New Guidelines launched to strengthen information-sharing between CSOs and law enforcement

The Nature Crime Alliance, with the support of United for Wildlife and members of the INTERPOL Wildlife Crime Working Group, has published a new set of Guidelines to improve the processes for civil society organisations (CSOs) to share information with law enforcement on environmental crime. 

The Guidelines aim to meet an often-cited and critical challenge: ensuring that high-quality information collected by CSOs is shared effectively with the appropriate law enforcement authorities in a way that is useful for investigations and prosecutions.

The Guidelines have been shaped by feedback from both law enforcement and CSO stakeholders, with aspects aimed at both communities. The Nature Crime Alliance Secretariat conducted interviews with subject matter experts and disseminated surveys to CSOs and law enforcement to identify best practice to help improve the capability of CSOs to successfully support law enforcement investigations on environmental crime.

Structured across nine chapters, the Guidelines cover a range of issues including guidance to help CSOs meet quality standards for information they share, based on the frameworks law enforcement use to assess information; advice for law enforcement on providing useful feedback to CSOs; and steps CSOs can take to mitigate the risk of corruption when engaging with law enforcement.