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World's police unite for environmental crime crackdown

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The police agencies of the world are supporting INTERPOL's Environmental Crime Programme in an historic display of consensus. Delegates attending INTERPOL's General Assembly in Doha, Qatar last week voted unanimously in favor of a resolution encouraging greater global policing efforts to stem environmental crimes.

INTERPOL Secretary General Ronald Noble, left, greets Qatar's Minister for Internal Affairs, Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa al Thani. [INTERPOL]

Environmental crime encompasses activities ranging from illegal trade in wildlife, timber and marine species, to transborder movements of hazardous waste, and the illicit exploitation of natural resources.

The resolution approved by INTERPOL's 188 national law enforcement authority members recognizes that "environmental crime is not restricted by borders and involves organized crime networks which engage in other crime types including murder, corruption, fraud and theft."

"Today's vote clearly shows how seriously the police community of the world takes environmental crime and we look forward to the ongoing support of our member countries in this area," said David Higgins, manager of INTERPOL's Environmental Crime Programme, who presented the resolution to the conference.

The resolution pledges support to back the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species, CITES, and to fight environmental crime.

"We will continue to work closely with CITES and other international organizations to help protect the environment and biodiversity of the world, as environmental crime is global theft," said Higgins.

Addressing the Assembly shortly before the resolution was considered by more than 650 delegates from 141 countries, CITES Secretary-General John Scanlon said police agencies are an integral and essential part of the conservation community.

"The endangered fauna and flora of the world cannot be safeguarded without you, without the police," he said.

Scanlon praised INTERPOL for preparing such a resolution in 2010, the United Nations' International Year of Biodiversity and congratulated INTERPOL and the international policing community on their vote. "One couldn't have asked for a better result," he said. "This sends a very strong message to those who seek to rob countries of their natural resources that the global law enforcement community recognizes that it must work together, led by INTERPOL, to bring these environmental criminals to justice."

Sabri Zain, director of advocacy, with the wildlife monitoring network TRAFFIC International, says poachers use the same networks and methods used by arms dealers and drug traffickers.

"We're not talking about poor people, these are professional hunters. They have 4-wheel drives, GPS, and assault rifles," Zain told reporters in a teleconference on tiger conservation today in advance of the world's first global tiger summit opening in St. Petersburg, Russia on Saturday.

"The people there to stop them don't have boots, they are not armed, they may have to take a bus to work, and many park guards and wardens have been killed by poachers," said Zain.

Dr. Barney Long, manager of the Tiger Program with WWF-US told reporters on the call, "Poachers are criminals going into these parks to steal national resources. But in most tiger range states, rangers are not allowed to shoot; that is the choice of each of the 13 tiger range countries."

Long told ENS in an interview, "Anything coming out of INTERPOL is hugely important. Tigers are very rarely poached in one country and sold in the same country; they are taken across borders. If you were to get the police forces in the 13 countries involved, we could improve tiger conservation, but they're not getting funded to get involved in these crimes. It takes funding."

In his closing remarks in Doha on Thursday, INTERPOL President Khoo Boon Hui, who is also Singapore's senior deputy secretary of the Ministry of Home Affairs, told delegates, "We have adopted resolutions against Environmental Crimes, People Smuggling, Human Trafficking and Counterfeit Medical Products. These resolutions must not be mere declarations of our noble intentions, but must lead to practical actions at the national level. It is, therefore, important that upon our return to our home country, we start implementing these resolutions."

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