A coordinated Day of Action, involving the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) and An Garda Síochána, took place on Thursday, 06 March, targeting criminal activity in the border region.

The operation, part of the Joint Agency Task Force (JATF), aimed to deter and detect crime and disrupt the movement of criminals between jurisdictions.

Superintendent Robert McGowan of the PSNI stated: "Synchronised policing operations such as this aim to deter and detect crime in border areas and disrupt the movement of criminals between jurisdictions."

The high-visibility operation involved officers from various PSNI units, including Neighbourhood Policing Teams, Local Policing Teams, ANPR Interceptors, Roads Policing, Tactical Support Group officers, Air Support, and specialist detectives. Simultaneously, An Garda Síochána conducted a similar operation on the N1/M1 in Dundalk, County Louth.

Chief Inspector Adam Corner reported that over 44 vehicle checkpoints were implemented across South Area. The operation resulted in 16 Fixed Penalty Notices for motoring offences, three arrests for driving offences, three vehicle seizures, and five instances of driving without insurance.

Additionally, three vehicles and seven people were searched under the Misuse of Drugs Act, leading to four arrests for drug offences, including one man arrested on suspicion of importing Class A and B drugs. A man sought in connection with violent offences in Cookstown was also located and arrested.

Sergeant Declan Higgins of 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."

HMRC, another JATF partner, also participated, examining vehicles on the A1 at Loughbrickland and making detections for customs and excise offences.

Superintendent McGowan emphasised the importance of cross-border cooperation: "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."

The JATF, established under the 2015 Fresh Start Agreement, aims to combat cross-jurisdictional organised crime and includes PSNI, An Garda Síochána, HMRC, the National Crime Agency, Home Office Immigration Enforcement, Revenue Commissioners, and the Criminal Assets Bureau.