Border Related Crime and Policing in Northern Ireland: The Past, the Present and the Enduring Influence of Politics

Abstract There is growing international research on borders, cross-border criminality and border-related policing, yet little is known about crimes associated with Northern Ireland’s (NI) borders or the challenges experienced policing these. This is despite NI being the only part of the United Kingdom to share a land border with a country in the European Union. To address this gap, semi-structured interviews and focus groups were conducted with 36 participants exploring their experiences of border-related crime; the challenges associated with policing these crimes; and if the United Kingdom’s withdrawal from the European Union (known as Brexit) impacted on these activities. The findings indicate that, despite some similarities, the unique socio-political context of NI has produced distinct border-related crimes and associated policing challenges, with Brexit materially reconfiguring the opportunities for crime, re-politicising its borders and border-related policing. Consequently, the findings caution against attempting to generalise international research on border-related crime and policing across jurisdictions with different socio-political contexts.