Force trials new policing tactic at East Midlands Airport

Project Servator – a policing tactic used to disrupt a range of criminality, including terrorism – will be trialled at East Midlands Airport from today, Monday, 16 December.

The approach, which sees police, businesses, community partners and the public working together, is already in use in various parts of the UK, including across the whole of London after it was pioneered by the City of London Police in 2014.

Project Servator sees the deployment of both highly visible and plain-clothed police officers, supported by other resources such as dogs, firearms officers, vehicle checkpoints, Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) and live-monitored CCTV. 

The deployments are unpredictable. They can happen anywhere and at any time and include police officers specially-trained to spot the tell-tale signs that someone may be planning or preparing to commit a crime.

The tactics have been developed and tested by security experts at the Centre for the Protection of National Infrastructure (CPNI) in partnership with the City of London Police and are designed to disrupt hostile reconnaissance – the information-gathering and planning that criminals need to do.

Project Servator has been successful in gathering intelligence that has assisted Counter Terrorism Units in investigating and preventing acts of terror. It has also resulted in arrests for various offences and is responsible for removing firearms, knives and drugs from the streets.

We will work in partnership with colleagues from British Transport Police, UK Border Force, Counter Terrorist Police and Airport Security to carry out deployments across East Midlands Airport.

Inspector Caroline Graham, Commander for East Midlands Airport Police Team, said: “I am really pleased to be trialling Project Servator at East Midlands Airport. This is a fantastic opportunity for us to work closely with businesses and remind the wider community about the importance of being vigilant at all times. This will add another layer of security to our existing policing methods.”

If you see anything suspicious, you can help by telling a police officer or member of staff immediately or call the confidential counter-terrorism police in confidence on 0800 789 321’. If it's an emergency, always call 999.

Andy Tyler-Smith, Customer Services and Security Director, at East Midlands Airport, said: “The security of everyone who works and visits East Midlands Airport is important to us, which is why we’re working closely with Leicestershire Police as part of Project Servator to make life difficult for criminals looking to operate in this area.

“East Midlands Airport is an incredibly safe place and this will further strengthen the visible and less visible measures already in place to keep everyone safe and secure.”

Find out more about Project Servator on our website