Observer Ethical Awards 2015 winners: World Animal Protection UK

The joint winner of the Ethical Wildlife Award saved the Wildlife Crime Unit of the Metropolitan Police, which was threatened with closure

The Wildlife Crime Unit (WCU) of the Metropolitan Police was an unloved and underfunded department, and in 2010 it was threatened with closure. For the UK branch of World Animal Protection, a global organisation dedicated to combating animal cruelty, this was unacceptable, and they began a campaign to save it. But their campaign was unusual: it involved an NGO directly paying for police work.

"We offered to fund-match the government for two years," explains Alyx Elliott, the head of campaigns. "It was controversial within the NGO community, and we didn't want to set a precedent for private companies funding police work. But we don't regret it. There was no other option."