A small army resplendent in hi-vis has gathered at the side of the A9.
They have been tasked with stopping suspected criminals from using the main route in and out of the Highlands.
By the time they are done they will have taken four vehicles deemed to be dangerous off the road, seized counterfeit cigarettes and a small quantity of suspected Class B drugs
Among the men and women in fluorescent yellow are police officers, Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC), the Driver and Vehicle Standards Authority (DVSA) and Highland Council’s trading standards team.
The operation was established primarily to focus on suspected scrap metal thefts – but with so many agencies on site they are able to cover many different bases.
Constable David Miller, representing Police Scotland at the operation, said the multi-agency operation gives them broader powers than they would have individually.
He said: “Ultimately it does deny criminals the use of the road network in Scotland and that’s what we’re trying to achieve.”
The operation attended by the Press and Journal was set up in a large lay-by on the northbound A9 near Kingussie.
Police outriders on motorcycles spotted vehicles they think should be checked on the road and then direct them to the lay-by.
Once there, mechanics from the DVSA give the vehicles a thorough check to make sure they are roadworthy while HMRC check the occupants employment status and dip its tank to make sure the vehicle is not running on illegal fuel.
Meanwhile police and trading standards officers check the contents.
With the Inverness to Perth road being the main link between the Highlands and the rest of Scotland, thousands of vehicles use it every single day.
Trying to stop potential criminals is therefore a needle in a haystack – but police believe they know the types of vehicles they are looking for.
Constable Miller said: “It comes from experience.
“You can tell the vehicles you’re looking for.
“You learn through doing the job.
“We’re not stopping every single vehicle.
“The boys on the bikes are taking in the vehicles they think may be worth stopping, just to check if they’re roadworthy or for any other sort of offences.
He added: “We’re lucky here in the sense that we’ve got HMRC here and the DVSA and Trading Standards.
“It’s good because they’ve got some powers that we don’t have and vice versa so together we cover everything legislation wise.”
In total around 50 vehicles are pulled in for checks in the few hours the team spend by the side of the road in early March.
The operation was established to combat scrap metal thefts – a crime Constable Miller says the Highlands remains “particularly susceptible” to.
On the day no vehicles are found to be carrying scrap metal – but other useful results are yielded.
Constable Miller said: “It can lead to absolutely anything.
“We’ve had counterfeit goods and drugs seized from a vehicle just now.
“With counterfeit goods, we have Trading Standards here and HMRC as well.
“That’s useful because there’s no duty paid on the goods seized .
“It all works well. Each of us are good on our own but together we’re far better.”
The suspected fake cigarettes are seized from a van travelling north and left in the hands of trading standards officers.
Team leader Mark McGinty said: “What you often find for example is tobacco which has a trademark on it.
“What we can do now is contact the trademark holder and tell what we’ve seized.
“We can send them a sample of it, get them to confirm if it’s theirs or not.
“If it comes back as counterfeit then we have the option to report it to the procurator fiscal or we can deal with it by other means.”
These include a formal warning or offer voluntary surrender for destruction.
