SURREY / AGILITYPR.NEWS / October 15, 2026 / - forces better equipped to recognise and tackle offences ahead of Bat Week 2026 -  

A specialist bat crime training course developed by Mowbray Partners in partnership with the National Wildlife Crime Unit (NWCU) has been completed by police officers in 44 forces across the UK.

This milestone comes ahead of Bat Week (24th–31st October), which raises awareness of bats’ ecological importance and the threats facing them and their roosts. The module launched in May 2025 as part of the wider National Wildlife Crime Academy, a digital training platform helping police forces strengthen their capabilities to tackle wildlife crime. Since then, 949 personnel - including both Police Wildlife Crime Officers and officers whose primary role is outside wildlife crime - have completed the Bat Crime unit. This gives police forces a broader pool of staff able to recognise potential offences involving bats and understand when and how they should be dealt with as a police matter.

Over 130 bat-related incidents are reported each year, the majority involving the development of land or properties. Investigating these incidents can be complex, requiring an understanding of UK bat species and their habitats, relevant legislation and the evidence needed to support a case. Available through the NWCU Digital Training Academy, the Bat Crime Digital Training Module simplifies the process and gives delegates a practical grounding in these areas, alongside the types of bat crime and incidents they may encounter and investigation and prosecution procedures.

Training includes:

• Why bat crime matters
• The different UK bat species and where they roost
• The scale and nature of bat incidents and crimes
• Legislation relating to bat crime and incidents, including who is responsible for prosecution
• Police powers associated with bat crime and incidents
• Evidence, investigation and prosecution options
• Case studies and practical scenarios
• Additional information and specialist resources
• A printable investigation flowchart for use by officers in the field

Each section of the Bat Crime module has a Q&A and takes approximately sixty minutes to complete. Mowbray Partners and other sponsors currently provide it free to UK Police officers. They can access it at any time.

“Bat Week provides an important opportunity to celebrate these remarkable creatures while highlighting the need to protect them from criminal activity. At the National Wildlife Crime Unit, we are proud to work alongside the Bat Conservation Trust to support enforcement activity, develop intelligence, and strengthen investigations into offences affecting bats and their roosts,” said Sue Eddy, Deputy Head of the UK National Wildlife Crime Unit. “Offences involving bats can be complex, requiring a detailed understanding of legislation, ecology, and evidential opportunities. The Bat Crime Digital Training Module - developed with Mowbray Partners - has become a cornerstone of this work, providing officers with the practical skills and specialist knowledge needed to respond confidently and effectively. The continued uptake of the module demonstrates the growing commitment of Police Wildlife Crime Officers to protecting bats and ensuring offences against these highly protected species are recognised, investigated, and taken seriously.”

“Wildlife crime can have serious consequences, but with police officers dealing with a wide range of priorities, it can fall further down the list. This is one of the reasons why Mowbray Partners has worked with the National Wildlife Crime Unit to develop online training that gives officers across the police service access to specialist knowledge without the financial and time costs associated with residential training,” said Ken McIntosh, co-founder of Mowbray Partners. “The response to the Bat Crime module has been particularly encouraging, demonstrating the value of flexible training that officers can utilise in the field, whether or not wildlife crime is part of their usual role.”

“The Bat Conservation Trust is delighted to have supported the National Wildlife Crime Unit and Mowbray Partners in developing the Bat Crime Training Module for the Digital Wildlife Crime Academy. Our longstanding partnership with the NWCU demonstrates the value of collaboration, bringing together specialist knowledge and expertise to deliver effective training that equips enforcement professionals to protect our wildlife, habitats and species,” said Mark Goulding, Wildlife Crime Project Officer at The Bat Conservation Trust.

The NWCU Digital Training Academy has been developed by Mowbray Partners in conjunction with the National Wildlife Crime Unit (NWCU) and comprises a series of nine e-learning modules:

• Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES)
• Bat Crime
• Badger Crime
• Poaching & Hare Coursing
• Hunting with Hounds (three modules)
• Birds of Prey Crime
• Invasive Non-Native Species (INNS)

Mowbray Partners is currently seeking sponsors to support the continued provision of the UK Police National Wildlife Crime Unit Digital Training Academy for free to the police, their partners and voluntary agencies who are on the frontline of the fight to safeguard the most vulnerable species in the UK. If you'd like to know more about sponsorship opportunities, then please get in touch with Paul Williams at: paulwilliams@mowbraypartners.co.uk For more information, visit: https://www.mowbraypartners.co.uk/. If you are interested in finding out how you can grow your organisation with high-quality training, contact the team at: support@mowbraypartners.co.uk.  

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NOTES TO EDITORS

About Mowbray Partners

Established in 2017, Mowbray Partners is a world-class digital training solutions partner for organisations dedicated to protecting people, wildlife, and the environment. Driven by a team of passionate conservationists, the company is committed to projects that make a lasting, real-world difference.

Mowbray Partners transforms complex operational, technical, and regulatory subjects into engaging, highly effective online training. By converting expert knowledge into bespoke, scalable digital programmes, the company helps organisations replace traditional classroom delivery, create blended learning programmes, improve efficiency, reduce costs, and ensure consistent, high-quality, measurable learning outcomes.

To date, the company has developed over 30 specialist programmes – used nationally and internationally -, trained more than 6,000 individuals, and supported every police force across England and Wales. With contracts in place to train an additional 18,000 people over the next three years, Mowbray Partners will continue to provide those working to protect people, wildlife, and the environment with immersive, scenario-based learning, which builds knowledge and supports improved practice.

Its clients span organisations responsible for public safety, conservation, and environmental protection, including:

• Police forces across England and Wales
• National Wildlife Crime Unit (NWCU)
• The Angling Trust
• The British Association for Shooting and Conservation (BASC)
• Botanical Gardens Conservation International (BGCI), headquartered at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew
• The British Bird of Prey Centre
• The Zoological Society of London (ZSL)
• The Barbados Police Service
• The Barbados Defence Force

For further press information, please contact: Francesca De Franco on 0794 125 3135 or email fdefranco1@gmail.com