Gazette - Just the facts

—Police in rural, coastal or northern communities may encounter a range of crimes that target the natural resource economy. whether it’s illegal logging or fishing, wildlife poaching, diamond theft or agricultural crime, the offence is usually specific to the local environment. here’s a look at some of the resource-driven crimes that affect communities where nature is at the forefront.

• Illegal logging accounts for over one-tenth of the global timber trade and costs timber-producing countries between US$10-15 billion per year in lost revenue, according to the World Bank.
• Twenty per cent of timber theft incidents discovered on federal government land resulted in arrest, and 24 per cent of arrest cases were prosecuted, according to a 2003 analysis of timber trespass and theft in the Southern Appalachian region of
  the U.S.
• Between 2002 and 2007, Canadian authorities laid 180 criminal charges in relation to the seal hunt.
• U.K. police are cracking down on hare coursing — the illegal pursuit of hares with hounds. The offence occurs on recently harvested farmlands and is often accompanied by other crimes such as theft, property damage and intimidation.
• In 2006, Australian authorities seized a record number of 365 illegal fishing boats, thanks to an AU$390 million government allocation to increase surveillance and coastal patrols.
• U.S. government statistics indicate that game wardens are nine times more likely to be killed on the job than are other law enforcement officers.
• The average poacher is between the ages of 25 and 45 and already has a police record, according to the Michigan Department of Natural Resources.
• Over 60 per cent of farms in California’s San Joaquin Valley were victimized by crime in 2004. The most common offences were vandalism and small equipment theft.
• More than 16,000 head of cattle and calves — valued at over US$9 million — were reported missing or stolen from California farms and ranches during the last decade, according to the state Bureau of Livestock Identification.
• As much as 88 per cent of agricultural crimes are not reported, according to
  the Urban Institute.
• Between 2005 and 2006, Ontario’s largest electricity delivery company, Hydro One, reported a 1,150 per cent increase in theft of copper materials from hydro substations across the province.
• The remote location and heavy security of Canadian diamond mines make Canadian diamond exploration and mining processes less vulnerable to infiltration by organized crime groups, says a 2004 report by the Criminal Intelligence Service Canada.
• Some US$10 million in illegal wildlife is seized at the U.S. border every year, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Mexico, Canada and China are the top three suppliers for the illicit U.S. market..

SOURCES :

• World Bank: www.worldbank.org
• Virginia Tech, Electronic Theses and Dissertations, “An analysis of timber trespass and theft issues in the Southern Appalachian region” (1 May 2003): scholar.lib.vt.edu/theses/
• Fisheries and Oceans Canada, “Facts about seals – 2008": http://www.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/fm-gp/seal-phoque/reports-rapports/facts-faits/facts-faits2008-eng.htm
• Norfolk Constabulary, “Illegal hare coursing — is it happening near you?”: www.norfolk.police.uk
• Lincolnshire Police, “Hare coursing”: www.lincs.police.uk
• Australian Broadcasting Corporation, “Illegal fishing crackdown working: Abetz” (11 May 2007): www.abc.net.au
• North American Wildlife Enforcement Officers Association: www.naweoa.org
• Urban Institute, “A process and impact evaluation of the ACTION program” (18 Apr 2007): www.urban.org
• San Francisco Chronicle, “Cattle rustling on the rise in California” (16 Dec 2007): www.sfgate.com
• Toronto Star, “Copper capers” (11 Apr 2008): www.thestar.com
• Criminal Intelligence Service Canada, “2004 annual report on organized crime in Canada”: www.cisc.gc.ca
• Mint magazine, “Profits from wildlife poaching funding criminals, terrorists: U.S.” (7 Mar 2008): www.livemint.com
• U.S. Department of State, “International illegal trade in wildlife: threats and U.S. policy” (22 Aug 2008): fpc.state.gov