The Scope of the Inquiry
1. On 12 February 2004, the Sub-committee on environmental
crime announced that, following its inquiry into Environmental
Crime and the Courts, it would hold an inquiry into fly-tipping,
fly-posting, litter, graffiti and noise. During the previous inquiry,
fly-tipping had been identified by many witnesses as a particularly
difficult area to tackle, and one which was growing not just in
public prominence but in extent and impact.[1]
The Sub-committee was also disturbed by the extent of what many
consider to be low level environmental crime, such as littering
and graffiti, which yet had an enormous impact upon the local
environment and which was seen as a particular area of concern
by very many communities across the country.
2. In its press release, the Sub-committee expressed
a desire in particular to hear responses to the following questions;
- What is the scale of the impact
of these crimes on the local environment?
- Has there been a cultural change in attitudes
to these kind of crimes and are they being treated more or less
seriously than in the past?
- Do responsible bodies who deal with the problem
and its consequences have sufficient resources and powers to do
so?
- Is there sufficient dialogue and cooperation
across Government and amongst the various bodies responsible for
dealing with the problem at a local level?
- What alternatives exist for dealing with these
types of crimes outside the criminal justice system?
- Does local environmental crime have a disproportionate
impact on poorer and less advantaged sections of society?
As with the previous Report based upon the work of
the Sub-committee, this Report deals only with England and Wales.
3. Thirty-four memoranda were received, some of which
were supplementary to evidence sessions. Oral evidence was heard
from eight individuals or organisations. We are grateful for
all the evidence given to the Sub-committee during this inquiry.
In addition, the Sub-committee visited Leeds in order to find
out how the local council there was dealing with local environmental
crime. We would like to thank former Councillor Gerry Harper
and all those at Leeds City Council who made the visit so informative
and directly relevant to the work of the Sub-committee and the
scope of its inquiry. The Sub-committee was very much impressed
by the enthusiasm and energy shown by the Council and its staff
in trying to tackle fly-tipping, fly-posting, litter, graffiti
and noise.
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