Operation Charm was launched by the Metropolitan Police in 1995. It is the only current police initiative against the illegal trade in endangered species in the UK and uses a combination of law enforcement and publicity in London.

In 2006, Operation Charm became a partnership between the Metropolitan Police Wildlife Crime Unit, the Greater London Authority, the Active Conservation Awareness Programme (ACAP), the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW), WWF-UK and the David Shepherd Wildlife Foundation (DSWF).

Many of the partners have played a part in Operation Charm before, but the partnership provides a more permanent basis to take Operation Charm forward in the long term.

The campaign is supported by The Federation of Traditional Chinese Medicine and The London Chinatown Chinese Association.