Why most fly-tipping goes unpunished
The Environment Agency prosecuted fewer than 60 waste crime cases to conclusion in England last year — against a backdrop of over one million recorded fly-tipping incidents. The gap is not lack of will. It is lack of intelligence.
Councils and landowners rely on reactive reporting. They capture an incident, report a VRM, and wait. Without structured follow-up, perpetrators are rarely identified, let alone prosecuted.
CIT closes that gap. We operate as a private intelligence service with the explicit aim of building cases that reach court.
CIT intelligence capabilities
ANPR data analysis
Cross-referencing ANPR reads against waste carrier registers, MID insurance data, and DVLA records to identify suspect vehicles and operators.
Covert observation
Tasked covert deployment at high-risk access points or known tipping locations. Timed, documented and admissible.
Open source intelligence (OSINT)
Social media, company filings, waste carrier registers, land registry — building profiles of suspects and associated entities.
Witness management
Taking formal accounts from witnesses, site workers and neighbours in a format suitable for submission to the Environment Agency and police.
VRM and carrier checks
Every VRM captured at the scene is checked against the EA waste carrier register. Unlicensed operations are flagged as primary offences.
Intelligence packages
Structured intelligence reports in a format compatible with EA and police intelligence systems — enabling escalation to JUWC where thresholds are met.
The investigation process
Scene intelligence capture
From the moment CIT arrives on site, intelligence gathering begins — photography, ANPR reads, waste profiling, witness accounts, site approach routes recorded.
Waste profiling
The nature of the waste often points directly to its origin. Commercial, industrial, demolition, healthcare — each profile narrows the suspect pool. Manifests, labels and packaging within the waste are examined.
Vehicle and carrier intelligence
Every VRM is run against DVLA records, waste carrier registers and MID insurance data. Hiring histories and associated addresses are traced through legal open-source channels.
Suspect profile development
Where suspects are identified, a structured profile is developed — previous offences, associated vehicles, known associates, business interests and financial links to waste crime.
Intelligence submission
Packages are submitted to the Environment Agency case officer, local police waste crime unit, or the Joint Unit for Waste Crime, depending on scale and complexity.
Prosecution support
CIT supports the prosecution process through to conclusion — witness statements, evidence bundles, expert reports and court attendance where required.
The Joint Unit for Waste Crime
The JUWC is a multi-agency enforcement body tackling serious and organised waste crime. It brings together the Environment Agency, HMRC, National Crime Agency and police forces. It operates under the same framework as organised crime investigation — because serious waste crime is organised crime.
CIT operates within the intelligence framework that feeds the JUWC. For incidents meeting the threshold — typically involving multiple perpetrators, multiple sites, or significant tonnages of hazardous waste — CIT prepares intelligence packages for JUWC consideration.
Lawful intelligence gathering
All CIT intelligence activity is conducted within the legal framework — RIPA 2000, UK GDPR, the Protection of Freedoms Act 2012 and the Surveillance Camera Code of Practice. We do not conduct surveillance on individuals without legal authority.
Where directed surveillance is required, CIT operates under client authorisation with appropriate legal advice. All intelligence products are marked with sourcing and handling caveats in line with National Intelligence Model (NIM) standards.
Evidence gathered by CIT is admissible in criminal proceedings where it has been obtained lawfully and is properly documented — which is why our methodology matters from day one.