PSNI Chief Inspector Adam Corner & AGS Sergeant Declan Higgins
On Thursday 6 March, working as part of the Joint Agency Task Force, officers from across a number of Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) departments were joined by colleagues in An Garda Síochána to carry out a pre-planned, coordinated Day of Action targeting those who would seek to exploit the border region for criminality.
Superintendent Robert McGowan led the operation for the Police Service, and explains the purpose and importance of such jointlaw enforcement activity on both sides of the border:
“Synchronised policing operations such as this aim to deter and detect crime in border areas and disrupt the movement of criminals between jurisdictions.
“This high-visibility operation, which took place in border regions across Northern Ireland*, involved officers from a range of PSNI units including Neighbourhood Policing Teams, Local Policing Teams, ANPR Interceptors, Roads Policing, Tactical Support Group officers, Air Support and specialist detectives.
“Simultaneously, our colleagues in An Garda Síochána carried out a similar large scale operation on the N1/M1 in Dundalk, County Louth.”
Chief Inspector Adam Corner, who was on the ground throughout the operation, said:
“In excess of 44 vehicle checkpoints were implemented at varying times across South Area as part of this Day of Action. Sixteen Fixed Penalty Notices were subsequentlyissued for a range of motoring-related offences. Three people were also arrested for driving offences and three vehicles were seized. Five people were also found to be driving with no insurance.
“Three vehicles and seven people were searched under the Misuse of Drugs Act and four arrests were made for drugs offences, including that of one man who was arrested on suspicion of the importation of Class A and B drugs.
“We were also able to locate and arrest a man who was sought in connection with a number of violent offences in Cookstown.”
Sergeant Declan Higgins, from An Garda Síochána Louth Roads Policing Unit, said:
“Under the JATF, we work closely with the Police Service of Northern Ireland, and they implemented a similar checkpoint operation north of the border during Thursday’s Day of Action.
“What we’re trying to do is prevent criminals from using our road network. The checkpoint is also part of the road safety initiative of An Garda Síochána, we’re targeting drink and drug drivers and also people driving without insurance.”
The operation also involved other partners from the Joint Action Task Force, including HMRC, who examined a number of vehicles stopped on the A1 at Loughbrickland, making a number of detections for various customs and excise offences.
Superintendent McGowan concluded:
“Crime and organised criminals do not respect national boundaries and our policing response must continue to be dynamic and relentless. Thursday’s action demonstrates the commitment of law enforcement agencies in both Northern Ireland and the Republic to working together to tackle cross-border criminality and provide a visible, accessible and responsive service for our border communities.
“This close cooperation ensures enhanced law enforcement provision and intelligence-sharing in the midst of ever evolving threats and challenges against the backdrop of rapidly changing societal and criminal landscape.
We continue to build on this coordinated approach. By working side by side we can do more to tackle criminal networks who seek to exploit the border region, and deliver on our mission of keeping people safe.”
*Police Service activity took place in each of the policing Districts of D (Newry, Mourne & Down), E (Armagh, Banbridge & Craigavon), F (Mid Ulster) and G (Fermanagh & Omagh) - South Area.
The Joint Agency Task Force (JATF) was brought into existence by the fresh start agreement of 2015, with the intention of providing a concerted effort to tackle cross-jurisdictional organised crime.
The task force is led by senior officers from Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) and An Garda Síochána (AGS), and is composed of: PSNI, His Majesties Revenue and Customs (HMRC), National crime Agency (NCA), Home Office Immigration Enforcement (HOIE), AGS, Revenue Commissioners, Criminal Assets Bureau (CAB).
The task force deals with six priority areas; rural crime, drugs, financial crime, trafficking in human beings including children, excise fraud and immigration crime. The task force engages in a multitude of operational joint initiatives with the primary strategic goal being the continued exchange of information and intelligence to prevent and detect crime.