€12m contraband seized around border, says report
Over €12m worth of drugs, tobacco, fuel and fake clothes have been seized in the past year as part of a major police crackdown on criminal gangs on both sides of the border, it was revealed today.
As chief constable Hugh Orde confirmed overall crime in Northern Ireland dropped by more than 10% with 14,000 fewer victims, the scale of the co-operation to halt contraband goods flooding into the North from the Republic and overseas emerged.
Paramilitaries have established international networks to develop their money-spinning smuggling operations.
But police chiefs have hit back with a series of big successes in the last 12 months, boosting confidence the war on organised crime can be won.
Officers are increasingly working with gardaí and travelling into Europe in a bid to shut down rackets, according to Mr Orde.
Mr Orde’s annual report confirmed: “Cross-border operations with An Garda Siochana netted around €12m in seizures.”
Other operations last year saw cash-in-transit robberies slashed by 38% and the biggest ever single seizures of cocaine and cannabis resin.
Car crime was reduced in some areas by up to 50%.
But with the number of reported racist and homophobic attacks doubled, police chiefs face a challenge to end the menace.
Assistant Chief Constable Judith Gillespie, who is heading the new Criminal Justice Department, urged all victims to alert police.
“In many of these incidents reported to police the perpetrator is not known, there are no other witnesses to the incident and many are not reported until some time later,” she said.
“I would encourage all victims of racial and homophobic crimes to come forward to police and report incidents, either personally or through a third party.
“This will enable police to have an accurate picture of the level and extent of attacks, prevent further incidents and provide protection.”
