INTERPOL is the world’s largest international police organization, with 190 member countries. Our role is to enable police around the world to work together to make the world a safer place. Our high-tech infrastructure of technical and operational support helps meet the growing challenges of fighting crime in the 21st century.
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At INTERPOL today, we have a strong network of 190 member countries, each represented by a National Central Bureau and committed on a daily basis to international police co-operation.
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Environmental crime
Environmental crime is a serious and growing international problem, and one which takes many different forms. Broadly speaking, wildlife crime is the illegal exploitation of the world’s wild flora and fauna, while pollution crime is the trading and disposal of hazardous wastes or resources in contravention of national and international laws.
In addition to these clear and present crimes, new types of environmental crime are emerging, such as carbon trade and water management crime.
Organized criminal networks
Environmental crime is not restricted by borders, and can affect a nation’s economy, security and even its existence. A significant proportion of both wildlife and pollution crime is carried out by organized criminal networks, drawn by the low risk and high profit nature of these types of crime.
The same routes used to smuggle wildlife across countries and continents are often used to smuggle weapons, drugs and people. Indeed, environmental crime often occurs hand in hand with other offences such as passport fraud, corruption, money laundering and murder.
INTERPOL's response
In today’s global economy there is a need for an international strategy to deal with this type of crime. As the only organization with a mandate to share and process criminal information globally, INTERPOL is uniquely qualified to lead these efforts.
The INTERPOL Environmental Crime Programme:
- Leads global and regional operations to dismantle the criminal networks behind environmental crime using intelligence-driven policing;
- Coordinates and develops international law enforcement best practice manuals, guides and other resources;
- Provides environmental law enforcement agencies with access to our services by enhancing their links with INTERPOL National Central Bureaus;
- Works with the Environmental Crime Committee to shape the Programme's strategy and direction.
The INTERPOL Wildlife Crime Working Group and the INTERPOL Pollution Crime Working Group bring together criminal investigators from around the world to share information and initiate targeted projects to tackle specific areas of environmental crime.
Newsletter
Issued three times a year, the Newsletter contains latest updates, information on our activities and future plans.
Issue 11 – November 2012
pdf - 303.34 kB
Issue 10 – July 2012
pdf - 510.30 kB
Issue 09 - March 2012
pdf - 445.62 kB
Issue 08 - November 2011
pdf - 359.89 kB
Issue 07 - July 2011
pdf - 362.71 kB
Issue 06 - March 2011
pdf - 335.11 kB
Issue 05 – November 2010
pdf - 439.95 kB
Issue 04 – July 2010
pdf - 204.64 kB
Issue 03 – March 2010
pdf - 293.82 kB
Issue 02 – November 2009
pdf - 297.65 kB
Issue 01 – July 2009
pdf - 363.83 kB
04 December 2012
INTERPOL operations in Asia lead to seizure of live tigers and other protected species
24 October 2012
USAID funding for INTERPOL-led wild tiger protection campaign supporting South Asia Wildlife Enforcement Network
27 September 2012
Illegal logging nets organized crime up to 100 billion dollars a year, INTERPOL–UNEP report reveals
13 September 2012
Environmental officers go back to their roots in joint INTERPOL and Brazilian Federal Police initiative
30 March 2012
Enforcement chiefs at INTERPOL-UNEP inaugural meeting design blueprint for environmental security
16 December 2011
International workshop focuses on controlled delivery strategy against forest and wildlife crime
1st Executive Level Environmental Compliance and Enforcement Committee (ECEC) Meeting
6-8 November 2013, Nairobi, Kenya
Held in parallel with meetings of the Working Groups for Wildlife, Pollution and Fisheries crime.
National Environmental Security Task Force
18 September 2012: We officially launched our National Environmental Security Task Force (NEST) initiative at the 21st INTERPOL Asian Regional Conference.
Fact sheet
Environmental crime | PDF 1 MB
INTERPOL General Assembly Resolution, 2010
"There is a vital need for a global response to combating environmental crime and INTERPOL should play a leading role in supporting the international enforcement efforts."
