This item was published during the term of a previous administration that ended in April 2007
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Environmental crime seminar
09/05/2003
An environmental crime seminar was held in Edinburgh today.
The event, organised jointly by the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) and the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA), is designed to increase expertise in environmental law enforcement among prosecutors and SEPA lawyers and to enhance relationships and communication between SEPA and COPFS.
Opening the one-day event the Solicitor General for Scotland, Mrs Elish Angiolini QC, stressed the crucial role the partnership of the COPFS and SEPA plays in the enforcement and prosecution of environmental crime.
She said:
"The long-term well being of the environment depends on a strategy of pollution prevention but enforcement of environmental provisions is also a crucial component of that. Both SEPA and the COPFS have vital enforcement roles to play.
"Regular liaison already takes place both at national and local levels. Good working relationships have already been established and our expertise in prosecuting these cases continues to grow. However it is important that we do not become complacent. Given the priority that must be afforded to the prosecution of environment crime in the public interest, and given our duty to reflect the public interest in our practices, I consider it imperative that both the COPFS and SEPA seek continually to improve the way that we work together.
"Both SEPA and the COPFS have skills and expertise that are essential for the effective prosecution of environmental crime. Accordingly I consider "partnership" to be a fitting description of our relationship. Of course an effective partnership depends on information and expertise being properly developed and shared within it.
"I see today as an important step forward in developing that partnership in a very positive way - sharing information and expertise to improve how we deal with environmental crime. I hope it will be the first of many such events".
SEPA Chairman Ken Collins said:
"The impact of environmental crime can be significant, in environmental, social and economic terms and Scotland's criminal justice system has an important role to play. It acts as a preventative mechanism as well as a form of punishment for wrongdoers. In this sense both prosecutors and the judiciary have a genuine and significant role to play in environmental protection.
"Everyone should have the right and be able to live in a healthy environment, with access to sufficient and appropriate environmental resources for a healthy life. SEPA's main aim is to "to provide an efficient and integrated environmental protection system for Scotland which will both improve the environment and contribute to the goal of sustainable development". Specifically, our duty to contribute to sustainable development operates by protecting the environment - the basis for long term economic prosperity and an inclusive society;
"A recommendation in a recent review of SEPA emphasised the need for a close partnership between SEPA and the Procurator Fiscal Service to ensure the effective prosecution of environmental crime.
"Today's event is an excellent example of how that already good liaison is being progressed and how we can capture the knowledge of both organisations to deepen our understanding of each other."