No official count of catapult attacks on wildlife, Defra admits

No official statistics exist on catapult attacks against wildlife, Defra has admitted, because wildlife crimes are not notifiable offences and forces are not required to report them to the Home Office. The answer, given on Tuesday, 3 November, came 18 days late to a question tabled in mid-October asking for incident numbers since January 2024, and it confirms what rural crime teams have long suspected: nobody in Whitehall is keeping score.

What did Defra actually say?

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) said it could provide none of the breakdowns the question sought, by police force area, species targeted, offender age or case outcome, because “no official statistics or identifiable trends” exist for offences that are not notifiable. Any decision to make wildlife offences notifiable, it added, “would sit with the Home Office, not Defra”.

The department was blunter about the problem itself: “Defra does, however, take crimes against wildlife seriously and is aware of the ongoing and horrific misuse of catapults against wild animals.”

Why does the data gap matter?

Keepers, wildfowling clubs and police rural crime teams have reported a steady run of catapult attacks on waterfowl, gamebirds and livestock over two years, from ball-bearing attacks on pheasants in Somerset to an operation launched at a Wrexham beauty spot this week. Without notifiable status, none of it shows in national crime figures, which makes the case for new law harder to evidence even as forces run dedicated operations against it. The Home Office confirmed last week that ministers are actively considering age restrictions on catapult sales.

Who is counting, if Whitehall is not?

Defra put on record that it supports Operation Lakeshot, the multi-agency initiative led by the League Against Cruel Sports that aims to reduce catapult crime against wildlife, and police wildlife crime officers log incidents locally. The desk notes the irony that the only national tally government can point to is run by a campaign group; shooting organisations have long argued that proper recording would serve legitimate catapult users and wildlife alike, since a true picture of criminal misuse is the surest way to keep any new law aimed at the offenders rather than at everyone who owns one.

What happens next

The question of notifiable status now sits squarely with the Home Office, which is already weighing catapult sale restrictions. A further written question on the catapult data, tabled in October, remains unanswered, and the desk will report the department’s next move when it comes.