Operation Northern Lockdown was launched without warning at 1am in a bid to disrupt crime - particularly rural business burglaries - being carried out by crooks taking advantage of country police knock-off times.

Nearly 65 extra police, mostly Northern CIB detectives, were placed at 23 strategic checkpoints across the North during the graveyard shift.

Traffic offences were also a focus of the operation.

Backroad thoroughfares usually void of the thin blue line came under close police scrutiny.

A key tactic of Northern Lockdown, according to its architect, Detective Inspector John King, was the elements of surprise and unpredictability.

"The aim is to patrol areas we are not usually in at this time of night and be unpredictable for the criminal elements," he said.

"Most of the crime is done under the cover of darkness and in the early morning. The only way they can get to and from these places is the main roads or the back ones.

"In this particular operation we're focusing on the back roads."

The genesis for Northern Lockdown has been smaller scale operations focusing on locking down particular suburbs or parts of cities.

A 60 per cent increase in business burglaries in the North this financial year prompted CIB to enlarge the dragnet to an entire policing district. Anecdotally the increase in crime is being fuelled by drug addicts looking to fund their habits.

Detective Inspector King said the public could expect more of these types of operations in the future.

"We intend to do more and more of these operations, we often lock down suburbs or parts of towns or cities, however to lock down an entire policing district is quite unusual," he said.

According to Detective Inspector King, the operation does not come at an extra cost but is managed through flexible rostering.