Page 218 - Supplemento 2-2016 (ENG)

maJ. gen. enzo Bernardini

The main operational results led to 58 new investigations started by 14
countries, on waste trafficking of dangerous categories of materials.

Besides operational results, the major positive outcomes of the Joint
Police Operation improved working relationships among all participant police
forces, and the evidence of the need of enhanced international cooperation.

At the end of the operation, we had the confirmation that there are too
many different legislative and operational languages among practitioners, that
makes it difficult, sometimes, to operate together in tackling a very technical
and complex issue such as environmental crime.

As a whole, the Joint Police Operation provided an important contribu-
tion to raising awareness on a multifaceted criminal phenomenon that should
be more deeply known, dealt with specialized law enforcement units, tackled
with appropriate legislation and resources and supported by a common pan-
european effort. To better learn our lesson, and to continue this process, we
focused on the critical vulnerabilities of this operation. This is the starting
point of the TECUM PROJECT.

TECUM consortium, led by the Carabinieri Corps, consisting of the
Environment Ministry, the Spanish Guardia Civil and the Romanian National
Guard, submitted the TECUM project which has been awarded by the
European Commission. The project is supported by the Italian national Anti-
Mafia Prosecutor’s Office, Interpol, Eurojust, Europol and the European
Police College, CEPOL. The project foresees five Work Packages which, star-
ting from the analysis of data coming both from the first Joint Police
Operation, will propose a new investigation concept, joint training material and
sessions, coordinated by CEPOL with participants from all EU Member States,
relevant EU Agencies, Interpol and, potentially, third Countries.

The project is also aimed at increasing the visibility by stimulating the
debate on environmental crime, including its evolutionary forms, by launching
a campaign for awareness raising. In essence, the project aims to:

- strengthen the operational capacities of European Police Services to
investigate trafficking in illicit waste and other related environmental crimes, by
gathering and analyzing relevant data with standardized methodologies;

- integrate an environmental crime dimension in “general” organized

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