News Release
21.01.2010
The Public Security Militia Department of Moscow Main Office of the Interior for Combating Environmental Crimes that employs 1100 people has been functioning since October 1, 2001. Its activities are regulated by MOI of Russia's decrees No 767 dated 08.27.2001 "On Experiment within Moscow Main Office of the Interior" and No 178 dated 03.20.2003 "On Prolongation of Experiment within MOI of Tatarstan, Moscow Main Office of the Interior and Main Office of the Interior for Moscow Region" as well as by Moscow Government's Ordinance No 849-PP dated 09.18.2001 "On Department of Moscow Main Office of the Interior for Combating Environmental Crimes".
The MOI leadership and Moscow Government instructed the Department and its regional branches to perform the following tasks to step up the fight against environmental crimes:
- uncover, foil and prevent environmental crimes;
- unmask persons, organisations or officials behind the crimes, collect evidence to prosecute the alleged offenders;
- prepare materials necessary to assess and recover the damage inflicted by the offenders on their environment;
- conduct law enforcement activities associated with environment issues, perform ecological security monitoring in Moscow;
- liaise with environment, sanitation-and-epidemiological, law enforcement and inspecting state agencies.
Over the period, the environmental police have tuned its joint actions with Moscow Main Office of Ministry of Natural Resources for Natural Resources and Environment, Department of Environmental Management, State Centre of Sanitary and Epidemiological Supervision, Moscow Land Committee, Main Office for Civil Defense and Emergency Response, Joint Office of Administration and Technical Inspectorates, etc.
The Department for Combating Environmental Crimes and the Moscow environment and inspecting state agencies have conducted 17,838 joint operations (3,384 - over four months of 2004, 7,224 - in 2003, 6,512 - in 2002, 718 - 2001) uncovering 54 incidents violating the environment or the sanitation-and-epidemiological legislation.
Most checks were performed by the Moscow Department of Environmental Management (4,889) and by the Moscow Centre of Sanitary and Epidemiological Supervision (3,355).
In compliance with Federal Law of the Russian Federation No 7-F3 dated 01.10.2002 "On Protection of Environment" and Moscow Government's Ordinances No 180-PP dated 03.19.2002 "On Ecological Map of Moscow" and No 789-PP dated 09.23.2003 "On How to Create, Update and Use Ecological Map of Moscow", the following tasks are considered the key ones when cooperating with environment or inspecting agencies:
- management of specially protected areas and wildlife (Moscow Government Ordinances No 564 dated 08.21.1998 "On Measures to Develop Moscow Wildlife" and No 262-PP dated 04.09.2002 "On Measures to Realise Moscow City Decree on "Specially Protected Moscow Areas");
- enforce rules of planting, maintaining and safeguarding plants and flowerbeds (Moscow City Decree No17 dated 05.05.1999 "On Safeguarding Landscapes", Moscow Government Ordinances No 743-PP dated 09.10.2002 "On Approval of Rules of Planting, Maintaining and Safeguarding Moscow Landscapes" and No 8-PP dated 01.14.2003 "On Master Plan of Flowerbeds in Moscow City");
- management of bodies of water and recreation areas (Water Code of Russian Federation No 167-F3 dated 11.16.1995, Moscow Government Ordinance No 45-PP dated 06.17.2003 "On Principles of Revival of Moscow Minor Rivers and Riverbeds and Priority Measures to Put Principle into Practice in 2003-2005);
- enforce rules of collecting, keeping and destruction of production and consumption wastes or any other dangerous substances; control cleaning of waste dumps (Federal Law No 89-F3 dated 06.24.1998 "On Production and Consumption Wastes");
- perform vehicle emission inspections (Federal Law No 96-F3 dated 05.04.1999 "On Protection of Atmospheric Air", Ordinance No 21 issued by Moscow Main Office of the Interior on January 18, 2003);
- trace, tow away and destroy abandoned and partly destroyed vehicles, prevent parking at lawns, public yards and children ply grounds (Ordinance of Moscow Government Premier No 432-RP issued May 2, 2001; Moscow Mayor Luzhkov's Instruction No 4-19-5733/3-3 issued May 21, 2001).
According to the environmental militia's reports, a total of 3,942 criminal cases had been opened by 05.01.2004, 3,285 of them investigated into violations of sanitary and epidemiologic rules and norms, 376 - environmental crimes and 271 - other types of criminal doings. 25.9 million rouble damage to environment was repaid to the state either voluntary or upon court rulings. 380 persons, officials and organisations were fined. Fines paid over the period totaled 70.2 roubles. 15.7 thousand letters reporting violations of laws on protection of environment and sanitary-epidemiological control were considered. Complaints made by residents who call the Moscow Government's Hot Line or the unit on duty of the Main Office of the Interior were promptly addressed. Mobile environment teams conducted over 120 thousand inspections intended to check and document the resident's reports. The environment militia's activities were closely covered in the mass media.
The results achieved by the environment militia units in 2001-2003 were praised by the Ministry of the Interior of the Russian Federation, Ministry of Natural Resources of the Russian Federation and Moscow Government. In 2004 the environment militia has been working increasingly effective. They have increased the number of checks they perform and improved quality and developed their professional skills further, which in turn resulted in accretion of powers and tasks set. A number of laws of the Russian Federation, for instance the law "On Militia", will be amended to authorize interior agencies to maintain ecologic security and to create regular environment militia units.
Office of Moscow Main Office of the Interior for Information and Public Relations