THE FIGHT against terrorism is being stepped up in Stratford
Warwickshire Police, in partnership with Counter Terrorism Policing West Midlands, is officially launching Project Servator in the town.
The launch follows a pilot which ran over the summer in 2024, before being rolled out across the force.
Project Servator is a highly visible policing tactic that aims to disrupt a range of criminal activity, including terrorism, while providing a reassuring presence for the public.
It has been successful in gathering intelligence that has assisted forces across the UK in investigating and preventing acts of terror.
Deployments across the country have resulted in arrests for a multitude of offences and are responsible for removing illegal firearms, knives and drugs from the streets.
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
Residents and visitors to the town will see highly visible uniformed police officers and other specialist resources pop up at unpredictable times and engage with the public.
Deployments will also use less visible measures such as real-time CCTV monitoring and plain clothes officers to detect criminal activity and create a difficult place for criminals to operate.
Superintendent Darren Webster from Warwickshire Police said: “Stratford is one of the top tourist destinations outside of London for visitors, so to be able to bring Project Servator to the town is fantastic.
“Our specially trained officers will spend time talking to members of the public about what Project Servator is and how to report suspicious behaviour; while at the same time using their skills to look for people who are planning to commit crimes.
“Although deployments are different to our normal policing operations, they’re designed to reassure the public and not cause alarm. We also look forward to extending our Project Servator deployments across the wider force to different villages and towns in Warwickshire and popping up at many of the events that are hosted here.”
