United Kingdom: Environment Secretary Forms Waste Crime Crackdown Group as Police, Regulators and Local Leaders Target Illegal Dumping Gangs, With 36 Arrests This Year
The net is closing on the criminal gangs behind illegal dumping, as Environment Secretary Dame Angela Eagle on November 4 brought police, regulators and local leaders together in a new Waste Crime Crackdown Group to step up enforcement against waste crime. The group will drive forward action by identifying the weaknesses in the waste system that criminals exploit and removing blockers for change, with one shared aim: to shut down the organised waste gangs.
At its first meeting, members will discuss ramping up enforcement against the gangs profiting from illegal dumping and improving how they share intelligence, and the Secretary of State will ask the group to examine where enforcement powers can go further. "For too long communities have been left to live with the consequences of waste crime. I am changing that," Eagle said. "Our tougher enforcement is already showing results with arrests ramping up. But these are organised criminals and we must keep up the pressure to disrupt their operations. The new Waste Crime Crackdown Group brings police and industry leaders together to share intelligence and close every loophole. Our message to criminals is clear: we're closing in." Philip Duffy, Chief Executive of the Environment Agency, said getting organised criminals out of the waste system needs everyone to work together, and that a toughened approach in recent months has already brought more than 30 arrests, assets seized and permits stripped from unscrupulous operators.
Action the government has already taken includes fines of up to £5,000 for those who dump waste illegally or fail to treat it correctly, plans to give the Environment Agency powers to confiscate cash, cars, houses and other assets bought with the proceeds of waste crime, and tighter Waste Permit Exemptions so only low-risk waste activities can benefit. Since April this year, 36 arrests have already been made, with prosecutions, investigations and raids taking place across the country. Environment Agency officers are using more drones to hunt down criminals, and mayors are being given a bigger role in tackling waste crime in their areas. The illegal sites at Kidlington and Hoad's Wood have been completely cleared and police have arrested suspects while investigations continue; work continues to clear other egregious illegal waste sites, including Bolton House Road in Wigan and Midland Road in Bradford.
Source: 英国环境、食品与农村事务部
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 照片：英国一处被非法倾倒的废物（资料图），Bill Kasman 摄，Wikimedia Commons，CC BY-SA 2.0 授权 / Photo: Illegally dumped rubbish in the United Kingdom (file photo), by Bill Kasman, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0
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