The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) has announced that police-style powers given to Environment Agency officers will allow them to intervene earlier and bring more waste criminals to justice.
Under a new zero-tolerance approach, the government is looking to expand powers under the Police and Criminal Evidence Act (PACE) as well as the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 (POCA), as well as other legislation to the Environment Agency and its enforcement officers.
This would allow the Environment Agency officers to intervene earlier, bring more criminals to justice and “hit the organised gangs behind illegal waste where it hurts by disrupting their finances”, Defra said.
According to the department, waste crime costs the economy £1 billion every year, with the “criminal networks behind this criminality becoming increasingly sophisticated and causing serious harm to communities and the environment”.
“This move would make the Environment Agency one of the few organisations with these powers, a clear signal that waste crime is being treated as a serious organised crime,” Defra said.
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.”
This announcement comes as the government prepares to publish its new ‘Waste Crime Action Plan’, which will “set out a tough approach to these costly crimes”, from fly-tipping to large illegal waste sites.
Defra further said the new measures will help “restore pride in our neighbourhoods, boost community spirit, and support the government’s wider Pride in Place programme.”
Environment Agency
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.”
The government is also exploring how enforcement bodies can share information with banks and finance companies to inform them of waste criminality so they can make informed decisions on whether to keep doing business with the waste criminals.
Crime and Policing Minister Sarah Jones said:
“Fly tipping is an attack on our countryside, our communities, and the environment we all share.
“We will give the Environment Agency the power they need to crack down on these reckless criminals.”
Under new legislation, waste criminals caught transporting and dealing with waste illegally will face up to five years in prison.
Driver’s licence revoking
Defra also announced that fly-tippers could face being given points and losing their driving licences under new government proposals.
According to Defra, with most fly tips being around the same size as the back of a small van, the government is looking at measures to award penalty points on driving licences for those found guilty of fly-tipping.
This could then lead to them losing their licences altogether.
Environment Secretary Reynolds said: “Litter louts who repeatedly break the law will see points added to their licence and risk losing it for good if they continue to offend.”
This proposal forms part of the previously mentioned ‘Waste Crime Action Plan’.
The government is providing about £78 billion available to council budgets in England this year as part of the first multi-year funding settlement in over a decade to help fund key responsibilities like fly-tipping.
Convicted fly-tippers can already face heavy fines, community sentences, or prison.
