BBC rejects SGA complaint 

he BBC has dismissed a complaint lodged by the Scottish Gamekeepers Association (SGA) about a comment regarding raptor crime on its programme Highland Cops. 

During the BBC Scotland programme, which aired last November, Police Scotland Wildlife Crime Officer PC Dan Sutherland said: “Within Highlands and Islands, 100% of all birds of prey that are being killed happen on or near land that’s managed for gamebird shooting.” 

The SGA lodged a formal complaint and asked for a “prominent correction” on the basis of “unfair reputational damage”. 

The complaint was not upheld, with the BBC saying the assertion was “supported” by recent police evidence. A spokesman for the SGA responded: “Put simply, the SGA disagrees with the BBC’s decision on this matter. There is not one single official Scottish government document which states that all raptor crimes in the Highlands and Islands happen on or near land managed for shooting. 

“When the BBC replied to our initial complaint, it defended the original statement by saying that it was referring only to the specific period of time in which the filming was taking place. We therefore asked the BBC to provide this same clarifying context for the viewers in a statement on its website. The broadcaster refused to do this.”