Project Servator

Project Servator describes police activity that aims to disrupt a range of criminal activity, including terrorism, while providing a reassuring presence for the public. The approach relies on building a network of vigilance made up of business and community partners and the general public. Project Servator is different to traditional policing, as officers involved are specially-trained to spot tell-tale signs that someone may be carrying out hostile reconnaissance – information gathering that may help them plan or prepare to commit a crime.

Should the public be worried if Project Servator comes to your area?

Law-abiding members of the public should have nothing to fear if they see a Project Servator deployment in their area. These are normal police operations designed to disrupt a range of criminal activity and create a network of vigilance against those intent on committing crime, including terrorism.

Our research tells us that the majority of the public are reassured to see the police, businesses, community partners and fellow members of the public working together. Around 2,000 members of the UK public have been surveyed about their attitude to Project Servator deployments. The individual surveys have shown that between 57% and 73% of respondents found the deployments reassuring.

As part of Project Servator, police officers will talk to members of the public about the deployments and how they can help. We also encourage people to ask officers questions if they have any concerns.

We rely on the public to be our eyes and ears. They have a key role to play by reporting anything that doesn’t feel right, for example an unattended item or someone acting suspiciously. We ask the public to report suspicious activity immediately to a police officer or their local police on 101. Suspicious activity is anything that seems out place, unusual or doesn’t seem to fit in with day-to-day life. If it’s an emergency, always call 999.

What type of person is being targeted?

Project Servator is used to target people based on their behaviour. If someone is displaying tell-tale signs that the police presence is making them particularly nervous, for example, they will be stopped and spoken to. Individuals could also be stopped as a result of something else that brings them to police attention, such as a vehicle defect. If after a conversation and/or search there is no further cause for suspicion, the officers will explain why the person was stopped.

What will the public see when a Project Servator deployment takes place?

Project Servator deployments are normal police deployments, but they are unpredictable, so the public can expect to see them pop up anywhere and at any time. Don’t be surprised or alarmed if you see them and weren’t expecting to. We encourage the public to talk to the officers involved if they want to find out more. Working with the community is a vital part of Project Servator disrupting terrorism and other criminal activity effectively.

The number of police officers involved will vary from deployment to deployment. Not all aspects of the deployments will be apparent. For example, in addition to uniformed police officers, there will be plain clothes officers present, along with CCTV, ANPR and other measures that may not be visible to the public.

If there’s a Project Servator deployment in the area, there’s nothing to worry about. As part of their activity, those involved will talk to the public and local businesses to let them know what they are doing and remind them to be vigilant and report any activity to police. Officers may also hand out leaflets explaining what Project Servator is or put Project Servator posters on display.

You should always know when a Project Servator deployment is taking place – this is not an undercover policing tactic. Project Servator deployments will never involve solely plain clothes officers – they will always be working with uniformed police officers.

Where did the idea come from?

Project Servator was developed, tested and refined over a five-year period by experts at the Centre for Protection of National Infrastructure (CPNI) in partnership with the City of London Police. It was first introduced by the City of London Police, who adopted the collaborative community approach in early 2014, aimed at further protecting the City and reinforcing the existing ‘ring of steel’. It was also used during the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow by Police Scotland and partners in the summer of 2014, to build on and complement the Games’ safety and security plans. 25 police forces have adopted or are trialling Project Servator tactics.

How do you know Project Servator is effective?

Various studies of Project Servator deployments have been carried out. The tactics used have been tested by teams of specialists who behave in that same way that individuals carrying out hostile reconnaissance do to see if they are identified. The tests have shown that the deployments are consistently successful in identifying those hostile actors. Every day Project Servator officers across the country are disrupting a range of criminal activity, from theft to serious organised crime and hostile reconnaissance related to potential terrorist activity.

Previous release

8 March 2023

Police in Ipswich conducted a weekend of pro-active engagement focusing on the bars, clubs and eateries in the town centre.

The purpose of the operation (3,4 & 5 March) was to continue the police’s efforts to ensure that the town is somewhere everyone can enjoy at night and also progress the co-ordinated work with licenced premises to help them spot and challenge unacceptable behaviour by patrons.

It also provided a valuable opportunity to gather valuable intelligence for future operational activity.

Over the three evenings officers conducted a number of operational activities. The local Kestrel team focused on joint licensed premises checks or bars and clubs and pubs in the town centre with Ipswich Borough Council licensing officers supporting and addressing any breaches.

Meanwhile, other officers from the Child Exploitation and Gangs unit patrolled routes in and out of the town centre intervening quickly to defuse anti-social behaviour and related criminality, targeting hot spot areas linked to crime and disorder.

Officers, along with Ipswich town pastors, and street-rangers, also made time to chat with people enjoying the bar and club scene to ensure everyone was enjoying their evening.

Elsewhere, the Kestrel team used techniques under Project Servator to target those planning to commit crime, with a focus on high level offences such as carrying weapons/ drugs, sexual offences and robberies.

Officers were focussed on providing high visibility patrols aimed at ensuring those using or passing through the town centre in Ipswich felt safe and supported.

Overall during the three evenings, eight arrests were made for assaults that had been committed in the night-time economy, 36 licenced premises were visited by officers who worked closely with the licenced premises to help them keep people safe.

Officers spent time speaking to the community within the town centre, whether visiting the venues or passing through to listen, reassure and collate information which will formulate a coordinated response to future operational activity.

T/Inspector Amanda Griggs of Ipswich police said: “This operation covering three nights was the latest element of our on-going plan to combat criminality, involving action to combat serious violence and violence, in particular against women and girls, to ensure that the town is somewhere everyone can enjoy at night. Tactics includes disruption, engagement and tackling anti-social behaviour in Ipswich town centre and improve confidence with our ‘firm but friendly’ presence.

“As we have said previously, Ipswich fairs better than comparable towns in terms of safety but suffers from a poor perception. Collectively, we are committed to preventing serious violence and violence, pursuing perpetrators, supporting victims and continuing to strengthen our response to ensure the safety of our communities, and we work closely with our partners to ensure the ‘Safer Streets’ initiative is delivered.

“The relocation of the Kestrel team into the town centre’s new police station and the addition of a Community Engagement Officer dedicated to the town centre at the end of last year, were the significant steps. These three nights were a continuation of that plan and people should feel assured that we are planning more proactive patrols planned in the weeks and months to come.

“The community have been key in supporting our work within the town over the last 12 months and we have seen confidence in reporting information to us continuously grow. We are determined to keep tackling crime and anti-social behaviour, offering both reassurance and a visible deterrent.”

Councillor Alasdair Ross, Ipswich Borough Council Portfolio Holder for Community Protection and Health, added: “The Community Safety Partnership in Ipswich enables many organisations to work together to enhance community safety. The Safer Streets awareness messages and Ask for Angela for businesses are two strong initiatives being delivered, plus improvements to CCTV in the town and Taxi Marshalls that operate around the town centre.”

“We plan to use funding from the government’s Shared Prosperity Fund to see dedicated Police Community Support Officers (PCSOs) patrolling Ipswich town centre during daytime trading hours to enhance the community safety offering around the town from April 2023 for two years.”

Tim Passmore, Suffolk’s Police and Crime Commissioner said, “It's really important that people feel safe when they head out for the evening so I fully support this pro-active approach taken by the Constabulary.  I do understand the public concern about safety in Ipswich however, we must remember Ipswich is a relatively safe place in which to live, work and socialise.

“Working together with local partners we have successfully bid for three separate waves of the government’s Safer Streets Fund amounting to over £800K and are galvanising our efforts to ensure this investment is really making a difference to reduce crime and the fear of crime in the area. I have also allocated SWaN (Safety of Women at Night) funding to the borough council and supported initiatives to improve safety for those out in the town on weekend evenings such as the Town Pastors and the Taxi Marshals.

“I am committed to working with Ipswich Central, Ipswich Borough Council, the county council, Crimestoppers and of course the Constabulary to improve the reputation of the town.  We really do need to support our county town, so we must work together, and with the community, to make our county town attractive for all and somewhere to be proud of.”