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Welcome to LCN's Independent Animal Advice & Investigation Department (IAD)
An Independent advisory Department for animal-related matters, we do not have any legal powers but are able to offer our own advice, suggestions, and one-to-one support to the public. We can do this in many different ways, such as: launching independent investigations, reviews, or campaigns; submitting reports to the authorities; offering advice and support; visiting people; requesting to collaborate with animal protection services, the police, or other internal/external departments; or referring people to their local animal-protecting agencies.
If you suspect that an animal's immediate safety is at risk, please contact your local animal protection agency. Alternatively, you could call 999/112, asking for the police and explaining the situation to the operator.
Who are the IAD, and what is our aim?
A volunteer team of independent journalists/reporters, this team and its designated journalists aim to help safeguard and protect potentially at-risk animals and ensure that they are safe. We also launch our own, independent investigations into the welfare of animals and will gather intelligence/evidence if we suspect, or are informed of, animal cruelty, and our specially designated team members will not hesitate to bring animals to safety and perform citizens' arrests on those looking to harm innocent animals. If possible, we will always try and gather as much evidence as possible of any crimes committed against defenceless animals over the necessary time period, bringing these abusers to justice and putting them before the court with our IAD-collected evidence. However, unfortunately, this will not always be in the animal(s)'s best interests, and we would need to involve the authorities immediately in certain situations; for example, if there is an immediate concern for the safety of an animal.
The IAD will always try and gather intelligence if a report is made to us about the following topics: wild/domestic animal complaints/concerns, cruelty to animals, animal mistreatment/neglect, anti-social behaviour involving an animal, animal fights, animal trafficking/thefts, general complaints, and unexplained injuries/deaths involving animals. We will also try and gather intelligence on the welfare of both wild and domesticated animals to try and uncover any issues in the communities we visit, especially around our focus areas — Sussex, Surrey, and Hampshire.