Regent House - 22 swift nests destroyed

[Banstead Swifts]

Morning

We questioned whether to share this here as there was little response (we acknowledge and are grateful to those that did) to our post regarding legals and changing things nationally to save swifts. 

The Police, developers, contractors and council are witholding the building survey that was carried out 48 hours prior to demolition but they have relied upon for evidence to supercede that of eye witnesses. We have now submitted an FOI to the Police and council for this.

The publics submissions on the planning application should have been online within 5 days of submission, but 7 months on they are not online and the council is not replying to advise if we maynview them in the office, so we have submitted a complaint on that too.

No support on the case came from RSPB. SWT. No NGO at all.

It is disgraceful that 22 nests can be lost in one fell swoop and it is left to a handful of unpaid volunteers to hold multiple businesses and local government to account. It may have helped morale and the public if the NGOs had released a written statement on the incident offering their view and support for justice for the swifts. But nothing for the swifts at all.

The general public consistently ask what the RSPB amd RSPCA are doing to help and we have to say  'nothing'. They didn"t believe it till they started emailing themselves.  BTW this is not an attack on you Laurinda, it is of the policies of the RSPB to not get involved. 

Despite this we are still continuing our work on justice for the swifts of Dorking. We will continue to dig for information and a route to legal advice and a private prosecution.

We have already submitted a complaint to Surrey Police regarding Nest 1. Pound Road,Banstead Colony but we shall be submitting another on their whole month of sitting doing nothing whilst the general public flagged up swifts in the building and a wildlife crime occuring.

Thanks to Mike Priaulx for his continued support and lead, with his expert knowledge, he is one in a million.

Best

Annie & Barry

URGENT NEWS - Surrey Police 

It is what we expected.

14:17 update: We do not intend to drop this. We will continue to pursue justice for the swifts and nature. This is not the end, it is the beginning of the next chapter.

=======

Response from Surrey Police on Regent House Demolition and Destruction of up to 22 swift nests:

Good afternoon, 

In regards to Regent House I am now in a position to give a fuller update in regards to your police report.

As part of the investigation, I have spoken with 10 complainants to determine whether or not we have sufficient evidence to proceed with any form of criminal proceedings. Accounts from all 10 persons have been obtained, either over the phone or via email. Contact has been made with both the council and the demolition company to obtain their record of documents as well as two ecologist reports that were obtained, one of which post partial demolition to ascertain if there was any evidence of active nesting, or if there was any evidence that there had been prior to demolition beginning. There appears to have been a CCTV camera that would have captured the site at one point; however, Network Rail have confirmed that this camera was owned by a different company, which has since dissolved and is not part of the train network. 

Having obtained a timeline of events as produced by yourselves, with the videos and accounts by the complainants, as well as the ecologists reports. This matter was submitted to the National Rural Crime Team for their review and advice. They have confirmed that with the evidence submitted, it would have been "likely" that the swifts would have returned to nest if left undisturbed. The unit note that there is a lot of circumstantial evidence and presumptions, however this is not supported by factual evidence. This, coupled with the ecologists report (the second one not the tree one), along with the fact that scaffolding and monoflex sheeting had been erected prior to nesting season, would completely undermine a prosecution. 

Further to this, we have the requirement to prove intent, from the documentation that we have been provided, the company appear to have complied with all legislation to protect nests. There is no offence of "recklessness" in English law, there for intention to destroy would have to be proved, not that they were reckless or negligent in the fact. This is how Section 1 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act is written.

In the reviewing officers opinion, there is no realistic prospect of a prosecution. 

Based on this, no further action is being taken by Surrey Police in regards to this allegation and this matter will now be filed. I appreciate that this is not the news that you wanted to receive, however as stated above, the lack of physical evidence and the way that the legislation is written means that we will not be able to prosecute in this matter.

Many thanks

PC 40387 Grout

Mole Valley Safer Neighbourhood Team

======

[Tony Croft]

Dear Anne & Barrie

Completely agree with everything you say in this email.

What's the point of this legislation if no one upholds it...

It's compliance for the protection of all house nesting birds that matters and it's clear no one is going to enforce it or penalise companies that flaunt the regulations...

It's simply outrageous that these companies can flaunt the rules as the councils, police, etc don't enforce them or subject the builders and planners to prosecution for not following them or enforceing them!  They just don't take any of it seriously!

The whole thing is a shambles and smells of something wrotten!

Best Regards
Tony & Anne

--
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "swiftslocalnetwork" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to swiftslocalnetw...@googlegroups.com.
To view this discussion, visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/swiftslocalnetwork/CADcwg4n%3D0NQmYjn8g%3DyV88tBrY-t0PEK5J_9dUhSS1n4X5-9vg%40mail.gmail.com.

[Cally Smith Huntly & District Swift Group]

Dear Tony & Anne

DO SHARE THIS, EVERY TIME please.  It is extremely important we all know and understand what goes on in these tragic circumstances, otherwise what are we all fighting for?  OK i am firey and like to shout out about this.  The law is useless and makes people believe the swifts are protected when they are NOT!!!  I have had similar issues, some with WCOs who argue with you when they should be working with you.  The amount of people who say 'contact the RSPB' - again not directed at you Laurinda (you represent and get all the flack! X) but so many people DO rely on the RSPB when they do not get involved with these things.  Far too much reliance on ecologist reports - and again i believe many times over that many ecologists are NOT swift experts and one or two visits are simply not enough. So many failures, it has to stop.  I'm behind you all the way, justice MUST be done.  This is a red listed bird for goodness sake, does this mean nothing?

 Cally

[Barbara Anglezarke]

Barbara Anglezarke reacted to your message:

---

From: swiftsloc...@googlegroups.com <swiftsloc...@googlegroups.com> on behalf of Cally Smith Huntly & District Swift Group <huntlysw...@gmail.com>
Sent: Tuesday, 23 June 2026 09:58:00
To: swiftslocalnetwork <swiftsloc...@googlegroups.com>
Subject: Re: [SLN] Regent House - 22 swift nests destroyed

 

To view this discussion, visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/swiftslocalnetwork/2b9711f2-00fd-48cf-b5a8-45acabac5e0an%40googlegroups.com.

Croeso i chi gysylltu â ni yn Gymraeg. Byddwn yn ymateb yn Gymraeg, heb oedi. You are welcome to contact us in Welsh. We will respond in Welsh without delay.

[Laurinda Luffman]

Dear All

 

I have just checked with the RSPB Investigations Team and they have no record of anyone contacting them about this incident.

 

So I’m not sure who Annie spoke to – was it someone in the Wildlife Team? Please always do feel free to use me as a contact point, though admittedly I have not been very proactive recently due to my mother being very poorly in hospital for a couple of months.

 

As we all know, it is extremely hard to get enough evidence for this kind of crime, such that the police can take it further. It was certainly a really useful talk we had from the Wildlife Crime Unit at the Lancaster conference which outlined what might be needed for a successful prosecution, as well as highlighting all the other atrocious wildlife crimes out there (like monkey torturing – still can’t get that out of my head) they have to deal with.

 

As you can all imagine, the RSPB Investigations team also has a lot of awful crimes to deal with and therefore have to prioritise focusing on cases which have video/other strong evidence to give us a chance of us winning in court or cases involving Schedule 1 birds or raptors, since raptors face a really awful level of sustained and persistent persecution currently. I can assure everyone that my colleagues are very committed and care about all birds, including Swifts, even if they are unable to help in specific cases such as this.

 

It is of course, deeply frustrating, that the burden of proof is so high and so difficult to obtain for Swifts and I greatly admire any local group willing to pursue a case like this, and get greater understanding and awareness, if nothing else.

 

We all bear the scars of cases in our own locations, so it’s fantastic that we can all support each other emotionally and with any tactics we have tried.

 

Laurinda

 

 

From: swiftsloc...@googlegroups.com <swiftsloc...@googlegroups.com> On Behalf Of Cally Smith Huntly & District Swift Group
Sent: 23 June 2026 10:58
To: swiftslocalnetwork <swiftsloc...@googlegroups.com>
Subject: Re: [SLN] Regent House - 22 swift nests destroyed

 

Dear Tony & Anne

To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to http://swiftslocalnetw...@googlegroups.com.

To view this discussion, visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/swiftslocalnetwork/CADcwg4n%3D0NQmYjn8g%3DyV88tBrY-t0PEK5J_9dUhSS1n4X5-9vg%40mail.gmail.com.

--
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "swiftslocalnetwork" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to swiftslocalnetw...@googlegroups.com.

To view this discussion, visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/swiftslocalnetwork/2b9711f2-00fd-48cf-b5a8-45acabac5e0an%40googlegroups.com.

This email and any attachments may contain material that is confidential, subject to copyright and intended for the addressee only. If you are not the named recipient you must not use, disclose, reproduce, copy or distribute the contents of this communication. If you have received this in error, please contact the sender and then delete this email from your system. The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) is a registered charity in England and Wales no. 207076 and in Scotland no. SC037654.

The RSPB is committed to maintaining your data privacy. We promise to keep your details safe and will never sell them on to third parties. To find out more about how we use your information please read our online Privacy Policy:

[Cally Smith]

Thanks Laurinda it is indeed a struggle at every level.  We must share these things as we can all learn how best to approach.

Sorry to hear about your Mother and hope she is on the mend X

Cally Smith 

Founder of NES Swifts (formerly Huntly Swift Group)

T: 07411 808 573
E: huntlysw...@gmail.com
Facebook/huntlyswiftgroup | Instagram/huntlyswiftgroup

Why not sign up for our free emailed quarterly 'Saving the Aviators' newsletter.  Get in touch!

Please note: I do not keep 9-5 hours Mon-Fri, I work around the clock most days!  I don't expect you to read, respond or action my email outside your normal working day.  Thank you!

Virus-free.www.avg.com

You received this message because you are subscribed to a topic in the Google Groups "swiftslocalnetwork" group.
To unsubscribe from this topic, visit https://groups.google.com/d/topic/swiftslocalnetwork/lRxFzlCxwGs/unsubscribe.
To unsubscribe from this group and all its topics, send an email to swiftslocalnetw...@googlegroups.com.
To view this discussion, visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/swiftslocalnetwork/VI1PR06MB66377680F20963CB6A1E986ED0EE2%40VI1PR06MB6637.eurprd06.prod.outlook.com.

[Banstead Swifts]

Thank you. Sometimes it is just good to hear that.

KIndest

[Banstead Swifts]

Dear Cally

We shall. There is so much that we have not shared yet, but it will be eventually.

I will join you feeling fiery, because I am sick and tired of being gaslit by NGO and public sector officials. It is like a profession now: mislead, misinform, waste your time, show no respect for man or creature. 

This is what the RSPB is sending out to our supporters, who I assume are subscribers of RSPB, and a lot of them are very surprised to discover the reality that there is no help for swift victims and are very unhappy. I am just so pleased that the RSPB are happy for us to take the slack unpaid and provide the same message to the public that every other official gave members throughout the whole of May, when demolotion could have been halted and investigated but was not. The message that failed swifts and us as grass root conservationists on the ground. Call the Police. Call the Police who they already know will do absolutely nothing. Not even for 22 nests.

I am sick of it.

Banstead Swifts This is the response I had from the RSPB:

Good morning Julie,

Thank you for contacting the RSPB. I apologise for the long delay in response, our small team are receiving a high volume of enquiries, and we are working hard to respond as quickly as possible.

The RSPB has limited resources and I’m afraid we cannot get involved in every issue that we are contacted about. However, Swifts are important to us so it’s good to see other individuals and groups in the area doing their best to campaign on this and work towards an outcome that hopefully will help Swifts in the future.

Unfortunately, as a conservation organisation the RSPB is unable to enforce the law, and it is the duty of the police to investigate wildlife crimes.

Thanks for getting in touch and standing up for nature.

Kind Regards,

Beth Dean (she/her)

Supporter Adviser - Wildlife Enquiries

Wildlife Advice & Enquiries: 01767 693690 Mon, 09:30-16:30; Tue-Fri, 9:30-13:00)

Supporter Services: 01767 693680 (Mon-Fri, 09:00-17:00)

[Banstead Swifts]

Dear Laurinda

I am not happy.

I did not speak to anyone at RSPB, as I had checked online and it was evidently clear, that no help was available.  I do my research. No help offered has been echoed in many of our supporters who are members of the RSPB who didn't believe that there was no help, so they contacted the RSPB and received this cut and paste message, beneath. If you can confirm that help is available, then I will call, but clearly it is not, but I have wasted hours to repeatedly call some, so what's another 40 minutes of disappointment in my day of hitting constant brick walls. I will add I did call the RSPB for nest 1 and there was no help for that either. Because it simply isn't on the table

So no, I did not call, because I have wasted so much time calling NGOs that even the Police told me to call , who have wiped their hands of offering any kind of help to swifts as victims of wildlife crimes, unless you find a dead bird as a result. They know it, we all know it now. It is just pass the buck and get the person off the phone, off the email, protect the brand and hope they shut up and go away.

I am getting a little sick of being given the run-around and being gaslit. Surrey Wildlife Trust told a full meeting, after I had left, that I 'must have misunderstood' the sub par ecological report they had produced on the Regent House Site. Only it was an excellent analysis by Mike. So no, I had not misunderstood that either.

I don't want to upset you Laurinda, but I am just tired of the suggestion there is something available, when everyone has made so much effort to help to find out if there is, and there is clearly is not. It is exhausting and time wasting.

Can others please comment on the Wildlife Officers Speech at the conference?

Banstead Swifts This is the response I had from the RSPB:

Good morning Julie,

Thank you for contacting the RSPB. I apologise for the long delay in response, our small team are receiving a high volume of enquiries, and we are working hard to respond as quickly as possible.

The RSPB has limited resources and I’m afraid we cannot get involved in every issue that we are contacted about. However, Swifts are important to us so it’s good to see other individuals and groups in the area doing their best to campaign on this and work towards an outcome that hopefully will help Swifts in the future.

Unfortunately, as a conservation organisation the RSPB is unable to enforce the law, and it is the duty of the police to investigate wildlife crimes.

Thanks for getting in touch and standing up for nature.

Kind Regards,

Beth Dean (she/her)

Supporter Adviser - Wildlife Enquiries

Wildlife Advice & Enquiries: 01767 693690 Mon, 09:30-16:30; Tue-Fri, 9:30-13:00)

Supporter Services: 01767 693680 (Mon-Fri, 09:00-17:00)

[Banstead Swifts]

I will update: I did just call RSPB to prove the point: the individual told me that they were aware of the case as they'd had quite a few enquiries about it and it was on the system. 

They advised: call the Police and they do not help with anything else. 

So 20 minutes to be told exactly the same, everybody was told from the beginning of May whilst the swifts were still in the building.

There is one thing that must happen: there needs to be more honesty about what is available to swifts and us, their only defenders, when they are victims of crime, from RSPB, RSPCA etc.  Continually parroting out to individuals to go to the Police is not good enough alone because they know nothing will happen in the majority if not all cases. Police inaction is not unique to Surrey. Yes, it has to be reported, but the public and grass roots groups deserve clear accurate information and in it's absence we can only assume that RSPB only pursue crimes for the birds on their chosen list, and that appears to be raptors. I love raptors too. What I don't like is the mixed messaging and I know exactly why it is done and I don't find it acceptable.

There is a reason why the general public think the RSPB will act: it is because they have never been told that they don't act for all birds that are victims of wildlife crime. So the confusion is created by the RSPB to their own supporter base.

Now I have ended up in marketing, but all I care about is my time being used effectively and justice for the swifts that are persecuted. 

In amongst all this, I have started to pursue legal advice.

[Tony Croft]

I'm just appalled at what has gone on!

Fortunately with help from our Parish Council we've now got 3 houses adjacent to us with each having several new (last 2 years) boxes added ...we are delighted to have 2 boxes occupied after no returns for 4 years at our house...we've had 4 boxes occupied for the last 45 years so it's been very sad.

So hopefully the future is good...

One thing I was wondering if our house deeds or something needs to have a clause that the swift boxes must be retained?

Any thoughts as we are getting on in age now and don't want to see these removed?

Best Regards

Tony & Anne

Hathern, Leicestershire 

To view this discussion, visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/swiftslocalnetwork/6ce80936-352d-4bed-84fb-2006c063e805n%40googlegroups.com.

[Cally Smith]

I too am sick of the vagueness of it all.  I went to the police once about a sand martin bank in a quarry which was moments away from being scraped.  He argued as to whether it was actually a crime to destroy the bank as the owners were probably unaware of the SMs nest sites.  He was NOT on my side at all.  He should have acted with haste to prevent the destruction, which DID happen, since i had politely contacted the company first and in so doing had alerted them to the nesting so they destroyed it before police came.  I tried the softly softly approach it didn't work.  Trying to discuss BEFORE the disaster happened because if i went directly to the police they wouldn't consider the report until the damage was done and in fact afterwards, nothing was done either.   I thought ignorance was no defence!  This police officer was reluctant to take my advice on cordoning off the pile.  

Another instance where despite my guidance two pairs of swifts were lost in a renovation which went against planning conditions.  After the nest sites were filled and one week before the swifts would be returning there was still netting and herras fencing all around although the works were finished.  I contacted WCO asking if he could instruct them to remove the fencing.  He swore blind that since there were no longer nest sites for the swifts to enter, the netting etc wouldn't matter. We nearly came to blows i can tell you!  He would NOT believe me that this could be a threat to the returning swifts. 

Believe me i have made a good number of reports in my time (trees, mammals, birds etc) and I cannot think of an instance where police, WCOs, larger conservation organisations have ever helped me in a dispute.  Not once.  

There needs to be some joined up thinking as they say these days.   I want small swift groups to be respected for their knowledge, be referred to by ecologists, police, WCOs etc. We don't seem to have the credibility somehow.  Why these individuals refuse to work with us when life would be so much easier and things more effective all round.  Maybe we need a national campaign somehow to say 'we are here!!! X amount of swift groups and an network of expertise available right across the UK.  We are here to help not just pick up the pieces!  Use us!!!'

Cally

Virus-free.www.avg.com

You received this message because you are subscribed to a topic in the Google Groups "swiftslocalnetwork" group.
To unsubscribe from this topic, visit https://groups.google.com/d/topic/swiftslocalnetwork/lRxFzlCxwGs/unsubscribe.
To unsubscribe from this group and all its topics, send an email to swiftslocalnetw...@googlegroups.com.
To view this discussion, visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/swiftslocalnetwork/e5fc2be9-cf5b-4ebd-a412-ba35083b560bn%40googlegroups.com.

[Laurinda Luffman]

Dear Annie

 

I’m so sorry you still feel unhappy.

 

In certain cases the RSPB will definitely step in to help, where we feel we can make a difference. For example, in addition to SLN people lobbying Network Rail recently, we were in touch with our contacts at Network Rail behind the scenes to help resolve the blocked nest sites at the viaduct.

 

However, there are obviously too many local issues for us to get involved in every case. As I said in my personal email to you shortly after the building had tragically come down before the scheduled month of November, sadly the burden of proof needed for the police to take it further is high. Nevertheless, we very much appreciate people on the ground like you trying their local wildlife crime officers anyway, to check nothing can be done and ‘kick the tyres’ of the process, which you clearly have done.

 

If I’d personally felt we could have gained some traction with this case, though I was deep in my own family issues at the time, I probably would have raised it myself with our Investigations Team and I know our Wildlife team would also have done the same (hence me asking with whom you spoke). So I would like to reiterate once more, that we DO get involved when/where we can and therefore there is no ‘gaslighting’ involved.

 

Our staff are, naturally, very stretched at this time of year, another reason why they cannot spread too thinly over cases and take on too many battles (no matter how individually important each one is for nature). Otherwise, we run the risk of having no impact and not getting any wins at all.

 

Please do come back to me if you feel there is anything further I can do personally to help in this case as the RSPB Swift Species lead.

 

Kind regards

Laurinda

 

From: swiftsloc...@googlegroups.com <swiftsloc...@googlegroups.com> On Behalf Of Banstead Swifts
Sent: 25 June 2026 12:30
To: swiftslocalnetwork <swiftsloc...@googlegroups.com>
Subject: Re: [SLN] Regent House - 22 swift nests destroyed

 

Dear Laurinda

To view this discussion, visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/swiftslocalnetwork/2b9711f2-00fd-48cf-b5a8-45acabac5e0an%40googlegroups.com.

This email and any attachments may contain material that is confidential, subject to copyright and intended for the addressee only. If you are not the named recipient you must not use, disclose, reproduce, copy or distribute the contents of this communication. If you have received this in error, please contact the sender and then delete this email from your system. The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) is a registered charity in England and Wales no. 207076 and in Scotland no. SC037654.

The RSPB is committed to maintaining your data privacy. We promise to keep your details safe and will never sell them on to third parties. To find out more about how we use your information please read our online Privacy Policy:

--
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "swiftslocalnetwork" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to swiftslocalnetw...@googlegroups.com.

To view this discussion, visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/swiftslocalnetwork/6ce80936-352d-4bed-84fb-2006c063e805n%40googlegroups.com.

[Jon and Camilla Barlow]

A couple  of great emails Laurinda.

You are so good!

 

Stay strong

Jon  and Camilla

X

To view this discussion, visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/swiftslocalnetwork/VI1PR06MB663796A64193E3ED3A761379D0EB2%40VI1PR06MB6637.eurprd06.prod.outlook.com.

[Banstead Swifts]

Fine.

It was clear the RSPB were unwilling and unable to help with this tragic situation, we had already realised that, as had our RSPB supporters. 

We understand that you are overstretched, but so are we. I have had 2 months of Royal Marsden cancer scans and tests to juggle alongside 2 incidents and hardly a moment to process any of it..

This now feels that it is not a safe space for me to discuss the Dorking Swifts, or anything on legals, so I will end it now. 

Happy swift awareness week Laurinda, Jon, Camilla.

Best regards

Annie 

You received this message because you are subscribed to a topic in the Google Groups "swiftslocalnetwork" group.
To unsubscribe from this topic, visit https://groups.google.com/d/topic/swiftslocalnetwork/lRxFzlCxwGs/unsubscribe.
To unsubscribe from this group and all its topics, send an email to swiftslocalnetw...@googlegroups.com.
To view this discussion, visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/swiftslocalnetwork/00b201dd0595%243541e5c0%249fc5b140%24%40virtuallyhome.co.uk.

[Banstead Swifts]

I am so sorry you went through those experiences Cally. It is really traumatic to experience.

[bar...@virtuallyhome.co.uk]

Dear Annie,

 

It is a safe space and it is important to discuss these things.  Your Dorking incident has highlighted the many issues we face when trying to protect swift nesting sites.  It is by discussing the problems people encounter that we can work together to improve nest protection.

 

Jon

To view this discussion, visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/swiftslocalnetwork/CADcwg4%3D4uALbRkxFSg94sCCEj4cFssfVtH_f4ptKGNoaWUeoAQ%40mail.gmail.com.

[Laurinda Luffman]

I would echo Jon. We should feel free to air our experiences and views, since we all do this respectfully.

Wishing you well and a speedy recovery at this very difficult time, Annie.

Camilla knows something of my recent awful months and meaning to be supportive. Hospitals can be very dispiriting places.

Happy Swift Awareness Week everyone!!

Sent from Outlook for Android

---

From: swiftsloc...@googlegroups.com <swiftsloc...@googlegroups.com> on behalf of bar...@virtuallyhome.co.uk <bar...@virtuallyhome.co.uk>
Sent: Friday, June 26, 2026 8:45:45 pm
To: swiftsloc...@googlegroups.com <swiftsloc...@googlegroups.com>

To view this discussion, visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/swiftslocalnetwork/001201dd05a4%24584427e0%2408cc77a0%24%40virtuallyhome.co.uk.

[Tony Croft]

Keep up the good work Laurinda....

Thank you for all you.

Best Regards
Tony

To view this discussion, visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/swiftslocalnetwork/VI1PR06MB663796A64193E3ED3A761379D0EB2%40VI1PR06MB6637.eurprd06.prod.outlook.com.

[Banstead Swifts]

Thank you, Laurinda, for taking the time to reply.

However, your response illustrates exactly why many autistic people do not feel safe enough to unmask, even in communities that they believe are inclusive.

My concern was never about you personally, as I had clearly stated. It was about corporate policy and whether appropriate procedures had been followed and whether it was clear to me and the public what RSPB offer in support to swift wildlife crime. Yet the discussion gradually became about me, my actions and my communication.

For example, your earlier statement that there was "no record of anyone contacting" the Investigations Team gave the impression that I had failed to pursue the matter. The obvious question was never asked: what contact had I actually had with the RSPB? Instead, assumptions were made that undermined my credibility before clarification was sought.

Similarly, I was not asking anyone else to reject the police position. I was questioning whether the correct procedures had been followed before reaching that position. Those are not the same thing. I have seen the evidence of Regent House, I do not believe you have. I do reject the police position based on the evidence I have seen and my experience, because they did fail to follow procedural standards, not once, but twice on two cases.

This is a pattern many autistic people recognise. We communicate directly and factually, yet our communication is often interpreted as confrontation or personal criticism. The discussion shifts away from the issue itself and towards our communication style.

That is what happened here.

Throughout the past two months I have dealt with the destruction of swift nests, intimidation connected to campaigning on a wildlife crime, anonymous malicious letters, and the distress of witnessing swifts trying to reach a nest site that no longer existed or was obstructed. I deliberately chose not to bring my own personal circumstances or health into this group because I wanted the discussion to remain about wildlife, evidence and policy.

Instead, the focus became me.

This is why autistic people often continue to mask. It is not because we cannot communicate clearly. It is because experience teaches us that when we communicate naturally and directly, our motives are questioned, our communication is personalised, and our concerns become secondary to how we expressed them.

That is the double empathy problem in practice. It is not simply that autistic people misunderstand non-autistic communication; it is equally that non-autistic people often misunderstand autistic communication, assigning intent that was never there.

I hope people reading this can understand that my criticism was not directed at an individual, I had made that very clear on previous posts. It has always been about improving systems, accountability and outcomes for swifts. 

Unfortunately, this exchange has also become an example of why autistic people so often feel they cannot safely be themselves when difficult conversations arise.

It is all so disappointing that this has gone this way when your RSPB boss Emma Marsh is herself a late diagnosed autistic and has shared her own struggles with exactly the same issues:

https://hidden20.org/podcast/emma-marsh

''They also explore why so many workplaces still unintentionally exclude neurodivergent people - and what it looks like to move beyond awareness into systems that actually support people and their brains'.

Because this is my 'workplace' , or perhaps it is not whilst it remains an unsafe place for autistic individuals like me to unmask and work to help swifts. Emma would have experienced exactly what this discussion became all her life and all autistics would recognise it. 

I don't wish to receive any more correspondence on this. 

Regards

Annie