Switzerland struggles to combat water-related crimes

Research project investigates gaps in the field of water-related crime Keystone-SDA

According to the University of Neuchâtel in Switzerland, those who pollute water often get off too lightly. A research project is now analysing why law enforcement is patchy and what needs to change.

The project, funded by the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF), aims to analyse the prosecution of water-related offences, the University of Neuchâtel (Unine) announced on Wednesday.

An initial assessment was presented at a national conference at the University of Neuchâtel at the end of May. Discussions with experts from the research community and public authorities revealed that the current tools for combating water-related crime are inadequate.

Polluted water bodies

Although Switzerland is regarded as the “water castle of Europe”, its water bodies are polluted by pesticides, micropollutants and nitrogen. According to the researchers, a key problem is the fragmentation of regulations across the country, which leads to inconsistent practices across the cantons.

“We start from the observation that water crime is often perceived as a series of isolated cases, even though it is a structural and underestimated phenomenon,” project initiator Nadja Capus is quoted as saying in the press release. The aim of the research is to raise awareness of the phenomenon and make it manageable for the justice system.

The interdisciplinary project combines criminal law, criminology and the sociology of law.

Translated from German, sub-edited by jdp