The sky is the limit

15 April 2010 г.

Investigating officers have received materials of 675 cases of environmental law violations over one year. All the cases have features of a criminal offence.

Mikhail Areschko, the Head of the State Inspectorate on Wildlife Protection under the President of the Republic of Belarus claimed that the downward movement in the overall number of environmental law violations was preserved last year. 14.7 thousand violations were detected in 2007, 14.3 thousand violations were detected in 2008 and 13.7 thousand violations were detected in 2009. It proves that, on the one hand, people have become more law-abiding and, on the other hand, many people are restrained by significant fees. Undoubtedly, task-oriented activities aimed at combating poaching have brought fruits.

However some people cannot withstand the temptation to profit illegally at nature’s expense. But the officers of the State Inspectorate are worth their salt. In 2009 they prevented 40% more criminal offences than in 2008. The citizens also contributed to some extend to the success, providing their feasible help in bringing order to hunting and forestlands and water basins.

Investigating officers have received materials of 675 cases of environmental law violations over one year. All the cases have features of a criminal offence. Criminal proceedings have already been initiated against 564 cases.
The main task, which had to be accomplished over the year, was to strengthen coordinating role of the State Inspectorate, first of all, among state bodies, which are responsible for the integrated state policy in fishery and hunting sector. A lot of attention was paid to enhance efficiency in responding to environmental law violations.

Water basins are better regulated

The main part of the detected violations relates to fishery and fishing as in the previous years. There were detected 8291 cases. 22.8 tonnes of illicitly caught fish were seized; it’s 47% more than in 2008. 10.5 thousand of illicitly set nets, 32 thousand of electrical fishing rods and more than 4.1 thousand other fishing devices were seized from violators. Considering what was done in this direction, Mikhail Areschko underlined that nowadays water basins are better regulated.

Due to the implementation of control measures to preserve pond fish the State Inspectorate on its own and with other environmental protection and law enforcement bodies stopped 656 thefts of fish (in 2008 they stopped 377 thefts). Criminal proceedings were initiated against a number of them.

In October 2009 the officers of Berezovsky Inter District Inspectorate on Wildlife together with the Department of Self-security of the Ministry of Internal Affairs carried out an operation to expose a group of people, who stole fish at the territory of one of the leading fishery enterprises of the country – OAO “Okhr Selets”. It was found out that the group consisted of two officers of the Department of Internal Affairs. Those who wanted to take fish free of charge were arrested with 470 kilograms of fish, including carp, silver carp and grass carp.

Everyday efforts of the officers to detect cases of theft of pond fish, as well as regular control of the security systems of fishery enterprises made it possible to lower the number of big thefts in these enterprises. During a year 9 tonnes of stolen fish were returned to fishery enterprises, it’s 45% more than in 2008.

The control of fishery teams in fishery enterprises showed that the major part of violations relates to the criminal receiving of caught fish and attempts of theft. The situation is encouraged by the absence of reasonable control over fishery teams and failure to act of security departments. Violations against registration of caught fish are detected in KUP “Senno PMS” “Yazno PMS, “Schumilino PMS”, “Braslav PMS”, “Scharkovschina PMS”, RUP “Chaschniky PMK” “Meliovodkhoz”, KSUP “Sovhoz Komarinsky”, “Svetlogorsk PMS” and other leaseholders.

Strategy and success achieving techniques

State control over hunting and hunting lands was also active. It’s not a secret that under the present conditions poachers have become more hidden, clandestine and mobile. There exist cases when they form organised groups with the internal allocation of duties; some people use their rank to their own benefit. All this is well known to those, who protect natural resources of the country. A certain techniques have been elaborated to detect the most notorious poachers.

For examples, the officers of emergency response groups seized a group of poachers, who illicitly took four wild boars in broad day-light in hunting lands of Volozhin district organisational structure of RGOO “BOOR”. The violators were circled at the backyard of one of the isolated farmsteads when they were cutting killed animals. One of the poachers went towards the inspector swinging an axe. To cool him down, it was necessary to shoot in the air. The violators were fairly punished. Three of them were convicted by the Court of Volozhin district of illicit hunting involving damage on a large scale. They were imprisoned for two years each with a one-year delay in executing of punishments and a seizure of arms. The poachers made up for the harm inflicted on nature on a voluntary basis before court trial started.

The State inspectors detected 1496 violations during the implementation of environmental protection activities in hunting lands in 2009. It’s 23% more as compared with the previous year. The share of illicit hunting increased by 23%, the number of other violations almost hasn’t changed.

- The leadership of the State Inspectorate are greatly concerned that the amount of the seized fire arms constantly increases from year to year, - underlined Mikhail Areschko. 831 guns were seized in 2009. It’s 47% more than in 2008. 350 guns were unregistered. The majority of illicit guns were seized by Mozyr, Mstislavl, Loevsk, Soligorsk and Poltsk inter district inspectorates. The appropriate departments of the Office of Internal Affairs should help to control illicit guns trafficking. The State Inspectorate takes reasonable steps to solve the problem. The information has been sent to the Ministry of Internal Affairs. Electronic data bank to register seized fire arms is being developed.

Apart from fire arms the violators actively use other hunting devices. There were seized 790 items in 2009. The users of hunting lands were sent letters advising to search leased lands for illicit hunting devices. As a result there were found 1.3 thousand home-made wire nooses, set to catch hares and hoofed animals, and 9 traps. Besides, 8 poachers’ blinds and 1 pitfall trap were detected.

It’s not a secret that technical equipment, professional capacity of the officers and necessary legal basis play the decisive role in combating poaching. During the last years a significant attention was devoted to these questions. In 2010 the Instruction of the President of the Republic of Belarus provided for the Improvement of the regulatory support of the activities of the State Inspectorate. The designated authority will concentrate on the maintenance and development of the State Inspectorate role as a central part of the state control system over the environment and wildlife. A new round of development will begin the cooperation with state hunting and fishing control bodies of the bordering states.