Interpol - Recent adds and updates
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Pollution crime issues
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Interpol supports fight against global warming
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Many pollution crimes involve the uncontrolled emission of pollutants into the environment. The release or evaporation of these pollutants can raise greenhouse gas levels. Interpol recognises that fighting global warming must include the reduction of uncontrolled emissions of pollutants. Interpol is committed to research that will help to quantify the impact of pollution crimes on global warming and to make available information based on this research on how Interpol’s work to fight pollution crimes also contributes to tackling global warming.
Determining the role of organized crime in environmental crime |
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There is the potential for huge profits from environmental crime. And where there are profits to be made, there is always the concern that organized crime is involved, which has already been documented in Italy and possibly other countries. Interpol has formed a specialised working group to examine the possible links between environmental crimes and other types of organized criminal activity.
Interpol Pollution Crimes Working Group - Assessing the Links between Organised Crime and Pollution Crimes (
Acrobat file)
Identifying trends and patterns in trans-border shipments of hazardous waste |
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The illegal shipment of hazardous waste, including discarded household appliances and electronic goods, is a serious problem. Waste from industrialised countries is being shipped to less developed countries under the listed intention of recycling and reclamation.
A problem arises when the receiving country does not have the capacity to actually perform the recycling and reclamation or when the materials received are not able to be recycled or reclaimed. The result is the disposal of the items, which can contaminate the environment. Interpol is working on the development of analytical support tools to help member countries address this growing problem.
Developing training and enforcement actions to combat illegal oil pollution into oceans, seas and inland waterways |
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The conclusion reached at the Interpol Pollution Crimes Working Group meeting in May 2005 is that the illegal discharge of oil from vessels is pervasive. While individual quantities of oil discharged are not large compared with more notorious accidental spills, the cumulative effect to the natural environment can be significant. In addition, these are intentional discharges motivated by greed and cost-cutting.
In response to a request from member countries, Interpol has compiled an Investigative Manual for Illegal Oil Discharges from Vessels. This manual is a tool for investigators to pull together stronger cases for criminal prosecution, with the aim of making individuals and corporations accountable for their actions. The ultimate goal is to impose adequate deterrents to prevent future violations, thus protecting a resource that is essential to global commerce and citizens’ livelihoods and recreation. The Investigative Manual can be ordered via the National Central Bureaus of each Interpol Member Country.
International European Police Co-operation on the Water (Acrobat file 
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Paris MOU press release – Concentrated Inspection Campaign on MARPOL Annex I, 14/02/2007 (Acrobat file )
Helping to develop a level playing field for law-abiding businesses by ensuring that penalties for pollution are sufficient to deter future illegal activity |
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The purpose of criminal penalties is to punish serious violations of the law and to deter the commission of future crimes. If penalties are not substantial enough, criminals will see them simply as a cost of doing business. Thus, the penalty must outweigh the profits which can be made. Law enforcement has a responsibility to protect the interests of law-abiding businesses by aggressively pursuing those who intentionally violate the law and thus have an unfair economic advantage.
For punishment and deterrence to be effective on an international scale, there must be a degree of parity among nations. If one or more nations have low or non-existent criminal penalties they risk becoming victims of environmental crime.
Interpol has initiated a Penalties Project to address the issue of parity. This project gathers models, matrices and approaches used by various jurisdictions to determine appropriate sentences for environmental offences.
This project also gathers information concerning sentences which have been imposed for various types of environmental offences around the world. In addition, the project gathers press releases, sentencing memoranda and other related documents which could be of assistance to the project and investigators and prosecutors.
The final product of this project is advocacy memorandum for prosecutors to be used during sentencing for environmental offences to support more appropriate sentences. This information could also be used to assist agencies in trying to persuade their national legislative bodies to increase maximum fines as well. The advocacy memorandum was presented at the Interpol Pollution Crimes Working Group Meeting 2007 in Lyon.
Cover letter for Advocacy Memorandum
(Acrobat file )
Advocacy memorandum – Arguments for Prosecutors of Environmental Crimes
(Acrobat file )
