British army bases in Cyprus declare drone war against bird trappers

Police on a British military base in Cyprus on Thursday launched their latest weapon in the fight against illegal bird trappers – a high-tech drone.

A recent study by Britain’s Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB), said Cypriot trappers killed 2.3 million migrating birds in autumn 2016, up from 1.4 million in 2010.

Compared with other nations, that makes Cyprus the second-most deadly bird destination in the Mediterranean, after Malta. And most of the industrial killing takes place within British military-controlled areas, especially the eastern sovereign base of Dhekelia, outside the south coast resort of Larnaca.

After Cyprus gained independence in 1960, Britain retained sovereignty over two base areas covering some 254 square kilometers of the island’s territory where it runs its own police and courts.

British authorities said the drone would mainly be used by an action team dedicated to combating illegal bird trapping due to the crystal clear imagery it can generate from great heights at a top speed of more than 80 kilometers per hour.

The top-of-the-range drone, which has night-vision capabilities, will enhance the police’s ability to cover areas that have proved difficult to reach in the past.

The Dhekelia garrison divisional commander, Chief Superintendent Jon Ward, said base police “are absolutely committed to targeting anybody involved in illegal bird trapping and we will use all legal methods in order to do this.”

Ward told reporters that police across British base territory will also be using hidden cameras, a method which has proved successful in recent months in leading to the prosecution of bird trappers.

“We have seen some significant sentences handed down by the courts recently and the use of these techniques... and it will be intelligence-led to target criminals,” he added.

“My message to anyone thinking of engaging in illegal activity but more specifically in bird trapping is to be aware that we will be out both day and night to catch you,” he concluded.