Wildlife Trust of India International Fund for Animal Welfare
Summary
Wildlife Crime Prevention Training is a capacity building training program designed to enable frontline forest guards across India to understand and deal with wildlife crime in their areas of work. The course is designed for forest guides to understand: 1. The wildlife crime scenario in their geographical area – what is hunted, why, by whom, when, and how; 2. The methods and techniques of various criminal gangs; 3. The provisions of the Wildlife Protection Act of 1972 and powers vested in them under the Act; and 4. The investigation and documentation of wildlife offences at the ground level.
Learning Question Addressed: What are examples of institutional arrangements, such as dedicated units or embed programs, that improved the capacity of enforcement or prosecution staff?
Problem
Guards in India’s protected areas are often recruited and put to work without basic training on law enforcement. Without an understanding of the law and the power given to them under the law, guards are not able to discharge their duties successfully. Basic training on the law is needed, as well as instruction in other law enforcement activities such as intelligence gathering, planning and taking part in operations, preparation of on-site legal documents, and executing the successful arrest of a suspect. Many guards come to the job without an awareness of the wildlife crime scenarios in the region, the wildlife products commonly traded, or devices and methods used for hunting.
Wildlife Trust of India | Combating Wildlife Trafficking Case Study | Page 1
Photo credit: International Fund for Animal Welfare
Photo credit: IFAW
Combating Wildlife Trafficking Case Study: Capacity Building