NCJ Number
235314
Journal
European Journal on Criminal Policy and Research Volume: 17 Issue: 2 Dated: June 2011 Pages: 125-148
Date Published
June 2011
Length
24 pages
Annotation
This article examines the enforcement of environmental and wildlife crime in England and Wales.
Abstract
Environmental and wildlife crime appear recently to be benefitting from an increasing profile amongst those agencies tasked with their control, as well as receiving growing criminological attention. Despite this, those with responsibilities in this area report that it remains marginalized, receiving limited resources and suffering from a lack of political impetus to push such problems higher up the agenda. This is particularly so for those agencies, such as the police, that may be seen to have many more pressing objectives. This discussion paper considers the problems of relying on an enforcement approach to controlling such offences, taking, as an example, those activities that may be termed 'wildlife crime', focusing on the situation in England and Wales. Firstly, the legislative framework that criminalizes harm or exploitation of wildlife is presented, alongside the main enforcement methods used. Next, the problems facing an enforcement approach are critically considered, the key issues being: under-resourcing and marginalization, the large 'dark-figure' of wildlife crime, the possibility of corruption, the lack of seriousness with which such crimes are viewed, and the lack of deterrent effect. Finally, responses to the problems of enforcement are presented, categorized as either methods to improve enforcement or, as the author advocates, methods which are alternatives to enforcement (such as adopting a crime prevention approach). The paper concludes with suggestions for future research in this field. (Published Abstract)