A member of the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) was among a group from a a collaborative UK multi-agency team who picked up an award for combatting wildlife crime at the UK’s 36th Annual Wildlife Crime Enforcers Conference.
WWF Award for Wildlife Crime Operation of the Year 2025 for their contributions to Operation Glassbeak.
PSNI Wildlife and Animal Welfare officer Emma Meredith, alongside Dr. Eimear Rooney of the Northern Ireland Raptor Study Group, were recognised for their contributions to Operation Glassbeak.
Led by the UK National Wildlife Crime Unit (NWCU), and supported in Northern Ireland by key partners – including PSNI, Northern Ireland Raptor Study Group, and the Northern Ireland Environment Agency – Operation Glassbeak was a targeted initiative to protect birds of prey, namely peregrine falcons, during the 2025 breeding season.
In Northern Ireland, peregrine falcons are a protected species under the Wildlife (Northern Ireland) Order 1985 as amended by the Wildlife and Natural Environment (NI) Act 2011, which safeguards all birds of prey from persecution and disturbance. However, the birds are still often targeted.
Operation Glassbeak
Criminals target peregrines for several reasons in the UK, such as illegally removing eggs or chicks to supply the lucrative international falconry trade, or carrying out deliberate nest destruction and persecution, as well as illegal killing by shooting, trapping and poisoning.
In cases of poisoning, the toxicity of the substances used also puts humans, livestock, pets as well as wildlife at risk.
Such crimes not only harm individual birds but also threaten the recovery and stability of local populations.
Operation Glassbeak identified 12 of the most vulnerable peregrine nest sites across the UK, including sites in Northern Ireland.
By deploying a range of different tactics, the project was successful in enabling peregrine chicks to fledge in areas where they had previously failed.
In Northern Ireland, key sites were patrolled under a licenced from NI Environment Agency, using innovations such as deploying PSNI Air Support Unit drones to survey breeding areas that may have otherwise been inaccessible.
This lead to one of the most successful breeding seasons in Northern Ireland in many years.
‘An honour’
Speaking about the success of the operation, Officer Meredith said: “It was an honour for PSNI to be part of this UK initiative and be recognised for our efforts to protect our peregrine falcon population.
“It is lovely to think we may have had a real and meaningful impact in ensuring these birds continue to breed and thrive in Northern Ireland.
“The use of advanced, state-of-the-art drone technology, enabled us to ensure that these birds and their habitats are monitored and protected all year round.”
She added that, by working with partners in Northern Ireland and throughout the UK, the team “collectively protected numerous nests and allowed us to safeguard even more vulnerable birds”.
