Statistical Analysis of Zoo-Agrarian Crime

Environmental crime is a concept not easily defined as it necessarily encloses several, and dissimilar, types of offenses. Legislation too does not help as it lacks of a unique definition of environment. The current definition of “ecomafia”, given by Legambiente a few years ago and now in the vocabulary of Italian language Zingarelli, includes a variety of criminal actions even in animals racket and in agriculture: the so-called “zoomafia” and “agromafia”. The first flourishes on the control of illegal activities related to animals (illegal slaughter, cheating in horse shows, animal doping, theft thoroughbred, kennel business, fights between animals, illegal imports of puppies, poaching). The second affects, in Italy, a farmer out of three that are victims of threats, pressure and harassment, theft of equipment and agricultural vehicles or the commodities produced, theft of cattle for illegal slaughter and trade of meat, potentially dangerous to the health of consumers. Contrary to a mild and generalized decline in the number of offenses over the previous year, in 2013 both the agricultural sector, which has seen a surge of offenses (9,540: more than doubled), the waste cycle (5,025 crimes: +14.3%) and illegality committed against wildlife (8,504: +6.6%) recorded a growth.