Denpasar, Bali. September 2, 2022 - In response to the frequent criminal exploitation of protected marine species in Indonesia, representatives from 25 law enforcement agencies gathered and trained together to track and dismantle the organized criminal networks behind illegal poaching and trade. These cases have also led to population declines in many protected marine species such as sea turtles and sharks, threatening critical and vulnerable marine ecosystems.

In 2021, the National Police's Security Maintenance Agency (Baharkam) recorded more than 11,000 cases of illegal wildlife trade uncovered by Indonesian law enforcement. The data on this illicit trade shows that organized criminal networks are behind it, and it is known that it is transnational with links to countries in Asia and even almost to other continents. Conservation organizations and law enforcement now caution that the illegal trade, if left unchecked, will cause irreparable damage to marine and terrestrial ecosystems, on which millions of people depend for their livelihoods.

In response, the National Police's Security Maintenance Agency (Baharkam), in collaboration with the Directorate General of Marine Resources and Fisheries Monitoring (PSDKP-KKP) and WWF Indonesia Foundation, requested and helped organize C-TOC (Counter Transnational Organized Crime). C-TOC is a specialized training developed by the international counter-trafficking organization - Freeland. Delivered by Freeland's team of law enforcement specialists, C-TOC is designed to help law enforcement shed light on and dismantle the illicit networks that currently generate billions of dollars in profits worldwide from the illegal wildlife trade. C-TOC focuses on the trade network as a commercial supply chain.

Highlighting this challenge, during the opening of C-TOC in Bali on August 29, Head of the National Police Headquarters Security Maintenance Agency, Commissioner General (Komjen) Pol. Drs. Arief Sulistyanto, M.Si said, "The exploitation is done massively, illegally, and organized to be traded across countries, this is an extraordinary crime. It requires skills, knowledge, commitment, and good cooperation to be able to enforce the law for this nature conservation effort."

He added, "We must have the courage to reject various forms of violations and deviations to take advantage of illegal activities, even because crimes in this field are economically very profitable. Do not let those of us who are given the power to fight crime be controlled by criminals. We must uphold the law to preserve nature and not allow evil to be more sovereign than the law itself."

Dr. Imam Musthofa, as the Head of Marine and Fisheries Program of WWF Indonesia Foundation said, "The high biodiversity of Indonesia is facing threats, one of which is from the rampant illegal trade in protected marine species. This activity is a support to the Indonesian government to increase the capacity of the frontline who deal with the illegal trade."

The C-TOC training was conducted in Malaysia last June, and will also be conducted in the Philippines in early 2023. C-TOC is designed to help participating agencies form national and regional task forces to collectively crush illegal wildlife trade networks. This week's training brought together personnel from 25 Indonesian agencies, including the National Police, the Indonesian Navy, the Directorate of Customs and Tax, the Corruption Eradication Commission, the Attorney General's Office, the Supreme Court and more.

In anticipation of this process, the C-TOC training is also followed by a CCW (Care for Confiscated Wildlife) training where participants will learn how to handle seized marine species. Led by the International Federation of Animal Welfare (IFAW) and supported by WWF, this training will be conducted next week in Bali.

The C-TOC and CCW trainings are part of TRIPOD (Targeting Regional Investigations for Policing Opportunities and Development) which is a trilateral country project sponsored by the Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs, through the US Embassy Jakarta-Indonesia. The project aims to break the chain of wildlife trafficking by sea between Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines, through capacity building and strengthening law enforcement networks.

"Unfortunately today, protected marine species smuggling still reigns supreme," said Steven Galster, Founder of Freeland. "Through C-TOC, we're working to put law enforcement ahead of the curve by helping to identify the people and businesses behind the killing and illegal trade, so they can arrest and prosecute the perpetrators. The process also seeks to locate and confiscate their ill-gotten wealth. C-TOC leads to the creation of inter-agency and multi-national task forces, and makes government agencies stronger than the criminal networks that are destroying our planet."

-Done-

For more information:

● Karina Lestiarsi, Communication, Campaign & PR Team WWF-Indonesia | 0852-181-616-83 | klestiarsi@wwf.id

● Freeland | info@freeland.org

Editor's note:

CTOC (Counter Trasnational Organized Crime); is a program that focuses on dealing with transnational crime. CTOC has a course (CTOC Courses), this course is designed to provide a view of TOC (transnational organized crime) as a threat to national security.

CCW (Care for Confiscated Wildlife); training that focuses on the handling and monitoring of protected marine species after confiscation.