INTERPOL’S ENVIRONMENTAL CRIMES COMMITTEE

1. Arwyn Jones ECENA Plenary Meeting September 2007 INTERPOL’S ENVIRONMENTAL CRIMES COMMITTEE

2. Interpol

3. Interpol – What are we • It supports and assists all organizations, authorities and services whose mission is to prevent or combat international crime. • There are 184 member countries. • Its primary role is the collection, comparison and exchange of information.

4. Interpol Environmental Crimes Committee

5. EnvironmentalCrimesCommittee • Set up in 1993 • Hosts International Environmental Crimes Conferences • Assists in identifying problems associated with Environmental Crimes investigations • Identifies solutions

6. Two Working Groups of the Environmental Crimes Committee • Wildlife Crimes Working Group • Pollution Crimes Working Group

7. International Meetings & Conferences on Environmental Crime • Conference June 2-3, 2005 in Lyon, France • Preceded by meetings of the two working groups. • Attended by 46 countries from every inhabited continent in the world. • See: www.interpol.int • 2006 & 2007 – 2 day working group meetings

8. Accomplishments 2005 – 2007 • With outside funding, Interpol hired a full-time wildlife crimes desk officer. • Interpol pledged $85,000 to buy a wildlife surveillance plane in Africa. • Specific projects, including Clean Seas, links to organized crime, training, etc started • Investigators Oil Pollution Manual published • Qualitative Assessment of involvement of organised crime in pollution crime completed • Advocacy memo of seriousness of environmental crime published for use for prosecutors

9. Committee Projects • Interpol Environmental Crimes Training Program • Ecomessage

10. Environmental Crimes Training • “very useful information which changed my approach to the problem of environmental crime” • “underscore ‘A plus’ for this course . . . training is definitely needed and useful”

11. Environmental Crimes Training • Purpose is to train local law enforcement to recognize environmental crime, investigate and protect health and welfare of community • Train-the-trainer format • International faculty • Modules on pollution, wildlife, bioterrorism, personal safety and cooperation • Interactive and practical

12. Interpol’s Ecomessage Objectives: • Enhance communication among environmental law enforcement in different countries. • Develop a data base to determine trends of environmental criminal activity.

13. Past Data Collection Problems • Required information from scattered sources • No standard method of reporting • No international repository • Environmental law enforcement officers in one country did not know colleagues in another country

14. The EcomessageCovers All Environmental Crime Having International Ramifications • Wildlife smuggling • Illegal transboundary shipments of waste • Vessel pollution • Banned substances smuggling e.g ODS • Foreign witnesses, defendants, victims

15. Ecomessage: How It Works • Interpol General Secretariat in Lyon, France is central repository • Standardized form • Compatible with Interpol’s database • Efficient cross-referencing of data with other entries • Organized and meaningful extraction of data

16. Ecomessage Accomplishments • Project Noah – illegal trade of reptiles • Illegal trade of primates • Assisted investigation concerning shipment of radioactive waste • Conviction of Anson Wong • Interpol Red Notice in Mexico City • Pleaded guilty to 40 Felony Count Indictment • Sentenced to 71 months in US prison

17. Current Efforts to Broaden Involvement and Increase Quantity of Ecomessages • More than 2000 Ecomessages have been submitted to Interpol. • Majority relate to wildlife crime. • Approx. 150 concern transboundary shipment of hazardous waste. • Collaborative effort with International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) and INECE. • Kenya Wildlife Service recipient of first Ecomessage award.

18. Training to Kenya Wildlife Service • Training March, 2006 • Investigative techniques • Forensics • Anti-corruption • Human rights and law enforcement • Follow up

19. Wildlife Working GroupProjects Project Adan • Determine links between elephant poaching and organized crime and terrorism. • Data from Interpol and NGOs • Interpol to provide criminal analyses

20. Are There Links BetweenWildlife Crime and Terrorism?

21. Wildlife Working GroupAirport Project • Most illegal wildlife trafficking passes through airports. • Develop networks with airport security personnel and provide strategies for intervention.

22. Wildlife Crimes Training • To supplement Interpol’s Environmental Crimes Training. • This project will develop a course fully devoted to wildlife criminal investigation and enforcement.

23. Operation Clean Seas Links Between Environmental Crime and Organized Crime and Terrorism Penalties Project Pollution Crimes Working Group Projects

24. Pollution Crimes Working GroupProjects Operation Clean Seas • Concerns the intentional discharges of pollution from ships • Violation of domestic law and international treaties • Global environmental problem

25. Operation Clean Seas Worst Offenders Database • Purpose: target violators and determine trends. • Presently data of over 1500 violations from seven countries. KEY FINDINGS >>>>>>>>>

26. Entire industry polluting • Study indicated no causality between logical indicators and pollution incidents; e.g., type of vessel, flag state, nationality, etc. • As more countries provide data, information becomes more statistically relevant • Commonalities from this analysis will yield a robust and useable profiling system

27. Any vessel is a potential polluter . . . except for this guy . . . . . . maybe.

28. Operation Clean SeasBest Investigative Practices • Purpose: Provide highest quality and consistency to ship source oil pollution investigations. • Approach: compile and review procedures being used around the world. • Published a manual and being disseminated widely.

29. Organised Crime Links • 2006 report findings of a proven link accepted by the Committee and Interpol • Current Phase is examining in more detail the exports sector of waste electrical equipment • We aim to produce a “problem profile” that regulators can use to decide how best to intervene in illegal export of electrical waste

30. Penalties project • Compiled a picture of how different environmental crimes are treated in the courts by the size of the fines issued • Published an Advocacy memo for prosecutors to use in court to emphasise the seriousness of environmental crimes.

31. Working Group Meeting 2007 • Further initiatives – Air Pollution project agreed • SuperForm to replace Ecomessage form • Linking pollution crimes to contributing to climate change • Increase fundraising efforts further our work • Encourage wider country participation in projects

32. Summary • We are here to help • We have unique networks and resources that can support investigators • We deliver outputs that give practical support to tackling environmental crime • We are committed to collaborative working with other organisations and networks To be effective we must all work together to tackle those who abuse our environment