An innovative policing tactic has been launched today in Merseyside to deter, detect and disrupt a range of criminal activity, including terrorism.



Project Servator deployments will be highly unpredictable and intelligence-led and are made up of specially trained officers and staff who will deploy to crowded areas, town centres, organised events and various points of interest. Here, they’ll carry out patrols to gather intelligence, look out for suspicious activity and, where necessary, arrest and investigate those believed to be linked to criminality.

Assistant Chief Constable (ACC) Ian Critchley said: “I’m really pleased to be implementing Project Servator across Merseyside.

“This project has been proven beneficial amongst many other forces including British Transport (BTP), City of London and North Yorkshire Police to name a few. We’re eager to follow suit by trialling these policing tactics ourselves and thereby becoming a nationally accredited ‘Project Servator’ force.

“These deployments have also been implemented when policing large scale events, including the Glasgow Commonwealth Games in 2014, Tour de Yorkshire event in 2017 and more recently, the Tall Ships Festival, held in Liverpool this spring. As positive as they are, these events inevitably mean we must protect people in crowded places. So, it’s never been more important to actively monitor suspicious behaviour and encourage the public to work with us to deter criminal activity.

“The nature of these tactics means the public should expect to see a varied police presence, from less visible tactics like plain clothes officers, ANPR and CCTV units to uniformed patrols, vehicle stop checks, dogs, mounted and firearms units. This ensures that deployments remain highly unpredictable yet effective and work alongside our vigilant communities and partners. By encouraging people to report suspicious behaviour, this makes it even harder for criminals to succeed and in doing so, enhances our long term security.



“We want all members of the general public; residents, visitors and business owners alike, to remain reassured that these tactics are not in response to a specific threat. However, we mustn’t become complacent – Trust your instincts, contact @MerPolCC, call 101 or report suspicious behaviour in confidence at gov.uk/ACT or by calling 0800 789 321. Your safety is paramount and together we will act on reports accordingly which will ultimately prevent crime and save lives.â€