July 2011 - Green Customs Initiative

INTERNATIONAL ENVIRONMENTALCRIME NEWSJuly 2011programme updatesPOLLUTION CRIME FORENSICSThe Pollution Crime Forensics Conference held in May provided aforum for investigators, forensic experts and prosecutors from 17countries to exchange innovative ideas. The event also saw thelaunch of a new INTERPOL project on Pollution Crime Forensicswhich recognizes the role of forensics in successful environmentalprosecutions. The meeting in Lakewood, USA, was co-hosted withthe US Environmental Protection Agency.GLOBAL E-WASTE PROJECTThe results of a one-year strategic and tactical analysis, and ageneral project report, will be disseminated in July to all INTERPOLNational Central Bureaus. The assessment (for offi cial use only)calls for a dedicated team to gather intelligence and analyse theglobal e-waste problem. The next step is to secure the fundingnecessary to advance the project and to disrupt those criminalnetworks that illegally export and dump electronic waste indeveloping countries around the world.PROJECT PREDATORThis new project, designed around the role of intelligence-ledenforcement, will address tiger related crimes in the 13 tiger rangecountries. Combining intelligence from all sources is vital in linking,pursuing and apprehending criminals and ultimately destroyingtheir international networks. Project Predator will provide ongoingsupport for intelligence exchange and analysis. Funding iscurrently being negotiated with various potential donors.PROJECT WISDOMAlso based around intelligence is Project WISDOM, which willstart with a basic investigative skills course in Botswana (22-27August). Ten countries in southern Africa will be involved in anextensive intelligence and information gathering phase followedby intelligence-led enforcement actions. The Project is supportedby the International Fund for Animal Welfare and Humane SocietyInternational.YOUR SUPPORTAll INTERPOL projects are open for funding and for yourconsideration, meaning that governmental, non-governmentaland business organizations can contribute to environmental lawenforcement. Additionally, your assistance could help us expandour staff structure and thereby strengthen INTERPOL’s globalresponse to environmental crime.www.interpol.intINTERNATIONAL CO-OPERATIONWe continue to represent INTERPOL in numerousinternational meetings, promoting the useof the Organization’s tools and services, andencouraging cross-sector partnerships to combatenvironmental crime.• Technical Committee to the Agreementon the Conservation of Gorillas and theirHabitatsKigali, Rwanda, March 2011• Expert level Seminar of the Augias ProjectBudapest, Hungary, March 2011• Regional Green Customs Seminar andSECI Environmental Crime Task ForceMeetingBudapest, Hungary, March 2011• European Implementation andEnforcement of Environmental Law -Transfrontier Shipment of Waste (IMPEL-TFS) ConferenceKassel, Germany, April 2011• 22 nd Meeting of the Wildlife TradeEnforcement Group EUBrussels, Belgium, April 2011• Symposium on Private-Public Partnershipsagainst Transnational Organized CrimeVienna, Austria, April 2011• CITES Ivory and Rhino Enforcement TaskForceNairobi, Kenya, May 2011• London Partner MeetingsLondon, United Kingdom, May 2011• 2 nd Meeting Waste Shipments Complianceand Enforcement PlatformBrussels, Belgium, May 2011• Waste Day - Panel DiscussionTilburg, The Netherlands, May 2011• Legal Prosecutors and InvestigatorsNetwork Against Voluntary MarinePollutionMarseille, France, June 2011• Wildlife Detector Dogs – exchange ofexperiences of existing wildlife detectordog programmesTreviso, Italy, June 2011• 9 th International Conference onEnvironmental Compliance andEnforcementWhistler, Canada, June 2011• Meeting on Proposal to includeEnvironmental Crime on SOMTC AgendaBangkok, Thailand, June 20113