Projects
Tackling Cross-Border Environmental Crime
In a nutshell
When thinking about expressions of criminal activity, ‘environmental crime’ is probably not the first thing that comes to mind. Due to gradually being featured as news items more often, topics like illegal waste trafficking, the dumping of toxic waste in rivers, and illegal fishing are gaining traction as action points for political agendas.
Besides being relatively new, environmental crime is very complex, often touching upon multiple facets of law and groups that operate across borders. The Tackling Environmental Crime through Standardized Methodologies (TECUM) project, carried out by a consortium led by B&S Europe, is designed to fill operational gaps in the cross-border fight against environmental crime, focusing on its organised crime aspect.
Our approach
The international nature of environmental crime calls for collective action. This action came in the form of the Joint Police Operation Waste Trafficking (JPO), which brought together 38 individual Law Enforcement Agencies and customs from 14 European Member States in the winter of 2014. TECUM’s objective is to analyse the results and best practices of this training and adapt them to special trainings for representatives of all EU Member States.
The best way of combating environmental crime, is to prevent it from happening in the first place. For that purpose, a team consisting of environmental crime experts on the one hand, and specialists on various aspects of organised crime on the other, will draft an Environmental Crime Early Identifcation Handbook based on the outcomes of the JPO. Together with the Italian Ministry for the Environment Land and Sea, the handbook and its best practices will be disseminated to beneficiaries and relevant stakeholders.
Success stories
In order to preserve the planet for the generations to come, it is key that theory can be applied in practice by the appropriate authorities. Therefore, a new JPO will be organised that builds on the project means, deliverables and lessons learned. Visit the link on the right side of the screen to learn more about our efforts to protect crimes against the environment.