Ecocriminology in Poland and around the world — a balance sheet of past experience (with particular emphasis on the educational and research offer of the Police Academy in Szczytno)

Ecocriminology is one of the youngest research interests in the penal sciences. It is lectured in many renowned universities around the world, and since 2019, also in the Police Academy in Szczytno. The author presents the achievements in this fi eld, indicating its practical usefulness for law enforcement agencies, in particular in identifying organised forms of economic crime. These forms include smuggling and illegal trade in protected species of fl ora and fauna (so-called CITES crimes), smuggling and illegal trade in wastes, seizure of properties of particular value to the world’s natural heritage, land, water and air pollution, corruption, etc. The study has been enriched with a research part, in which the author presents the opinions of students—police offi cers of the Police Academy—on the educational activities in ecocriminology.