Press release: Wickham man fined £3,000 for allowing the dumping of waste at Firgrove Lane

Joe Keet of Firgrove Lane, Wickham, Hants, has been fined £3,000 for knowingly permitting the deposit of controlled waste at Firgrove Lane, following a trial at Portsmouth Magistrates Court.

Jasper Smith and Phillip Jenkins, who brought some of the waste to the site, also pleaded guilty at Portsmouth Magistrates Court on 18 December 2017, where Mr Smith was fined £333 and Mr Jenkins £121, and they shared the £300 costs.

Joe Keet was fined £3,000 with a £170 victim surcharge and £1,904.75 costs after being found guilty by magistrates of knowingly allowing the deposit of controlled waste without the correct permit. This included construction and demolition waste, household clearance and commercial waste, waste wood, furniture, grab bags, black sacks of domestic waste, underlay and insulation.

Mike O’Neil, Environment Manager said:

Joe Keet’s actions showed a blatant disregard for the environment. In cases like this, where the actions of individuals threaten to undermine legitimate businesses, we have no hesitation in prosecuting those involved. We, in fact, previously prosecuted Mr Keet in May 2016.

To ensure that the right waste gets to the right place, we encourage the public and businesses to check that their waste carrier is registered on Gov.UK and to ask to see a copy of the waste transfer note for the waste. If possible take a photo of the note on your phone.

Ends

Notes to Editor:

Mr Keets was prosecuted under Section 33(1)(a) and (6) of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 (as amended)

Mr Smith and Mr Jenkins were prosecuted under section 34(1) and 34(6) of the Environmental Protection Act 1990

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World news story: UK Environment Ministers visits Uganda ahead of CHOGM

UK Environment Minister Thérèse Coffey this week visited Uganda to discuss the upcoming Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting and see local work to reduce plastic use and fight the international illegal wildlife trade.

The Minister’s visit on Thursday 5 and Friday 6 April comes a fortnight before the start of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) to be held in London on 19-20 April 2018.

During the Minister’s visit to Uganda she met Dr Mary Kitutu, the Ugandan State Minister for the Environment. The Ministers discussed the upcoming CHOGM as an opportunity for countries to work together to tackle environmental issues such as marine plastics under the CHOGM ambition of ‘Delivering a Sustainable Future’.
At the Uganda Breweries Limited brewery in Luzira, owned by Diageo a leading British beverage firm, the Minister saw the brewery’s work to reduce their impact on the environment through reducing waste and improving recycling.

The Minister also met Ugandan Minister for Foreign Affairs, Hon. Sam Kutesa and visited the Nile Basin Initiative secretariat in Entebbe.

The Minister spent time at Murchison Falls National Park to understand more about how the Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) are working to protect Uganda’s diverse wildlife and ecosystems. The Minister met UWA rangers who have benefited from anti-poacher training provided by the UK Military. The Minister visited the park in the same week that the UK Environment Secretary, Michael Gove, announced that the UK would introduce a ban on ivory sales. The Minister highlighted the UK’s ambition to deliver a step change in the global fight against the illegal wildlife trade as a transnational crime and threat to endangered species. The UK will host an Illegal Wildlife Trade conference on the 10-11 October 2018.

UK Minister for the Environment, Thérèse Coffey said:

The total ban on ivory sales puts the UK at the forefront of global efforts to address the drastic decline in the elephant population, demonstrating our belief that the abhorrent ivory trade should become a thing of the past.
I welcome the opportunity to discuss this issue and many others with the Ugandan Government and I hope through this continued dialogue we can further continue the successful partnership of our two countries.



Press release: Top British official visits South Sudan

Matthew Rycroft, Permanent Secretary of the UK Department for International Development (DFID), visited South Sudan on 5-6 April to see how UKAid is saving lives in one of the world’s most severe humanitarian crises. This was the first time that Mr. Rycroft, formerly the British Permanent Representative to the United Nations, has visited the country.

The ongoing conflict in South Sudan has led to a man-made humanitarian catastrophe, with 4m people having fled their homes and half of the population severely food insecure. The UK is the forefront of the international response to the crisis. Last year, the UK reached over 500,000 people with food assistance, over 300,000 people with safe drinking water, and supported around 5 million health consultations to children under 5. The UK is also leading the effort to promote girls’ education, supporting 3,600 schools across the country and helping to keep a quarter of a million girls in class. But the ultimate solution to the crisis is peace, and the UK strongly supports the regionally–led peace process, the High Level Revitalisation Forum (HLRF), and is putting pressure on all sides to constructively engage.

Mr. Rycroft met with senior South Sudanese Ministers including Minister for Education, Deng Deng Hok Yai, and Dr. Riek Gai Kok, Minister of Health. In each of these meetings, he emphasised the need for the government to engage meaningfully in the peace process and underlined the vital and urgent importance of ensuring complete and unhindered access for humanitarian and development assistance. In a radio interview following his visit, he said:

UKAid is saving lives in South Sudan. But it is the Government of South Sudan that has the responsibility to stop the suffering of its people. They and other parties to the conflict must engage constructively with the next round of peace talks, which represent a crucial opportunity for peace, and end the appalling human rights abuses we have seen. They must also permit free and unhindered humanitarian access.

During his 2 day visit, Mr Rycroft met with a range of organisations that work with DFID to deliver UKAid, and some of those South Sudanese people directly benefitting. He visited El Sabah children’s hospital in the country’s capital, Juba, which is supported by UKAid in providing essential health, nutrition and vaccination services. Mr Rycroft also visited Juba Day Secondary School, supported by DFID’s girls’ education programme supported by UKAid, where he heard directly from girls who have been helped to stay in education. He met Akuja de Garang, MBE, who leads a team of 300 national and international professionals working nationwide to tackle barriers to girls’ education and to help brighten the future of a generation of children in South Sudan. During his visit, Matthew said:

It is vitally important that girls are able to remain in school and complete their education. Not only will this empower them to reach their full potential, by enhancing their economic and social opportunities, but it also lays the foundation for a peaceful and prosperous future for South Sudan. I have been inspired by the girls, women and educators that I have met today and commend their efforts to ensure that education is not lost to an entire generation.

Mr Rycroft also met with the Special Representative of the UN Secretary General, David Shearer. The UK fully supports the UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) and has deployed nearly 400 peacekeepers to provide vital engineering and medical assistance. Matthew welcomed the close relationship between the UK and UNMISS, and re-iterated the UK’s full support for the UN Secretary-General’s ‘zero tolerance’ policy on sexual exploitation and abuse.



News story: Forensics network develops better detection methods

A seized tusk is examined. Photo credit: Traffic

A government-funded project which is helping to bring an end to the illegal wildlife trade has secured an injection of cash to help African countries crack down on illicit traders and poachers.

The African Wildlife Forensics Network started in 2015 with support from Defra’s Illegal Wildlife Trade Challenge Fund, and delivers improved evidence gathering and analysis to support prosecutions and clamp down on the illegal wildlife trade.

Led by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) with TRACE Wildlife Forensics Network (TRACE) and TRAFFIC, the initial Defra-funded project has secured a legacy for wildlife officials in Malawi, Zambia and Zimbabwe as they will receive specialist training for carrying out wildlife forensic investigations thanks to the support of £400,000 over two years from players of the People’s Postcode Lottery.

Eight African countries have taken part in this project and it is delivering wildlife forensic capacity through training and equipment and developing national and regional level plans for further development and coordination of wildlife forensic services.

Jorge Rios, Chief of UNODC’s Global Programme for Combating Wildlife and Forest Crime said:

We are working with countries to improve the knowledge and skills of actors from the crime scene to the court room to respond to wildlife crime. Forensic evidence is key to strengthening the investigation and prosecution of wildlife crime.

UNODC is grateful to the UK for its continued funding to fight international wildlife crime.

Another of the highlights from across Africa involving the African Wildlife Forensics Network has been the significant progress seen in Zambia. Recent changes to the national Wildlife Act have markedly increased penalties for wildlife crime, resulting in fewer guilty pleas and a greater requirement for robust evidence to support prosecutions.

Following completion of the Zambia wildlife forensics needs assessment, and the subsequent participation of the Zambian Department of National Parks and Wildlife (DNPW) at the AWFN workshop in Gaborone, Botswana, in May 2016, the Project Team worked with DNPW to plan how forensic science could best support national wildlife law enforcement.

In Botswana, specific training was provided to the Botswana Police Service’s Forensic Science Service (BPS-FSS) in the area of DNA species identification. UK scientists worked with the Botswana Department Wildlife and National Parks who hosted one of the regional project workshops.

Environment Minister Thérèse Coffey said:

We must protect wildlife around the world from habitat loss, poaching and illegal trade. Killing elephants for their tusks is shameful and inhumane and we will bring an end to this abhorrent practice.

That’s why we’ve outlined plans to ban ivory sales, and we are investing £26m to tackle illegal wildlife trade and driving global action on conserving endangered species.

Rob Ogden, co-Director of TRACE said:

All too often, the criminals poaching Africa’s wildlife are walking free because it is proving impossible to bring them to book successfully,

But now, thanks to the fantastic support from players of People’s Postcode Lottery, wildlife officers in the region will have the means to gather the evidence that will help put these criminals where they belong—behind bars.

Environment Minister, Thérèse Coffey this week visited Kenya (3 – 4 April) to discuss efforts to tackle the illegal trade in wildlife and to see projects directly making an impact in the conviction and jailing of criminals involved in these crimes.

Kenya is the fourth biggest recipient of Illegal Wildlife Trade Challenge Fund money with more than £1.9 million committed through eight IWT Challenge Fund projects that involve Kenya.

The Minister visited the Kenya Wildlife Service where she saw fingerprinting technology developed in the UK to trace ivory poachers.

This technology has already been used to arrest 15 poachers in Kenya.



News story: Appointment of Edward Timpson CBE as new CAFCASS Chair

Appointment of Edward Timpson CBE as new CAFCASS Chair – GOV.UK

The Secretary of State for Justice announces the appointment of Edward Timpson CBE for a period of 3 years.

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Edward Timpson CBE has been appointed as the Chair of the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (CAFCASS) from 9 April 2018 to 8 April 2021

Edward was MP for Crewe and Nantwich between 2008 and 2017. Before entering Parliament Edward spent 10 years working as a Family Law Barrister specialising in children’s cases. Growing up, his family fostered 90 children over 30 years and he has 2 adopted brothers.

He was Minister of State for Children and Families from May 2015 to July 2016 and Minister of State for Vulnerable Children and Families at the Department for Education from July 2016 to June 2017.

CAFCASS was created under the Criminal Justice and Court Services Act 2000. The body safeguards and promotes the welfare of children involved in family court proceedings

This appointment has been conducted in accordance with the Cabinet Office Governance Code on Public Appointments.

Published 6 April 2018