Gardaí ‘very active’ tackling immigration crime - Harris

Garda Commissioner Drew Harris has said the force remain “very active” in attempts to prevent immigration crime and human trafficking, following reports last week that hundreds of migrants are currently being detained having failed to reach the UK via the Irish border.

The interceptions in Northern Ireland are part of a UK Home Office campaign called ‘Operation Comby’.

Through Operation Comby/Gull/and Sonnet, gardaí, the PSNI, and UK authorities have significant ongoing collaboration dealing with irregular migration, people smuggling and human trafficking into Ireland and the UK.

In one three-day operation, revealed last Thursday by the British Home Office, 35 people were arrested for trying to exploit softer border controls with the Republic of Ireland.

The checks are aimed at cracking down on immigration abuses within the Common Travel Area.

The Common Travel Area allows British and Irish citizens only to travel without passports between the islands of Ireland, Great Britain, the Isle of Man and the Channel Islands.

Some £5,000 of suspected criminal cash, a car and two fraudulent identity documents were seized during the latest operation

“We take these offences very seriously, working in conjunction with UK authorities,” said Comm Harris, speaking at a two-day Cross Border Police Conference at Cavan’s Farnham Estate on Monday, December 9, alongside Chief Constable of the PSNI, Jon Boucher. Together, at the event, they launched a new three-year Cross Border Strategy Statement 2025 – 2027.

Comm Harris said that both policing forces are aware of people being “exploited” through immigration crime.

“We want to prevent and affect Ireland being a route in either direction where immigration offences are. We’re particularly concerned about human trafficking to Ireland and onto the island of Ireland for the purposes of exploitation. A huge investigative effort is being put into that.”