We queried why the number of successful prosecutions has dropped dramatically over the past 15 years and why investigations were taking longer and longer.72 The Agency told us that prosecutions, despite their potential effectiveness at deterring waste crime, are a last resort because they tend to be slow, complex and expensive, and the Agency needs to use and target its resources in the best way to address and prevent the huge array of waste crime. The Agency’s strategy is to go after the wor...

We queried why the number of successful prosecutions has dropped dramatically over the past 15 years and why investigations were taking longer and longer.72 The Agency told us that prosecutions, despite their potential effectiveness at deterring waste crime, are a last resort because they tend to be slow, complex and expensive, and the Agency needs to use and target its resources in the best way to address and prevent the huge array of waste crime. The Agency’s strategy is to go after the worst criminals who do the most damage, and this requires higher evidential standards and, inevitably, longer investigations.73 HMRC is even more reticent t Type: conclusion | Number: 21 | Response status: not_addressed Government response: 4. PAC conclusion: The current sanctions are not effective in deterring people from committing waste crime. 4. PAC recommendation: Defra, the Agency and HMRC should work with relevant bodies within the criminal justice system to develop a plan for making enforcem