought to justice and face heavy penalties,” Panayi said.

“This latest successful prosecution shows our commitment to ensuring that fines remain high and act a deterrent to those trapping.

“Our close working relationships with CABS and other organisations such as BirdLife Cyprus, show our commitment to this issue and there will be no let-up in these joint operations.”

SBA officials revealed last month that over the next year the police are confident of securing extra funding to add new technology to combat bird trapping, including better surveillance equipment with updated drones and cameras.

Since the inception of the police’s Bird Trapping Action Plan in 2016, illegal bird trapping within the SBAs has plummeted by nearly 100 per cent, the SBA police said.