On December 3, continuing the 52nd Session, the National Assembly Standing Committee reviewed and approved the Ordinance amending and supplementing a number of articles of the Ordinance on Environmental Police.
According to the Government's submission, the draft Ordinance focuses on amending and supplementing regulations on entities performing the authority to conduct activities to inspect the compliance with the law of agencies, organizations and individuals according to the provisions of law.
The draft Ordinance also adds regulations on checking vehicles, objects, and locations when there are direct signs of crime or administrative violations or when there are denunciations and reports of crimes and administrative violations.
The Government said that this is a very necessary issue to promptly amend and supplement to meet reality; not affected by the arrangement and streamlining of the apparatus of state agencies in the conditions of stable arrangement of the People's Public Security force at 3 levels.
The draft also adds the police chief of commune, ward, special zone, and police station with the authority to inspect compliance with laws on environment, resources, and food safety.
The Government said that the assignment of the above authority to the commune-level police and police stations is to ensure that the subjects and forces take on the functions and tasks of preventing and combating crimes and violating the law on the environment, resources, and food safety when there is no longer a district-level police.
At the same time, the assignment of this authority also ensures the prevention, combat, and timely handling of violations of laws on the environment, resources, and food safety early, from the grassroots level.
The draft also changes the name of "Environmental Police" to "Environmental Crime Prevention and Control Police".
The Government said that the reason for changing the name is because the newly issued documents have recorded the new name as the Environmental Crime Prevention and Control Police and to match the actual functions and tasks of this force assigned.
Presenting the report on the review of the draft Ordinance, Chairman of the Committee for National Defense, Security and External Affairs Le Tan Toi said that the Committee agreed with the scope of amendments and supplements to the draft Ordinance.
The inspection agency agreed on the name of the force to become the "Environmental Crime Prevention and Control Police" to ensure compliance with current legal regulations.
Speaking, National Assembly Chairman Tran Thanh Man said that amending the Ordinance is very urgent and urgent to meet the requirements of environmental protection in the context of complicated and sophisticated violations, seriously affecting people's health.
The National Assembly Chairman noted that amending the Ordinance must ensure synchronization of the organizational apparatus with the new model such as: adding regulations on transferring authority; amending articles so that environmental police under the commune-level police force focus on patrolling in localities to reduce gaps and increase the effectiveness of handling small-scale violations.
The National Assembly Chairman also requested that it is necessary to expand the authority for new technologies and inter-sectoral coordination in handling environmental issues such as: digital technology, sensors, satellite data for real-time monitoring.
At the same time, coordinate with the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment to handle pollution, coordinate with the Ministry of Health in ensuring food safety, coordinate with customs in preventing waste smuggling.
