What are the duties and powers of the Environmental Police?

According to the provisions of the Environmental Police Ordinance 2014, within the scope of their functions, the Environmental Police are responsible for the following duties and powers:

1. Collect information, analyze, evaluate, and forecast the situation to advise and propose to competent authorities to direct the work of prevention and combat against crimes and violations of law.

2. Apply police work measures to organize the prevention and combat against crimes and violations of law.

3. Receive, process, and resolve crime reports and information on law violations according to legal provisions.

4. Conduct investigations into environmental and resource-related crimes, and food safety related to the environment, in accordance with the law.

5. Carry out inspections on the compliance with the law by agencies, organizations, and individuals as stipulated by law; inspect means, objects, and locations when directly detecting signs of crimes, administrative violations, or when there are crime reports, administrative violations according to the provisions of the law.

The inspection must have a written decision from the head of the Environmental Police Agency under the Ministry of Public Security, the Public Security of the province or centrally-run city; a written decision from the Director of Public Security of the province or centrally-run city, the Head of Public Security of the district, town, district-level town, provincial city, and equivalent administrative unit.

6. Handle administrative violations as prescribed by law.

7. In urgent and necessary cases, have the authority to mobilize people, means of agencies, organizations, and individuals as stipulated by law.

8. Use weapons, explosives, and supporting tools according to legal provisions; use professional technical equipment and means according to legal provisions.

9. Seize specimens, documents, and evidence related to crimes, administrative violations for inspection or cooperate with competent agencies and organizations for inspection and appraisal.

10. Require agencies, organizations, and individuals to provide information, documents, and objects related to environmental and resource-related crimes, food safety related to the environment as stipulated by law.

11. Coordinate with agencies, organizations, and units in the prevention and combat against environmental, resource-related crimes, and food safety violations as stipulated by the Government of Vietnam.

12. Carry out international cooperation as prescribed by the Minister of Public Security.

13. Perform other duties and powers as prescribed by law.

See also: Environmental Police Ordinance 2014 issued on December 23, 2014, and effective from June 5, 2015.

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