Be the first to comment!Gozo: Police confiscation of trapping net ”leads to tailgating of MRU vehicle” – MRU
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On Saturday, an unattended finch trapping net was confiscated by the Gozo Police in a Ta’ Cenc Natura 2000 site, the Malta Ranger Unit said. It added that ”the Police confiscation of this net in Gozo led to tailgating by the accused of a vehicle with MRU volunteers in.”
The MRU said that a second site, where nets have been reported by its Rangers and confiscated also during spring 2024 at a seemingly unregistered trapping site, was spotted and the District Police was alerted to return to the site.
The Rangers said that whilst they waited for the second team of Police nearby, ”a person was seen coming down from the area and entering a pickup. The same vehicle started to drive by regularly at slow speed, with a keen interest in what our Rangers were up to.”
The Rangers remained in the area for some time after the Police had arrived at the site and confiscated the second trapping net,
However the MRU said that ”when the Rangers left an hour later, the vehicle appeared behind them as they drove towards Ghajnsielem. When they park, one individual inside the vehicle is filming them, and they remain parked with a two-car distance.”
The MRU said that its Rangers ”left the area for some hours for safety reasons and to analyse the situation.” The MRU claimed that, ”it’s evident that the individuals are tailgating them and that they are somehow connected to the second site.”
According to the MRU, ”when the Rangers returned to their vehicle at midnight, the pickup showed up behind them again. It was then over four hours since the nets had been removed in Sannat.”
The Malta Ranger Unit warned that ”this incident demonstrates the dire situation in Gozo where impunity reigns. It is being reported to the Gozo Police and was documented by our Rangers.”
The MRU once again urged the Public to sign its ongoing petition regarding the need for an Environmental Protection Unit Police in Gozo.
The Malta Ranger Unit also warned that ”the impunity that offenders of environmental crimes feel is not only harming nature, but also putting our Rangers and the Public at risk.”
Photos: MRU
