Environmental Crime Network: Set up 2011. ‘EnviCrimeNet’ is an informal network connecting police officers and other crime investigation services or competent authorities responsible for fighting environmental crime and Public prosecutors or their networks in European states in the field of environmental crime to learn from each other about the extent and nature of environmental crime, the best practises to handle it. The Secretariat is provided by Europol (see below).

Seeks to identify aspects of wildlife crime to assist with targeting enforcement. Investigating environmental crime is a complex, global issue. With regard to global issues, such as climate change and damage to biodiversity, being involved in the fight against environmental crime is of the utmost importance to the police. Within countries several agencies are responsible for the supervision and enforcement of legislation and regulations, which is one of the key problems arising in the fight against environmental crime. Administrative bodies at the municipal, provincial and governmental levels in particular play an important role in supervising companies. Another key characteristic of environmental crime is legitimate and illegitimate enterprises interconnect. In addition, environmental crime, unlike other forms of crime, is often revealed as a result of targeted investigations, rather than reports on an environmental offence committed.

EnviCrimeNet is aiming to improve the results of the fight against environmental crime by:

• Ensuring that member states are aware of the fight against environmental crime at the international level;
• Mutual sharing of expertise;
• Establishing relevant risk assessments that can be exchanged amongst the participants;
• Learning from one another in the fields of risk assessments and intervention strategies;
• Establishing tactical analyses of particular forms of environmental crime;
• Establishing joint investigations into environmental crime;
• Exchanging investigation methods;
• Exchanging information prior to initiating the operational phase of an investigation or operation;
• To create the right training and schooling possibilities in cooperation with Cepol.

Objectives

• Fight against and enhance the effectiveness of the fight against organized environmental crime.
• Detect, investigate, disrupt and prosecute environmental crimes.
• Exchange information and experiences relating to best practices in dealing with environmental crimes.
• Non-operational information exchange about legal frameworks.

Its fifth Annual General Meeting was held on 21 and 22 October 2015 in Milan, Italy, hosted by the Italian Corpo Forestale dello Stato (CFS) and the Italian Carabinieri, with experts and practitioners from Europol, the European Commission and 16 European countries attending.
(Source: EnviCrimNet)