The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) has stepped up its work to tackle waste crime with the creation of a new unit to target the most serious offenders.
SEPAs Waste Crime Team will work in partnership with other law enforcement agencies, such as Police Scotland, to identify and disrupt serious organised crime within the waste sector from January next year.
The unit will take over the organised crime remit from the SEPA support team, which will still lead on intelligence-led operations.
Creation of the unit follows recommendations made by the Scottish Governments Environmental Crime Taskforce to grant more power to environment law enforcers in order to tackle offenders.
The proposed legislation would see enhanced powers of entry to sites suspected of carrying out offences, and the power to seize documents in relation to suspected criminal activity.
In a report published in July, the taskforce identified a rise in waste crime among serious organised crime groups due to its low risk perception and gaps in police intelligence.
Commenting on the formation of the team, Calum McDonald, SEPA executive director said: SEPAs new Waste Crime Team is another tool in our fight against serious organised crime in the waste industry. Legitimate businesses in Scotland need to know that while they are working to ensure they are compliant with the regulations, we are working hard to tackle the criminals who deliberately and persistently break the law.
This approach is also a way for SEPA to support the agenda of the Scottish Governments Environmental Crime Taskforce, which I chair, which seeks to identify opportunities for preventing, tackling and deterring environmental crime in Scotland and improve co-ordination between agencies.
Crackdown
Environment secretary Richard Lochhead, who set up the government taskforce in November 2011, welcomed both the recommendations and the establishment of SEPAs waste crime unit.
He said: Criminal activity which hurts our environment is something which the Scottish Government refuses to tolerate. We in Scotland have won the natural lottery and any activity which threatens our beautiful country must be stopped.
There are a number of communities and businesses who are impacted, but also people living and visiting Scotland.
The creation of the Waste Crime Team will undoubtedly help in the fight against those who hold no regard for Scotlands environment. It is only right that we do all we can to make sure to deter criminals who give no consideration to Scotlands environment.
Support
Meanwhile, support for the measures came from the Chartered Institution of Wastes Management (CIWM), whose chief executive Steve Lee praised SEPAs proactive stance on tackling waste crime.
He said: The damage inflicted through waste crime is too often underestimated. There is no place in our society for waste crime, and any initiative that aims to tackle those wilfully disobeying legal waste requirements will always be backed with CIWM’s full and unwavering support.
This is a serious issue, one that CIWM has raised many times, and we applaud the proactive stance being taken by SEPA.
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