Balmoral Show 2025
One of the roles of the Organised Crime Task Force is to raise public awareness of the harms of Organised Crime and offer advice and guidance on how the public can protect themselves, families, businesses and communities.
Representatives from the Organised Crime Task Force (OCTF) were present in the Supporting Safer Communities Tent. The OCTF is a multi- agency partnership (co-ordinated by DOJ) providing strategic leadership and supporting a collaborative, joined-up response to the threat posed by organised crime. They have been attending Balmoral Show since 2009 and use the event as an opportunity to engage directly with all visitors to raise awareness of organised criminal activity, promote preventative messages, provide signposting for further advice and to encourage people to report suspicious activity.
Organised crime takes many forms including drug trafficking, modern slavery, counterfeiting, fuel laundering, tobacco smuggling, fraud or money laundering. Cyber related crime is also increasingly a feature of the interconnected world in which we live.
Staff from Organised Crime Branch, the Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking Branch, and Victims and Witnesses Branch were on hand over the 4-day event to speak in detail about the range of organised crime types and answer any questions that were raised from members of the public.
At the show each year there are typically a series of themed days to highlight the differing elements of organised crime. This year’s themes focussed on:
- Illegal drugs – with PSNI and Border Force officers;
- Modern slavery/human trafficking and fraud/keeping safe online – with PSNI Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking Unit; and PSNI cyber crime officers;
- Counterfeit goods – with Border Force and Trading Standards officers; and
- Counterfeit goods/excise evasion (alcohol and cigarettes) and fuel laundering/environmental waste crime – with HMRC officers and NI Environment Agency staff.