Craig is ‘one of policing’s top wildlife experts’ who uses his knowledge to train others including officers and volunteers.

He became Warwickshire Police’s wildlife crime officer in the 1990s and became a training consultant after retiring from the force in 2013. He has performed a training role with the National Wildlife Crime Unit (NWCU) since 2022.

Mr Fellowes, from Warwick, was recognised for services to wildlife protection in the King’s Birthday Honours.

He developed training courses for police officers on badger persecution and to also help them combat the illegal trade in endangered species. Head of NWCU, Ch Insp Kevin Lacks-Kelly congratulated Craig and said such expertise was hard to come by.

“Craig is a perfect example of someone who gives his all in the fight against wildlife crime and the illegal wildlife trade. He has trained in excess of 10,000 people in the UK and across the world”.

“I am delighted that Craig has been recognised for his 40 years’ service. This goes a long way to acknowledging the sacrifices he has made in an often difficult area of policing” he said.

Mr Fellowes thanked his wife and family for their support and said the MBE was also for police wildlife officers around the country and colleagues in the NWCU who always went “that extra mile and mostly in their own time”.

He said he was “extremely honoured to receive this award on behalf of all the species both nationally and internationally that are persecuted daily”. He also praised “all the partner organisations who dedicate their time to defend our wildlife”.