Chief Inspector Martin Sims, Head of NWCU

Chief Inspector Martin Sims, Head of the UK National Wildlife Crime Unit, has been honoured with the prestigious Clark R. Bavin Wildlife Law Enforcement Award for “leadership of one of the world’s most outstanding police units dedicated to combating wildlife crime”.

Ch Insp Sims received the award, presented by the U.S. based Animal Welfare Institute (AWI) that recognises individuals, organisations, and agencies that have demonstrated excellence in combating wildlife crime, on Monday 4th October 2016.

Chief Inspector Martin Sims was recognised at the international level for his exceptional work leading the 12-member National Wildlife Crime Unit (NWCU) in the United Kingdom. The NWCU, established in 2006 to combat illegal wildlife trafficking in the UK, has been described as one of the world’s leading police units dedicated to supporting wildlife crime investigations through intelligence collection and analysis. The unit also helps other enforcement agencies expose wildlife crime, arrest suspects, and prosecute them in court. In 2015, the NWCU assisted in 70 percent of local wildlife crime investigations in the UK. Chief Inspector Sims played a leading role in the development of an Authorised Professional Practice guide to help police officers in the UK increase their effectiveness in combating wildlife crime and he routinely works with non-governmental organisations that provide information related to wildlife criminal activities in the UK.

“These award recipients have demonstrated a dedication to wildlife protection, which should be an example to all who cherish the biodiversity on this planet and who are committed to justice against wildlife criminals who illegally capture and kill wildlife out of greed and callousness,” said Cathy Liss, president of AWI, according to a statement issued by AWI on Tuesday.

The award, presented at a reception hosted by the Species Survival Network during the 2016 CITES Conference of Parties, is named after the late Clark R. Bavin, chief of the US Fish and Wildlife Service’s Office of Law Enforcement, who substantially elevated the fight against wildlife crime both in the United States and internationally. Since their inception, forty Bavin awards have been presented, twelve of those were made posthumously to law enforcement officers that have made the ultimate sacrifice whilst protecting wildlife.  Ch Insp Sims is only the second recipient of the award from the UK – in 2010 Investigations Officer Andy McWilliam, also from the NWCU, was also recognised with a Bavin award for his tremendous commitment to fighting wildlife crime – see here.