According to a new report by the Finnish National Group for the Monitoring of Environmental Offences, the number of crimes reported to the pre-trial investigators related to impairment of the environment (202 reports), aggravated impairment of the environment (12), environmental violations (246) and nature conservation (53) has risen.
– The importance and protection of natural and environmental values have gained more emphasis recently, partly because of climate change, says Arto Hankilanoja, Chief Superintendent of the National Police Board. Hankilanoja is the Chairman of the Finnish National Group for the Monitoring of Environmental Offences.
This multi-authority group, consisting of pre-trial investigation and supervisory authorities, has been an international pioneer in authority cooperation aimed at operational development and supervisory reporting. Their annual report serves as a model report recommended by Interpol.
This group has worked uninterrupted for 20 years, and it has had a long-term approach. The group’s recommendations have been implemented in several areas over the years, such as in developing environmental crime prevention and relevant collaboration with public authorities, creating a common strategy, legislation amendment and developing supervisory operations.
According to Chief Superintendent Hankilanoja, crimes related to aggravated impairment of the environment are usually connected to business activities. Most of the aggravated crimes are connected to impairing the environment with various forms of waste as well as operations that partially or completely breach permit conditions.
– Even in the present situation, climate change can be expected to affect Finnish nature, animals and populations negatively. It is expected that to control climate change, new stricter policies will be introduced that will increase technical and tactical costs created by reducing emissions and waste management. Thus environmental crimes where the perpetrator evades proper emission and waste management to minimize environmental protection costs will become more beneficial to the perpetrator, says Hankilanoja.
When assessing the severity of environmental crimes, the adverse impacts on nature will be taken into consideration, as well as the pursued criminal proceeds. The protected object of the law on environmental crime is the preservation of clean and diverse nature.
Operational cooperation between the supervisory and investigative authorities has been intensified through established regional cooperation networks and joint education. Since plenty of environmental crime does not come to the attention of the authorities, the development of preventive action and increasing the risk of being caught are key areas of development for the authorities.
Report on environmental crime at the Police website at https://www.poliisi.fi/instancedata/prime_product_julkaisu/intermin/embeds/poliisiwwwstructure/82841_IP1707971_Poliisihallitus_ymparistorikoskatsaus_julk_netti3.pdf?310c5de51914d788 (in Finnish)
