Environmental Crime Partnership Annual Report 2023

Download the ECP 2023 annual report

Message from the chair:

I am delighted to introduce you to the Lincolnshire Environmental Crime Partnership (ECP) Annual Report for 2023.

It has been another busy year for the ECP and our approach remains two-strand.

We continue to spread important messages and positive results of the partnership by attending events, delivering presentations and through our usual digital channels.

Communication campaigns have helped to empower local communities to make more informed decisions about how they dispose of excess domestic waste, whilst our work with external agencies is designed to help stop environmental crime at the source. One of the biggest events of our calendar, The Lincolnshire Show in June 2023, helped us to reach thousands of Lincolnshire residents - we even managed to make the topic of waste fun for the younger generation with an interactive fly tipping game. 

As well as public facing events, networking with those from within our industries has been an effective way of sharing our combined achievements of partners as well exchanging best practice. This helps us to ensure that our environment is protected - not just within Lincolnshire, but across the UK. Through this, and through the authoring of blog posts and sharing of social media, we hope to inspire other professionals to emulate our model in their own partnerships.

And now to the future. As you reach the end of this annual report, you’ll see that we are looking ahead to 2024 and setting out our goals and ambitions on how the ECP can grow and progress in that time.

With a renewed energy from all partners, I am looking forward to seeing what this truly remarkable partnership can achieve. A heightened social media presence, more days of action and a process for capturing accurate and useful data are all planned.

Finally, it is an honour to serve as Chair and I am delighted to showcase to you the impactful work we have accomplished together in 2023.  

Ayeisha Kirkham

Chair of the Lincolnshire Environmental Crime Partnership

Sharing best practice – leading the way

Alongside his colleagues in waste crime engagement, Stuart Hoyle, Vice-Chair of the Partnership, delivered a presentation at the Environmental Services and Solutions Expo at the NEC Birmingham. The session was followed by a Q&A panel session.

The purpose of the presentation was to position the Environmental Crime Partnership as an industry leader in tackling waste crime.

It was also designed to inform and support other local authorities and stakeholders from right across the country to create their own effective waste crime partnerships, or get direction on how to improve existing ones.

Having been recognised by national peers and external partners such as Keep Britain Tidy and the National Fly tipping Prevention Group, the formation of the ECP was used as an example of best practice throughout the event.

Stuart’s blog published ahead of the event is available online: https://environmentagency.blog.gov.uk/2023/09/06/creating-an-effective-waste-crime-partnership/

A national presence

Representatives from the ECP including the Chair and Vice Chair continue to attend national presentations and events with a view on promoting the key messages, and sharing best practice with the ECP.

The Chair and Vice Chair were invited to be part of the National Flytipping Prevention group. This resulted in the development of the Fly Tipping Partnership Framework which was published in March 2023.

Regular meetings

Over the past year, the ECP continues to meet regularly both remotely and in-person alongside the Environmental Crime Officers Working Group.

This allows partners to network with one another, share best practice, discuss any potential obstacles and stay updated on the latest changes to regulation.

Members of the ECP benefit from regular presentations from peers and external agencies. In September 2023, the Environment Agency’s Chief Scientist Group presented the findings of the National Waste Crime Survey to the ECP, with an emphasis on what this meant for Lincolnshire.

The purpose of the survey each year is to try and establish the scale and understand more about the impact of waste crime.

In this presentation, it was estimated that nationally just under half of the waste industry is consistently affected by waste crime. In Lincolnshire, that figure, whilst slightly lower at 36%, still indicates the need for co-ordinated and effective waste crime prevention.

Raising awareness – The Lincolnshire Show

In June 2023, members of the ECP attended the annual Lincolnshire Show to host a stand alongside the Office of Police and Crime Commissioner for Lincolnshire. 

The team led an interactive competition that allowed children in attendance at the event to investigate a fake fly-tip, mirroring the process that many local authorities take every day.

The competition was well received with over 100 entries over the two days.

Attendance at the Lincolnshire Show allowed the ECP to raise awareness, interact and engage with the public and advise on how to report waste crime.

Communicating as a partnership

When combined, the social media channels of all 23 members of the ECP reaches hundreds of thousands of Lincolnshire residents every day.

Using those powerful platforms to share success stories, educational information and examples of partnership working is instrumental in highlighting the work of the ECP, its partners and the part they play in tackling environmental crime.

Social media as a communications tool

The ECP continues to utilise social media as an efficient tool for information sharing.

Five social media campaigns were distributed by the ECP in 2023, including key topics such as spring cleaning guidance, Bonfire Night Safety and how to dispose of Christmas waste over the festive period.

In 2024, the partnership plans to launch its own social media platform to strengthen its online presence and share further success stories.

Reaching a wider audience

It is vital that the work of the ECP is far reaching into every part of Lincolnshire and beyond. By building a strong brand awareness, the ECP is recognised as an expert in its industry and the key message of tackling environmental crime is strengthened.

To reach a wider audience, the ECP encourages its members to approach the Communications Lead with their own success stories and information to share.

The Communications Lead helps to disseminate this information throughout the partnership and can provide approved statements from the Chair and Vice Chair of the ECP.

Ambitions for the year ahead – an action plan for 2024

• Renewal and continuation of Operation Asgard
• Establish a wider social media presence and continue to implement the Communications Plan established by the ECP across the county and beyond.
• Continue to build a calendar of activities to support with targeted communication and education. For example, an ECP presence at The Lincolnshire Show 2024 is already planned.
• Find ways to improve consistent data capture across all partners of the ECP to highlight the impact of the partnership.