Nine men have been arrested and a gun and ammunition have been found in a concerted police operation against "republican dissidents" in Co Armagh.
Searches in the Brownlow area of Craigavon continued throughout most of yesterday conducted by dozens of officers on what the PSNI said was an intelligence-led operation.
British army technical officers were also involved in the search for explosives and weapons which began before dawn.
Chief Insp Pauline Shields, the area's police commander, said: "this is an important and necessary operation. It is about targeting dissident republican criminals.
"Like all policing operations it is intelligence-led. The aim is to make the Craigavon area a safer place for everyone."
Referring to the disruption caused by the operation, she added: "I hope that people will understand what police are doing and why, and will support our efforts to take criminals off the backs of local communities. Unfortunately there will be some disruption in the areas where the searches are taking place. We apologise for that. But it is unavoidable.
"However, I can assure local people that we will keep that disruption to a minimum. As far as possible we want to ensure that people are able to go about their normal business.
" I can also assure them that the operation will not be in place for one minute longer than is necessary."
The SDLP welcomed the operations.
In Carrickfergus, Co Antrim a couple and their baby escaped unhurt after shots were fired at their home early yesterday.
Three shots were fired through a window at the couple's home in the Sunnylands estate in an incident which is being linked to tensions between the UDA and a breakaway faction.
Violence erupted in the town last summer in which a policeman was shot and injured. Chief constable Sir Hugh Orde laid the blame for this, and for violence in Bangor, Co Down, at the door of the UDA.
This is understood to have strengthened the SDLP's Social Development Minister Margaret Ritchie in her decision to withdraw £1.2 million in government support for a loyalist conflict transformation initiative.
The cash is now expected to be reallocated to community initiatives aimed at alleviating poverty in loyalist areas.
A statement is due early next week.
DUP mayor David Hilditch said: "Fortunately no one has been hurt here. It could have been very much different.
"We have had a catalogue of incidents ranging from low-level intimidation to shootings and pipe bombings throughout that three-month period. We are getting sick of it here in Carrickfergus."