Article 9 -A well-functioning organisation for detecting and investigating environmental crimes: what is needed and how to get there? Experiences from Sweden

Abstract

Environmental crime is a relatively new area for law enforcement authorities to handle in many European countries. 
The investigations are complicated and require new investigation methods, competences and a multidisciplinary approach that is different from what police organisations are used to. 
Most police authorities are at the beginning of a long process of finding out the best ways to combat environmental crimes. Instead of repeating the mistakes made by other countries in this process, it is important to learn from each other. This is especially relevant in the area of environmental crime, since environmental legislation in different Member States has a lot in common, it being based on the Environmental Crime Directive (ECD), other common EU legislation, treaties and conventions signed by all Member States. The development of a law enforcement organisation specialising in environmental crimes started in Sweden in 1999 when a new cohesive environmental act entered into force. Since then, the police and prosecutor’s office have reorganised their resources for handling environmental crimes, the Environmental Act has been modified and new structures for multidisciplinary cooperation have been formed, etc. Some progress has definitively been made, but a lot remains to be done. This article describes the initiatives taken to tackle environmental crimes in Sweden more efficiently and the challenges that have yet to be solved.