Six people were arrested in an area of Xylofagos for cases of illegal bird trapping.
A written statement from the British Bases Police states that in the morning hours today, a coordinated joint operation was carried out with the Police of the Republic of Cyprus and the Thera Fund, resulting in the arrest of six people in the Xylofagou area for cases of illegal bird trapping.
It added that the arrests were made following intelligence gathering with the help of the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB), which resulted in 32 members of the two Police Forces and the Thera Fund conducting operations in eight different locations. "During the operation, British Base Police arrested several people and confiscated large quantities of bird trapping equipment."
Two of the arrests "took place at a point in the Xylofagou area, where the men, both from the village, were using nets".
According to the statement, interim Deputy Chief of Police Jon Ward said the operation "sent a warning to those involved in bird trapping that despite a significant reduction in illegal activity this year, British Base Police are still working day and night to eradication of crime ".
He also said that "the arrests made this morning were the culmination of a lot of work" that took place between the British Bases, the Police of the Republic of Cyprus, the Fund of Thera and the RSPB.
Mr Ward said: "With the help of our partners we have been able to gather a significant amount of information before the operation, which led to the six arrests made by the British Base Police. "This operation underscores once again our continued commitment to tackle this problem and to continue to reduce this illegal activity within the areas of the British Bases," he said.
It is noted that two of the six arrested are minors and all have been released on bail.
Andreas Pitsillidis, Deputy Managing Director of British Bases in Dhekelia, said: "We have zero tolerance for bird trapping and will continue to work closely with all other interested organizations determined to combat this problem. The arrests that have been made are important and where deemed appropriate, the offenders will be prosecuted to the maximum extent of the Law ".
Famagusta.News / KYPE