Every year in Scotland 2500 people die premature deaths as a result of air pollution. It’s a staggering loss of life than can and should be prevented. Globally there are nine million deaths a year (or one in six adults) due to environmental reasons.
'What’s that got to do with crime' I hear you ask? Quite a lot actually. You’d have to be living on, well, another planet, not to know that climate change is the most pressing problem facing Earth right now.
But there are other environmental issues the authorities are having to tussle with. And they impact on us all. Illegal pollution is hugely profitable, with devastating consequences for communities and the environment.
With that comes a whole heap of other problems. Firearms, fraud, modern slavery and human trafficking. This week, a new report by Interpol dropped which said it examined 27 pollution crime cases with profits that tallied up to half a billion US dollars.
It’s no wonder businesses and crooks are turning their heads towards the environment to drive up their profit margins. Pollution crime has no borders – the criminal network is planet wide and is a highly organised, highly sophisticated operation involving a number of perpetrators and businesses.
Some, the report said, are centralised mafia or gangs but a large majority of suspects are respected businessmen and women operating legitimate firms.
It’s a high-profit, low risk strategy mainly because policing environmental crime has been patchy to say the least. There have been very few prosecutions worldwide but lawmakers are waking up to the idea that to help save the planet they need to crack down hard on the criminals.
Environment agencies and police lack co-ordination, while there’s no real specialised training and pollution crimes are not high on the scale of priorities when it comes to smashing criminal gangs.Scotland isn’t escaping the problem – earlier this year, environmental watchdog SEPA said 15 per cent of organised crime gangs in involved in illegal dumping of waste.
This scourge worldwide has had a global effect in terms of contaminating our air, water and land systems. And our health. It’s a dirty and sinister business and the criminals are outsmarting the authorities.
Interpol said one group illegally exported waste from this country and dumped it in Poland, while at the same time claiming it was disposed of legitimately in the UK. The waste they dumped resulted in 30-40 fires in Poland.
Other examples given were criminals passing off waste tyres as new and reselling them in Africa and Latin America. The tyres were stored in dangerous conditions and would fail every inspection for roadworthiness. The company laundered the profits through property, jewellery and vehicle businesses.
If that doesn’t scare you, then how about illegal chemicals in our oil compromising our air quality, mercury illegally mined released into our rivers and seas and illegal landfill sites contaminating the soil where our food is grown?
Criminals have numerous opportunities to exploit our weaknesses in tackling the issues and, as well as
trafficking humans, they’re in the business of trafficking harmful substances other than the narcotics they’re associated with.
This is adding to the profits from their main lines of work – drug smuggling, human smuggling, extortion, guns, child sex gangs and prostitution. It’s easy to turn a blind eye and say environmentalists are veggie-munching doomsday fanatics but, when you realise these crimes are killing people, it puts a whole new spin on saving the planet.
CrimeCon
It’s not often I get starstruck but I’m looking forward to taking part in CrimeCon on its first visit to Scotland next month.
It’s always interesting to interview people at the sharp end of criminal investigation, particularly when justice has been served.
Appearing at the Con will be the former police officer who led the team that caught the killer of Milly Dowler and who cracked the infamous Night Stalker case, among many others.
I’ll be there to guide former Detective Chief Inspector Colin Sutton through his career. Colin will revisit his most famous cases and take you on a journey from the moment police were called to eventual arrests and convictions.
Some of you may be more familiar with Colin’s work due to the excellent Manhunt drama series on ITV where he was superbly played by Doc Martin star Martin Clunes.
It’s sure to be an interesting session from the perspective of an investigating officer.
I will also be chairing a session on Peter Tobin: The Inside Story with former top cop David Swindle, the man who snared him, forensic psychologist Kerry Danes and lead scientist for sexual offences at the Scottish Police Authority Forensic Services Carol Rogers.
The panel will discuss how the investigative team stopped Tobin’s murderous campaign.
Crime Con is sure to have something for everyone with 10 live shows and appearances from victims’ families, documentary makers and law enforcement professionals.
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