Military Police to crack down on environmental crime across MOD woodlands and facilities
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- Date: 29.12.2022
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The Slovak Military Police has actively co-operated on fighting environmental crime across the MOD woodlands and facilities. Based on the Agreement on the Provision of Environmental Care Funding from the Ministry of Environment-administered Environmental Fund, it has, historically for the first time, been awarded €150,000 in grant to buy new equipment and materiel.
This marks Phase 1 of the Environmental Crime Study undertaken by the Slovak Military Police. Throughout 2023, the funding will be released to cover the purchase of three 4-wheelers (including accessories such as helmets, windscreens, etc.) and four drones. The MOD is now in the process of putting the contracts out to tender.
As well as this, the MOD is currently working on plans to encourage more of such projects. “Our goal is to get actively involved in projects to help detect and document environmental crime and to maximise prevention across the military districts and other estates that fall within the MOD and MP remit, even over and above the scope of standard budgetary resources,” Secretary General of the MOD Service Office Peter Kozák said.
Environmental crime covers, among others, the construction of illegal structures, environmental risks and harms, poaching, wood theft, animal cruelty, illegal disposal of hazardous waste, release of pollutants into the environment, and offences related to protected wild plant, animal, shrub and tree species.
The funding to support the fight against environmental crime across Defence is now available thanks to the 2022 Environmental Fund Amendment Act. This allows the Ministry of Defence to be classed with the Ministry of the Interior and the Slovak Inspectorate of Environment as “authorised entities” with responsibility for environmental protection enforcement, including for the conduct of policing operations across the woodlands and other grounds of the Military Districts (MDs).
This marks Phase 1 of the Environmental Crime Study undertaken by the Slovak Military Police. Throughout 2023, the funding will be released to cover the purchase of three 4-wheelers (including accessories such as helmets, windscreens, etc.) and four drones. The MOD is now in the process of putting the contracts out to tender.
As well as this, the MOD is currently working on plans to encourage more of such projects. “Our goal is to get actively involved in projects to help detect and document environmental crime and to maximise prevention across the military districts and other estates that fall within the MOD and MP remit, even over and above the scope of standard budgetary resources,” Secretary General of the MOD Service Office Peter Kozák said.
Environmental crime covers, among others, the construction of illegal structures, environmental risks and harms, poaching, wood theft, animal cruelty, illegal disposal of hazardous waste, release of pollutants into the environment, and offences related to protected wild plant, animal, shrub and tree species.
The funding to support the fight against environmental crime across Defence is now available thanks to the 2022 Environmental Fund Amendment Act. This allows the Ministry of Defence to be classed with the Ministry of the Interior and the Slovak Inspectorate of Environment as “authorised entities” with responsibility for environmental protection enforcement, including for the conduct of policing operations across the woodlands and other grounds of the Military Districts (MDs).
