Environmental crimes in Italy up despite increased countermeasures: report

ROME, July 11 (Xinhua) -- Illicit operations damaging the environment were on the rise in Italy last year, with the number of crimes detected by law enforcement agencies significantly raised, according to data published on Thursday.

A total of 35,487 environmental offences were registered in 2023, up by 15.6 percent against 2022, Italy's environmental group Legambiente stated in its annual report.

The same rising trend was observed in the number of people charged with this type of crime and of assets seized.

Legambiente described the scenario as "disturbing" and warned that "much still needs to be done," especially in providing more specific regulations.

However, the group also highlighted the increasing synergy between Italy's public and private actors in fighting the overall phenomenon.

The annual report was authored on the basis of official statistics from Italian Institute for Environmental Protection and Research, and National System for Environmental Protection, as well as police agencies.