From 16 to 18 April 2013, INTERPOL hosted a delegation from the National Environmental Guard of Romania (GNM, National Environmental Guard). The purpose of this three-day training was for the officers to become acquainted with INTERPOL, its activities, and its tools and services.
During their visit, the Romanian delegates had the opportunity to explore the activities of INTERPOL's different Specialized Crime units, such as Criminal Organizations and Drugs, Economic and Financial Crimes, Public Safety and Terrorism, Trafficking in Human Beings, Trafficking of Illicit Goods and Environmental Crime.
They also became familiar with INTERPOL's I-24/7 global police communications system and gained a better understanding of how this system connects law enforcement officials in all of our 190 Member Countries. The use of notices and diffusions was of particular interest to the officials from the GNM.
Extensive discussions were conducted between the GNM and the INTERPOL Environmental Crime Program, during which both became familiar with each other's activities, exchanged ideas with project leaders, and shared common environmental problems and law enforcement issues and solutions. The GNM expressed a particular interest in the Program's Projects Leaf, Eden (soon-to-be-launched) and Scale - combatting illegal logging, illegal traffic of electronic waste and other forms of pollution crime, and fisheries crime respectively. Discussions also identified potential collaboration with respect to tackling wildlife crime in Eastern Europe.
One outcome of the training is the intention of the National Environmental Guard of Romania to organize a National Environmental Security Seminar (NESS).
For more information on INTERPOL's tools and services and how they can benefit environmental law enforcement, visit their website
http://www.interpol.int/Crime-areas/Environmental-crime/Environmental-crime