December 22, 10.33, Other, Pajala

Police conducted a snowmobile surveillance operation on Pajala common forest areas near Tärendö on Saturday. The area controlled is located along Selkävaaravägen.

In the area, several slaughter sites were found where police can confirm that elk hunting was carried out using snowmobiles.

Police have at one of the slaughter sites at the Roavaara mountain been able to confirm that at least two snowmobiles pursued elk in the terrain and then shot two elk from the snowmobiles. They then tried to drive over all elk tracks to conceal the method. Given the large number of snowmobile tracks in the area, this has probably been done on a large scale.

Police have filed a report on gross hunting crime and are seeking tips from the public. These can be submitted via 114 14 or via the police's website.

– The penalty for a gross hunting crime is imprisonment of at least 6 months and up to 4 years. If convicted, one will have their weapons confiscated and their licenses revoked. Other tools used during the hunt can also be declared confiscated, says Nicklas Berglund, who is the moose coordinator in the Norrbotten police district.

The police in Norrbotten will work more with hunting surveillance in order to prevent this form of illegal hunting and ask the public to contact the police when they become aware of hunting being carried out in an unauthorized manner. The police have conducted several checks in areas where we have received tips from the public that there is unauthorized hunting.

According to the Hunting Act, it is prohibited to:

**31 §
**Hunting may not be carried out from motor-driven means of transport. Such means of transport or other motor-driven equipment may not be used to search for, track, pursue or intercept game, to prevent game from escaping or to distract game's attention from the hunter.

It is also not allowed according to the Hunting Ordinance that:

22 §  
Firearms may not be carried in a motor-driven vehicle in terrain.

Remember that if a firearm is transported in your car, according to the Hunting Ordinance:

22 §  
If a firearm is stored in a motor-driven means of transport, there may not be ammunition in the firearm's magazine or magazine.