Units
Environmental Patrol and Rapid Response Service
Tasks of the Environmental Patrol and Rapid Response Service
a) Within the scope of its competence, to carry out preventive measures to prevent administrative offences in the fields of environmental protection and the use of natural resources, and to detect and suppress committed offences, based on the powers granted under the Code of Administrative Offences of Georgia and other legislative and subordinate legal acts;
b) For the purpose of establishing a person’s identity and in cases prescribed by law, to carry out administrative detention, seizure of items and documents, and seizure and/or sealing of instruments and means used to commit an offence;
c) To inspect and examine regulated entities;
d) To prepare an inspection act in accordance with the established procedure based on the results of an inspection/examination; where an administrative offence is detected during the inspection/examination, to draw up an administrative offence report, issue a fine receipt (administrative offence report), and take appropriate measures in accordance with the procedure established by law;
e) To exercise control over compliance with safety, labelling, packaging and identification requirements during the transportation of living genetically modified organisms;
f) At any time of day or night, to conduct unobstructed inspections at sites of extraction or primary processing of natural resources, including in the border zone, in coordination in advance with the State Sub-Agency of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Georgia — the Border Police of Georgia, for the purpose of determining whether natural resources correspond to the documents confirming their origin or legality during their use and transportation, and of inspecting extracted natural resources and the instruments and means used, as well as detecting illegally extracted natural resources; where there is information indicating the commission of another offence falling within its competence, to stop a person and the relevant vehicle, including a watercraft, for the purpose of monitoring compliance with the requirements of Georgian legislation; to request a citizen, in accordance with the procedure established by Georgian legislation, to present identity documents, vehicle documents and documents prescribed by Georgian legislation concerning the natural resources located in the vehicle; to visually inspect the vehicle, including the items and objects contained therein, and to conduct a personal search. In the event of non-compliance by a person (including a person operating a vehicle), an authorized employee of the Department shall have the right to use coercive measures in accordance with the procedure established by Georgian legislation;
g) In the event of non-compliance by a person travelling in a vehicle (attempted escape), to pursue the vehicle, while ensuring traffic safety, for the purpose of apprehending the person;
h) To carry out patrols in accordance with designated patrol routes;
i) To conduct patrols at any time of day or night in accordance with the daily 24-hour schedule prepared by the Head of the Environmental Patrol and Rapid Response Service;
j) To prepare a report (memorandum) on violations of legislation detected during patrolling and submit it, together with the relevant materials, to the Department’s management;
k) To organize the registration, storage and issuance of service-issued firearms and ammunition transferred to the Service, in accordance with the procedure established by law;
l) In exercising the powers granted under Georgian legislation, to obtain without hindrance from regulated entities explanations and any oral and/or written information concerning their past and ongoing activities in the fields of environmental protection and the use of natural resources;
m) Within the scope of its competence, to review notifications received through the Ministry’s hotline and take appropriate action in response to violations of Georgian legislation; for this purpose, to request assistance and/or participation from inspectors of the Department’s central office and territorial bodies;
n) To participate in environmental inspections and/or provide assistance to Department employees exercising state control during environmental inspections;
o) In accordance with the procedure established by Georgian legislation and pursuant to an order of the Head of the Department, to carry out additional measures for the prevention, detection and suppression of illegal use of natural resources. For this purpose, the relevant employee of the Service shall be authorized to act in accordance with Georgian legislation;
p) Upon completion of patrolling, on the same day, to submit to the Head of the Service a report (in the form of a memorandum) on the patrol conducted by the patrol crew, together with the relevant materials, if any;
q) At the end of each calendar year, to submit a report to the Head of the Department on the activities carried out;
r) To perform other tasks provided for by the legislation of Georgia within the scope of its competence.