With 92 professionals registered, from Monday until this Wednesday, July 2, the Cabildo of Lanzarote is developing the course Environmental Crimes in Lanzarote and La Graciosa, a specialized training that brings together professionals from security forces, technicians from the Canary Islands administration and personnel linked to environmental protection in the islands.
The initiative, promoted by the Environment Area led by Councilor Samuel Martín, aims to improve the operational, legal and technical capabilities of agents acting as judicial police in the detection, investigation and prosecution of crimes against the natural environment.
Among the attendees are environmental agents, members of local police, the Canarian Police or the Civil Guard, as well as technicians from different public administrations -Coast Demarcation, APMUN, etc.- who actively work in the conservation of the natural environment of the Archipelago.
“On an island like Lanzarote, where the ecological value of the territory is a hallmark, it is essential to have trained teams that know how to act rigorously and efficiently in the face of possible crimes against the environment. This course responds to that need with top-level speakers”, said Samuel Martín, during the opening day held on Monday. The councilor himself will be in charge of closing this training this Wednesday, thus highlighting the Institution's commitment to the effective protection of the island's territory.
Speakers of national prestige
The day on Monday began with the intervention of Antonio Vercher Noguera, Coordinating Prosecutor of Environment and Urban Planning of the State Attorney General's Office. Doctor of Law from the University of Cambridge and master's degree from Harvard, Vercher broke down the legal keys for the recognition and instruction of environmental crimes, addressing relevant cases such as the illegal extraction of jable and rofe, crimes against flora and fauna, or polluting spills.
This Tuesday, the participation of José Ramón Martínez López, Officer of the Municipal Police of Madrid and coordinator of the Network of Members of Local Police, who explained the operation of this collaborative network at the national level and its work in coordination with the Prosecutor's Office, has been highlighted. Subsequently, Ernesto Chicharro Contreras, Head of Unit of the Technical Scale of Forest Agents of Madrid, presented the legal tools and procedures used by agents in their actions as judicial police, including the drafting of reports, the collection of evidence and precautionary measures.
Final day
Tomorrow Wednesday, the training will conclude with two new presentations that will close the training cycle. The first will be given by Jonás Hernández Hernández, member of the Environmental Crimes and Coordination with the Prosecutor's Office Unit (UDAC) of the Cabildo of Tenerife, who will address the investigation procedures, the making available to the judicial authority and the administrative procedures.
The training cycle will be closed by the magistrate Silvia Muñoz Sánchez, from the Court of Instruction No. 3 of Arrecife, who will delve into the judicial procedure once the proceedings reach the investigating body. With a recognized career in legal training, Muñoz is also a promoter of the UNED Legal Training Classroom.
“The management of this Cabildo cannot be understood without a firm defense of the natural environment also from the judicial sphere. This training provides our agents and technicians with the necessary tools to guarantee legality and respect for our environment”, concludes Councilor Samuel Martín.
The course, which is taught in the Assembly Hall of the Institution, will be officially closed tomorrow at noon with an act of gratitude and delivery of gifts, recognizing the involvement of speakers, attendees and organizers in a training action that, without a doubt, reinforces the role of Lanzarote as a benchmark in environmental protection.