Hunting marshals are policemen

Hunting marshals recruited to bolster the enforcement of spring hunting regulations are members of the police force, according to the planning authority.

As the spring hunting season opens today, 43 officers have been tasked to assist the police Administrative Law Enforcement unit responsible for enforcing hunting legislation.

According to the framework legislation that allows a limited form of spring hunting, there have to be seven police officers or hunting marshals for every 1,000 hunters. This year, about 5,600 hunters applied for the special spring hunting licence. They will be allowed to shoot 9,000 turtle doves and 2,500 quails.

Hunting falls within the remit of the Malta Environment and Planning Authority and a spokesman confirmed the 43 hunting marshals, who by law are to enjoy the same power as the police, were recruited from the force itself.

That notwithstanding, government sources confirmed the Police Commissioner has instructed all officers on duty to keep a look out for any hunting illegalities.

Hunting federation officials complained last week they were still in the dark as to who the hunting marshals would be.

Enforcement is a crucial cog in the proper application of a spring hunting derogation, which the government will have to subsequently justify with the European Commission.

This year, the season is open until April 30, but it could close before if the bird limits are reached. Hunters are obliged to report every bird shot by SMS and by filling in the official carnet de chasse document.

Hunters also have individual bag limits. They can only shoot one bird each per day and a total of four each in the whole season.

On the eve of the spring hunting season, bird conservation group BirdLife Malta yesterday said its volunteers had witnessed the nighttime killing of about 40 marsh harriers on Sunday.

On the first day of BirdLife's spring watch camp, international volunteers reported seeing hunters looking for a flock of marsh harriers roosting in fields between Mosta and Burmarrad at night.

BirdLife said that, out of the 42 protected birds the volunteers spotted roosting on Sunday afternoon, only two were seen rising from the roost on Monday after the night shooting.

The volunteers reported the shooting to the authorities. BirdLife said that, although the Mosta district police arrived on site after about 25 minutes, a car with dimmed lights exiting the access road to the fields managed to escape.

" These wildlife criminals kill sleeping, protected birds at pointblank range. Night shooting has been increasingly observed over the last few years when rare birds or a sizeable group of protected birds roost in the islands," BirdLife campaigns coordinator Geoffrey Saliba said.