A teenager has been arrested on suspicion of raptor persecution in East Wiltshire.

Police raided locations in Pewsey and Beckhampton.

Firearms were seized and the carcasses of a number of birds of prey, including red kites and buzzards, were found in Beckhampton.

The 19 year old man was arrested on Thursday, September 24 under the Wildlife and Countryside Act.

PC Marc Jackson of Wiltshire Police Rural Crime Team, said: "Following an extensive search of both locations, we have recovered the remains of a number of birds of prey, including red kites and buzzards.

"The recovery of these remains presented a number of complex challenges and we are grateful for the support from other agencies.

"Our enquiries continue into how these birds were killed and disposed of. If anybody has any information that they think could support our investigation, please contact us on 101."

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Inspector Liz Coles, tactical lead for rural crime in Wiltshire, said: "Today's warrant shows that we take all aspects of rural crime seriously and we will proactively work with partners to protect wildlife and our rural communities.

"Last week saw the introduction of the new dedicated rural crime officers to the team, and this is a prime example of how they will help us moving forward.

"We continue to develop more intelligence-led policing in relation to prevention, detecting criminal activity and proactive operations".

Wiltshire Police are part of the national initiative called Operation Owl. The initiative sets out to raise awareness of raptor persecution, encouraging the public to be vigilant for signs of this criminal activity, and to report suspicious activity to the police.

The Wiltshire Rural Crime Team led the enquiries, with support from local officers, officers from Hampshire Constabulary, South West Forensics, the RSPB, the National Wildlife Crime Unit, Natural England and the Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service.