GUIDELINES FOR SOME ARTICLES OF ORDINANCE ON ENVIRONMENTAL POLICE FORCES

This Decree provides guidelines for some Articles of the Ordinance on Environmental police forces on duties, entitlements, operation, benefits of environmental police forces; relationship in prevention and fight against crimes and administrative violations pertaining to environmental protection, natural resources, and environment-related food safety.

This Decree applies to environmental police forces, agencies and units responsible for prevention and fight against crimes and administrative violations pertaining to environmental protection, natural resources, and environment-related food safety (hereinafter referred to as environment, resources, and food safety); Vietnamese and foreign agencies, organizations, enterprises, and individuals (hereinafter referred to as entities) residing, operating in Socialist Republic of Vietnam.

In this Decree, the terms below are construed as follows:

1. Violations against regulations on environment-related natural resources are administrative violations committed during the process of survey, extraction, processing, use of mineral resources, land resources, water resources, forest resources, marine and island resources.

2. Violations against regulations on environment-related food safety are administrative violations committed during the process of manufacturing, trading, transporting food, medicines, functional foods, genetically modified foods, animal feeds, fertilizers, veterinary medicines, plant protection medicines, growth stimulants, plant varieties, animal breeds, and environmental remediation products.

Duties of environmental police forces:

1. Collect and analyze information, predict crimes and administrative violations pertaining to environmental protection, natural resources, and food safety in order to provide advice to competent authorities, directly organize implementation of laws, strategies, programs, plans for prevention and fight against crimes and administrative violations pertaining to environmental protection, natural resources, and food safety.

2. Conduct scientific researches and application of technological advances to prevention and fight against crimes and administrative violations pertaining to environmental protection, natural resources, and food safety.

3. Develop, manage a database serving prevention and fight against crimes and administrative violations pertaining to environmental protection, natural resources, and food safety.

4. Participate in responses to environmental emergencies, protection of resources, prevention and relief of environmental pollution as prescribed by law.

Environmental police forces may implement the following measures:

1. Measures that involve the use of propagation, law, diplomacy, economics, science – technology, armed forces as prescribed by the Law on police forces, and other measures according to relevant legislative documents.

2. Assign personnel to study crimes and administrative violations pertaining to environmental protection, natural resources, and food safety.

3. Assign personnel to monitor people suspected of committing crimes or involved in crimes and administrative violations pertaining to environmental protection, natural resources, and food safety.

1. Environmental police forces are entitled to request any agency, organization, enterprise, or individual (hereinafter referred to as entity) to:

a) Provide information, documents, items related to crimes and administrative violations pertaining to environmental protection, natural resources, and food safety to serve investigation when receiving information about such crimes or administrative violations related to the field of such entity, or a violation is committed within the scope of management of such entity.

b) Explain the acts to be crimes and administrative violations pertaining to environmental protection, natural resources, and food safety.

2. Information, documents, items provided must be managed, used, and handled to serve the investigation. Compensation shall be paid if damage is caused for the provider.

3. The power to request provision of information, documents, items; explanation for acts suspected to be crimes or administrative violations:

a) Director of Environmental Police Administration

b) Directors of provincial polices authorities;

c) Head of Environmental Police Departments of provincial polices authorities;

d) Chiefs of police authorities of districts

1. Pursuant to Clause 5 Article 7 of the Ordinance on Environmental police forces, environmental police forces are entitled to inspect the any entity’s adherence to regulations of law on environmental protection, natural resources, and food safety in the following cases:

a) Acts suspected as crimes and administrative violations pertaining to environmental protection, natural resources, and food safety are discovered;

b) Denunciation or information about crimes and administrative violations pertaining to environmental protection, natural resources, and food safety is received;

c) The inspection is necessary for settlement of complaints and denunciations in the process of prevention and fight against crimes and administrative violations pertaining to environmental protection, natural resources, and food safety.

2. The power to decide inspection

a) Director of Environmental Police Administration;

b) Directors of provincial polices authorities;

c) Head of Environmental Police Departments of provincial polices authorities;

d) Chiefs of police authorities of districts

3. The Minister of Public Security shall specify the inspection procedures and the power to decide inspection.

1. Article 8. Inspection of vehicle, items, places related to crimes and administrative violations pertaining to environmental protection, natural resources, and food safety in any of the cases mentioned in Clause 5 Article 7 of the Ordinance on Environmental police forces.

2. The power to decide inspection

a) Director of Environmental Police Administration;

b) Directors of provincial polices authorities;

c) Head of Environmental Police Departments of provincial polices authorities;

d) Chiefs of police authorities of districts

3. The Minister of Public Security shall specify the inspection procedures and the power to decide inspection.

1. While performing their duties, any environmental police unit that discovers violations or handles a case of administrative violations pertaining to environment, resources, and food safety transferred by another unit shall handle the case in accordance with regulations of law on actions against administrative violations.

2. The power to take actions against administrative violations:

a) Director of Environmental Police Administration;

b) Directors of provincial polices authorities;

c) Head of Environmental Police Departments of provincial polices authorities;

d) Chiefs of police authorities of districts;

dd) Leaders of environmental police teams;

e) Environmental police officers.

1. The competent persons mentioned in Clause 3 Article 6, Clause 2 Article 7, Clause 2 Article 8, Point a, Point b, Point c, and Point d Article 9 of this Decree may delegate their deputies to assume their authority.

2. The delegation must be made in writing and specifies the scope, content, and duration of delegation, whether the delegation is regular or extraordinary. The delegated deputies are responsible to their chiefs for their decision. The delegated person must not delegate another person.

1. Environmental police forces shall directly carry out inspections or cooperate with a competent organization in carrying out inspections and analyses serving verification, discovery, dealing with crimes and administrative violations pertaining to environmental protection, natural resources, and food safety. To be specific:

a) Confiscate, preserve, use exhibits of environment, resources, and food safety, and relevant exhibits.

Seal the exhibits immediately if sealing is required; the seal must bear the signature of the confiscating officer and representative of the organization or individual whose exhibits are confiscated. If the representative of the organization or individual whose exhibits are confiscated is absent, the absence must be recorded. In this case, the legal value of the exhibits sealed still remains unchanged. The inspecting/analyzing agency must record the condition of the seal when receiving the exhibits. The seal must be broken in the presence of representatives of the inspecting agency and the confiscating agency;

b) Carry out measurement, analysis, inspection, and environmental monitoring;

c) Assess the result and give a conclusion. The result is the basis for taking actions against administrative violations pertaining to environmental protection, natural resources, and food safety.

2. The list and procedures for using technological devices for inspections and analyses pertaining to environment, resources, and food safety shall comply with regulations of the Government, the Ministry of Public Security, relevant Ministries and agencies.

1. The cooperation is based on the functions, tasks, and entitlements of agencies and forces prescribed by law; must not obstruct lawful activities of cooperating parties, ensure uniform state management in each field.

2. Ministries and regulatory bodies shall cooperate in quickly settling the cases and assist each other in fulfilling their functions, tasks, and entitlements prescribed by law.

3. Environmental police forces shall handle crimes and administrative violations pertaining to environmental protection, natural resources, and food safety discovered during the cooperation.

4. Other forces that discover crimes and administrative violations pertaining to environmental protection, natural resources, and food safety while performing their duties shall notify environmental police forces if the case is beyond their competence. Environmental police forces must send a written notification of the result of the case to the force that transferred the case.

5. If a case is within the competence to handle of multiple forces of Ministries, regulatory bodies, and local governments, the unit that first discovers crime/violation shall handle the case.

1. Study, formulate, promulgate legislative documents and other documents pertaining to cooperation.

2. Exchange information and documents about prevention and fight against crimes and administrative violations pertaining to environmental protection, natural resources, and food safety.

3. Receive, process denunciations and information about crimes and administrative violations pertaining to environmental protection, natural resources, and food safety.

4. Inspect, discover, deal with crimes and administrative violations pertaining to environmental protection, natural resources, and food safety.

5. Carry out analysis and monitoring serving verification, discovery of crimes and administrative violations pertaining to environmental protection, natural resources, and food safety.

6. Mobilize forces and vehicles to prevent, fight with crimes and administrative violations pertaining to environmental protection, natural resources, and food safety.

7. Remedy environmental emergencies, protect resources, prevent and reduce environmental pollution.

8. Summarize the result of prevention and fight against crimes and administrative violations pertaining to environmental protection, natural resources, and food safety.

9. Disseminate regulations of law on environmental protection, prevention and fight against crimes and administrative violations pertaining to environmental protection, natural resources, and food safety among the people.

10. Provide training for environmental police officers.

11. Seek international cooperation.

12. Other relevant cooperation activities.

1. The Ministry of Public Security shall:

a) Take charge and cooperate with the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, the Ministry of Health, relevant Ministries and regulatory bodies in formulating and implementing strategies, policies, plans for prevention and fight against crimes and administrative violations pertaining to environmental protection, natural resources, and food safety;

b) Direct environmental police forces to formulate regulations on cooperation; take charge and cooperate with agencies and units affiliated to relevant Ministries and regulatory bodies in inspecting, discovering, dealing with crimes and administrative violations pertaining to environmental protection, natural resources, and food safety;

c) Receive and process information about crimes and administrative violations pertaining to environmental protection, natural resources, and food safety;

d) Exchange information and documents necessary for investigation into, discovery of, and actions against administrative violations pertaining to environmental protection, natural resources, and food safety with relevant Ministries and regulatory bodies;

dd) Take charge or participate in the cooperation activities prescribed in Article 13 of this Decree.

2. The Ministry of National Defense shall:

Direct its affiliated agencies and units to cooperate with environmental police forces in:

a) Providing information about violations against regulations of law on environment, resources, and food safety, and other necessary information about functions, tasks of environmental police forces in territorial seas, islands, continental shelves, and bordering areas;

b) Inspecting, discovering, dealing with administrative violations against regulations on environment, resources, and food safety in territorial seas, islands, continental shelves, and bordering areas under their management. Pursue violators of regulations of law on environmental protection, natural resources, and food safety on request;

c) Transfer documents, vehicles, exhibits of violations against regulations of law on environmental protection and natural resources to environmental police forces.

3. The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment shall:

Direct its affiliated agencies to cooperate with environmental police forces in:

a) Exchanging necessary information and documents about policies of the State and legislative documents related to protection of the environment and natural resources, results of inspections and penalties for administrative violations against regulations on environmental protection and natural resources;

b) Inspecting, discovering, dealing with administrative violations against regulations on protection of the environment, natural resources in the process of survey, extraction, processing, use of mineral resources, land resources, water resources, forest resources, marine and island resources, biodiversity;

c) Transfer documents, vehicles, exhibits of violations against regulations of law on environmental protection and natural resources to environmental police forces.

d) Providing professional instructions and assistance; analyzing, monitoring the environment and natural resources; application of environmental standards and regulations to determine violations against regulations of law on environmental protection and natural resources; running projects, researches, providing training, consultancy, environmental surveillance, and other tasks related to protection of the environment and natural resources.

4. The Ministry of Health shall:

Direct its affiliated agencies to cooperate with environmental police forces in:

a) Exchanging necessary information and documents about policies of the State and legislative documents related to food safety; providing information about violations against regulations of law on food safety, results of inspections and penalties for administrative violations against regulations on food safety, environment-related health activities.

b) Inspecting, discovering, dealing with administrative violations against regulations on environmental protection in the field of health, food safety in the process of manufacturing, trading, transporting food, medicines, functional foods;

c) Transfer documents, vehicles, exhibits of violations against regulations of law on health and food safety within the competence of environmental police forces to environmental police forces;

d) Providing professional training, instruction, and assistance for environmental police forces in terms of health and food safety; running food safety analyses; application of standards and regulations on food safety.

5. The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development shall:

Direct its affiliated agencies to cooperate with environmental police forces in:

a) Exchanging necessary information and documents about policies of the State, results of inspections and penalties for administrative violations against regulations on environment, resources, and food safety in the field of agriculture, forestry, aquaculture, and rural development;

b) Inspecting, discovering, dealing with administrative violations against regulations on environmental protection in the process of manufacturing, trading, using chemicals, pesticides, environmental remediation products, fertilizers, agricultural wastes, veterinary medicines, animal breeds, animal feeds; slaughtering and processing animal-derived products; protection and development of forests; aquaculture, nature conservation;

c) Providing professional training, instruction, and assistance for environmental police forces.

6. The Ministry of Industry and Trade shall:

Direct its affiliated agencies to cooperate with environmental police forces in:

a) Exchanging necessary information and documents about state management of industry and trade;

b) Inspecting, discovering dealing with crimes and administrative violations pertaining to environmental protection, natural resources, and food safety in the field of mechanical engineering, metallurgy, electricity, renewable energy, petroleum, chemistry, industrial materials, mining and mineral processing, food industry, other processing industries, export, import, and other fields under the management of the Ministry of Industry and Trade;

c) Providing professional training, instruction, and assistance for environmental police forces.

7. The Ministry of Finance shall:

Direct its affiliated agencies to cooperate with environmental police forces in:

a) Inspecting, discovering, preventing, dealing with administrative violations against regulations on environment, resources, and food safety in the process of export, import; smuggling, illegal transport of goods across the border;

b) Transfer documents, vehicles, exhibits of violations against regulations of law on environmental protection and natural resources within the competence of environmental police forces to environmental police forces.

c) Providing professional training, instruction, and assistance in the field of customs for environmental police forces;

d) Cooperate with the Ministry of Public Security in providing sufficient funding for operation of environmental police forces as prescribed in Article 18 of this Decree.

8. The Ministry of Science and Technology

Direct its affiliated agencies to cooperate with environmental police forces in the following tasks:

a) Provide instruction, exchange information and experience of managing, using equipment for measurement, analysis, testing serving analyses in the field of environment, natural resources, food safety, radiation and nuclear safety;

b) Inspect, calibrate measurement equipment used for environment analysis; provide consultancy, assess and certify conformity of environment-analyzing units affiliated to environmental police forces with national and international standards on quality management of laboratories adopted by Vietnam;

c) Cooperate in inspection of adherence to regulations of law on measurement, electric field, magnetic field, nuclear and radiation safety;

d) Hold conventions, seminars; provide training in application of national and international measurement and quality standards in the field of environmental protection, natural resources, and food safety.

9. Responsibility of other ministries, ministerial agencies, Governmental agencies

a) Provide instructions, inspect adherence of affiliated units to regulations of this Decree;

b) Instruct competent authorities to cooperate with environmental police forces in inspecting, taking actions against administrative violations against regulations on environment, resources, and food safety within the scope of their tasks and duties; enable environmental police forces to perform their duties.

10. Responsibility of People’s Committees of central-affiliated cities and provinces (hereinafter referred to as provinces)

a) Instruct Departments, agencies in the province, and affiliated units to study and implement this Decree within the scope of their competence;

b) Cooperate with competent authorities in implementing policies, strategies, and plans for prevention and fight against crimes and administrative violations pertaining to environmental protection, natural resources, and food safety;

c) Instruct specialized agencies and the People’s Committees of inferior levels to cooperate with environmental police forces in inspecting, discovering, dealing with violations against regulations of law on environment, resources, and food safety; enable environmental police forces to perform their duties;

d) Provide funding for prevention and fight against crimes and administrative violations pertaining to environmental protection, natural resources, and food safety in accordance with the effective Law on State budget.

1. Excellent graduates of academies and universities shall be given priority when apply to environmental police forces.

2. Environmental police forces may send commissioned and non-commissioned officers to training institutions in Vietnam advertisement overseas to study the disciplines suitable for their works.

3. The Ministry of Public Security shall take charge and cooperate with the Board of Directors, the Ministry of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs, and relevant agencies in promulgating specific regulations on training, recruitment, and selection of officers to study at training institutions.

1. The Ministry of Planning and Investment shall take charge and cooperate with the Ministry of Public Security, the Ministry of Finance, relevant Ministries and regulatory bodies in providing funding from state budget to formulate projects for improvement of environmental police forces.

2. Environmental police forces shall receive investment in facilities, office buildings, vehicles, technological equipment serving prevention and fight against crimes and administrative violations pertaining to environmental protection, natural resources, and food safety.

3. The Ministry of Public Security shall cooperate with relevant Ministries, regulatory bodies, the People’s Committees in making investment, building infrastructure, providing vehicles and technological equipment serving the operation of environmental police forces.

1. Environmental police officers shall receive allowances for police officers and additional benefits.

2. The Ministry of Public Security shall take charge and cooperate with relevant Ministries and regulatory bodies in promulgating specific regulations on benefits for environmental police officers.

1. Funding for operation of environmental police forces is provided by:

a) State budget according to the Law on State budget;

b) Annual environmental protection budget; sponsorships, contributions of other agencies, organizations, and individuals, and other lawful sources;

c) Expenditures of environmental police forces shall comply with current regulations on environmental protection, natural resources, and food safety.

2. The Ministry of Public Security shall instruct environmental police forces to make annual budget estimates and submit them to competent authorities for approval.

This Decree comes into force from December 05, 2015.

The Government's Decree No. 72/2010/ND-CP dated August 07, 2010 on prevention and fight against environmental offenses is annulled from the effective date of this Decree.

Ministers, Heads of ministerial agencies, Heads of Governmental agencies, Presidents of the People’s Committees of provinces, and relevant agencies are responsible for the implementation of this Decree./.