Page 186 - Supplemento 2-2016 (ENG)

Wil van gemert

tes to investigate and combat the huge problem of environmental crime and
the illegal activities related to toxic waste trafficking by organised crime groups,
such as Mafia, Camorra and ‘Ndrangheta on a large-scale. The way investiga-
tions are handled by the Italian authorities shows there can be an effective way
of doing this on a national level.

For example, through the TECUM project, in 2014 Italy led a joint police
operation, after which important data was also shared with Europol and we
now all look forward to a final report by the end of this project and to the next
foreseen joint operations in 2017.

An important factor in combating this kind of crime is related to legisla-
tion: it should allow law-enforcement agencies the use of techniques like under-
cover investigations at a rather early stage to increase penalties and sentences in
this field. But not all EU member states have this kind of legislation in place
and, even when it is, it is still not always used.

Because of the general lack of information on environmental crime, it is
sometimes difficult to bring it to the attention of our policymakers. In the orga-
nised crime report Europol issues every two years, it is mentioned as one of the

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