'We look forward to continuing to utilise the operation' - West Midlands Police wrap up 'another successful' year of Project Servator

The tactic is used by police forces across the country to identify hostile reconnaissance and disrupt criminality, and Project Servator officers in the West Midlands have been deployed as part of the policing operations for a number of large events including the Birmingham Frankfurt Christmas Markets, Birmingham Pride, Godiva Festival, St Patricks Day Parade and Crufts.

As well as supporting large policing operations to keep events safe, Project Servator is part of everyday policing in the region and deployments take place regularly and unpredictably across town and city centres.

Officers are specially-trained to spot the tell-tale signs that someone may be carrying out hostile reconnaissance or about to commit a crime. 

This year, high-visibility and plain clothes officers have also worked with police dogs, drones, CCTV operators, ANPR (Automatic Number Plate Recognition), as well as local security teams.

Shoppers will have spotted the Project Servator officers at some of the region’s shopping centres such as Touchwood and Resorts World in Solihull, and most recently in Merry Hill following the launch of the tactic in the Dudley shopping centre in autumn.

Football fans will have also noticed the high-visibility deployments ahead of matches at Villa Park, Molineux and most recently at Solihull Moors.

On the ground, officers have spoken to over 17,000 members of the public and local businesses, providing safety advice and reassurance to those who come across deployments while out and about in the region.

Project Servator teams also worked with neighbourhood teams from Warwickshire Police to deliver a pilot operation in Stratford-upon-Avon in the summer. Officers carried out deployments in the historic town which saw an overwhelmingly positive response from the public and local businesses. Following the summer’s success, officers have more recently returned to deploy in and around Stratford’s Christmas markets.

Superintendent Nick Rowe, from West Midlands Police, said: “We’ve delivered some excellent Project Servator deployments across the West Midlands which have helped to keep the public safe while they’re out and about in towns and cities, or visiting some of the fantastic events our region has hosted this year.

“Project Servator has been part of our business-as-usual policing in the region for six years, and as we head into the new year, we look forward to continuing to utilise the operation to keep West Midlands residents and visitors safe in 2025.”

A spokesperson for West Midlands Police, said: "You have an important role to play in helping to keep our streets safe by reporting anything that doesn't feel right, for example, an unattended item or someone acting suspiciously.

"You’ll never get into trouble for reporting a genuine concern and we’ll always take your report seriously.

"If you see something suspicious, please tell a police officer, use our online form to tell us about possible terrorist activity, or call the confidential Anti Terrorist Hotline on 0800 789 321. If it's an emergency, always call 999.

"Read more about Project Servator here."