Minister Long and Minister O’Callaghan hold second meeting on North South Criminal Justice Co-operation
Date published:
Justice Minister Naomi Long and Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration Jim O’Callaghan met in Armagh today for their second ministerial meeting held under the Intergovernmental Agreement on Co-operation on Criminal Justice Matters.
Minister Long and Minister O’Callaghan approved a new 2026-2028 Workplan, which sets out the priorities for North-South justice co-operation for the next two years.
The Workplan covers Youth Justice, Victim Support, Public Protection, Forensic Science and Criminal Justice and Social Diversity.
The Ministers welcomed the continued engagement by officials and agencies on both sides of the border and reaffirmed their shared commitment to addressing cross-jurisdictional challenges collaboratively.
The Ministers were also given a joint presentation from senior officers of the Police Service of Northern Ireland and An Garda Síochána on the 19th report of the Joint Agency Task Force.
They noted that 2026 marks the 10th year of the Task Force reporting to Ministers since its establishment under the 2015 Fresh Start Agreement.
Minister Long also raised the issue of this week’s Katie Simpson Report, which has cross-border implications – they lived in Lifford, Co Donegal and the equestrian sector operates on an all-island basis.
Following the meeting, Minister Long said:
“I had a very productive meeting with Minister O’Callaghan today – our second Ministerial meeting under the Intergovernmental Agreement on Co-operation on Criminal Justice Matters.
“These meetings are a valuable opportunity to discuss our shared challenges and to reaffirm the importance of continued co-operation between our departments, agencies and policing services.”
Minister O’Callaghan said:
“My meeting today with Minister Long reaffirmed our commitment to working closely together to tackle shared issues. Many of the policy challenges that we are facing in both jurisdictions are similar in nature so the work that we have jointly committed to undertaking today extends across the whole of the criminal justice system and complements the excellent daily cooperation that already exists between An Garda Síochána and the PSNI.
“I would also like to commend the Joint Agency Task Force for its continued work in tackling rural crime, drug trafficking, human trafficking, excise fraud and organised immigration crime to ensure that the border is not exploited by criminals, and that communities on both sides of the border are made safer.”
Minister Long continued:
“The Task Force has been reporting to ministers for 10 years and it is clear that it continues to play a vital role in identifying and disrupting criminal activity that impacts communities on both sides of the border.”
Notes to editors:
. The Intergovernmental Agreement on Co-operation on Criminal Justice Matters provides a structured framework for North-South collaboration on justice policy and operations. The first meeting between Ministers Long and O’Callaghan took place in May 2025.
2. Areas of co-operation are taken forward by Project Advisory Groups covering Youth Justice, Victims’ Issues, Forensic Science, Public Protection, and Criminal Justice and Social Diversity.
3. The Joint Agency Task Force is led by police and revenue services and brings together the relevant law enforcement agencies to better co-ordinate strategic and operational actions against cross-border organised crime. It involves senior officers from An Garda Síochána, the PSNI, the Revenue Commissioners and HM Revenue and Customs; it also includes the Criminal Assets Bureau and National Crime Agency (which have the primary role in criminal assets recovery) as well as other interested law enforcement services, such as environmental protection agencies and immigration services.
4. Media enquiries to the Department of Justice Press Office email or phone: 028 9052 6444.
5. To keep up to date with news from the Department follow us on : LinkedIn, Bluesky, Instagram, Youtube, Justice NI (@Justice_NI) / X, www.justice-ni.gov.uk
6. The Executive Information Service operates an out-of-hours service for media enquiries only between 1800 hrs and 0800 hrs Monday to Friday and at weekends and public holidays. The duty press officer can be contacted on 028 9037 8110.