[1] The NWCU was officially launched on 18 October 2006 as a standalone police-led Unit and tasked with targeting and disrupting serious wildlife crime, such as the illegal import of rare species.
[4] In 2016, the fate of the agency became uncertain, following a lack of commitment from the Government to include it in the budget documents following a spending review by then Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne.
[5] Following several months of uncertainty and speculation, during which numerous conservationists and environmental organisations petitioned the British government regarding the agency's survival, the Home Office and the Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs announced a four-year funding period for the National Wildlife Crime Unit, securing its long-term future.
[6][7] It operated from London during its time in the National Criminal Intelligence Services before moving to the old police station Livingston, Scotland in 2006, where it would remain for the next 10 years of its existence.
[4] The NWCU deals with the trade in endangered species, illegal taxidermy and auction sales, bat and badger-related offences, marine species, reptile smuggling, wild bird netting, egg collecting, animal health issues and dangerous wild animals.