DETECTION AND INVESTIGATION OF ILLEGAL SOIL DISPOSAL : AN EXPLORATORY STUDY OF THE CHALLENGES OF DANISH ENVIRONMENTAL REGULATORY AUTHORITIES

Sammanfattning

Waste crimes are an increasing environmental problem, causing severe harm to nature and human health. In Denmark, cases of illegal soil disposal, in particular, have recently led to increased awareness of environmental criminality. This awareness led to a political decision to establish a specialized police unit for combating nature and environmental crimes. This thesis examines municipal and regional regulatory authorities’ detection and investigation of suspected illegal soil disposal in Denmark. This thesis provides new knowledge that may be able to support the efforts of the forthcoming Danish nature and environmental crime police unit to detect and prevent illegal soil disposal. The empirical data consist of municipal case files obtained through requests for freedom of information, as well as publicly available administrative documents. The study employs a qualitative thematic analysis of five Danish cases of suspected illegal soil disposal, examining the challenges faced by regulatory authorities and the opportunity structures that enable illegal soil disposal. The findings emphasize three main themes in relation to municipal and regional regulatory detection and investigation practices: 1) challenges regarding documentation practice and soil traceability, 2) a reactive investigation practice, and 3) inconsistencies in regulatory practices and use of investigation methods across cases and regulatory authorities. In addition, the study stresses the need for a more proactive and intelligence-led detection and investigation approach in policing and highlights the potential of early problem identification and use of innovative and intelligent technologies for detection and monitoring of suspected illegal dumping sites. Illegal soil disposal remains an underexplored phenomenon within criminological research, particularly in Scandinavian contexts. This study contributes to the limited body of relevant knowledge and provides support for future policing of illegal soil disposal.