Environment officers to get more powers to tackle waste crime

The government is looking to expand powers under the Police and Criminal Evidence Act (PACE), the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 (POCA) and other legislation to the Environment Agency and its enforcement officers.   

Changes would mean officers could intervene earlier, bring more offenders to justice and disrupt the finances of organised gangs.

The government is preparing to publish its waste crime action plan, which will set out a new approach to waste crime.

The government is also looking into how enforcement bodies could share information with banks and finance companies to inform them of waste criminality.

Environment Secretary Emma Reynolds said: “Waste crime is a disgrace. It blights our countryside and communities, damaging our environment and economy.  

“That is why we are taking decisive action. We’re giving the Environment Agency the police-like powers they need to stop waste criminals in their tracks and bring those responsible swiftly to justice.” 

Chief Executive of the Environment Agency Philip Duffy said: “Waste crime causes misery across communities, and we have significantly stepped up our response to it already.  But we are not standing still.   

“While having more boots on the ground is important in tackling these criminal networks, we also need to make sure our officers have as many powers as possible to bring them down.    

“But we can’t do this on our own.  We are working closely with the police and local government. And we need the eyes and ears of the public to report potential dumping through Crimestoppers or our incident hotline. Working together, we can drive criminals out of our waste sector.”