Three men were arrested in Dhekelia on Monday morning for trapping songbirds in the British bases area, it was announced on Wednesday.
The three men were discovered using mist nets in an orchard during a raid.
During the bust, between the villages of Ormidia and Xylophagou, the dedicated Bird Trapping Action Team working alongside the Committee Against Bird Slaughter, released 69 live Ambelopoulia (Black Caps) which had been snared in three mist nets.
A bird imitating device used to attract migrating Ambelopoulia was seized, along with three loudspeakers, 100 metres of electric cabling, one car battery and a vehicle used by the men.
All three are from the Xylophagou area and police are now in the process of tracing the owner of the orchard used for the crime.
Sergeant Yiannis Louca, who ran the operation, said the men are facing prosecution for their crimes.
He explained: “Firstly, this is a really good result and sends out a very strong message that despite our success in heavily reducing this crime over the years, we remain committed.
“We are still investigating this crime, but the men will face prosecution in the SBA Court as we operate a zero-tolerance policy on bird trapping.”
Speaking prior to the bird trapping season starting at the end of August, Inspector Fanos Christodoulou, who oversees the team, warned trappers his officers were now better resourced and more prepared than ever before.
He said: “We have assembled a team of 10 officers keen to make a difference in tackling this crime.
“We will have the capacity to call on up to 10 members of the military to assist us in our operations when working on military land and on top of that, we will once again work very closely with Bird Life Cyprus and CABS to combat bird trapping.
“As always, we will continue to develop our technology, with drones, hidden cameras and any other modern means of detection.”
