Project Servator logo. Crown Copyright.
As the Ministry of Defence Police (MDP) approaches three years since it first adopted use of Project Servator at HM Naval Base Portsmouth, the Force has been presented with a "Highly Commended" Team Award at the recent Government Security Conference Awards. The MDP Project Servator team were among more than 180 nominees at the annual awards event.
Assistant Chief Constable Dave Long commented,
This is a fantastic outcome for the MDP Project Servator team. From our officers on the ground in Whitehall, Portsmouth, Clyde, Coulport, Aldermaston and Burghfield, to our Central Support Group, to the Force Training Lead and Strategic Lead, to the drum beat of social media posts and publicity materials delivered by MDP Corporate Communications, this award recognises their collective efforts in ensuring the high standard and effectiveness of our deployments. Well done to all and I look forward to seeing the MDP Project Servator Team continue to grow as we expand its use at other sites throughout this year.
Project Servator is a policing tactic which aims to disrupt a range of criminal activity, including terrorism, whilst providing a reassuring presence for the public. The approach relies on building a network of vigilance made up of staff, communities, customers and stakeholders, business and community partners and the general public.
The picture is of Police Sergeant Guy Hibbert (to the left), MDP Project Servator Lead Trainer and National Project Servator Trainer collecting the award from Dominic Fortescue (to the right), Government Chief Security Officer. Crown Copyright: Cabinet Office.
The MDP Project Servator team's highly visible deployments, with supporting assets (such as police dogs and armed officers) and a focus on community engagement and collaboration with local forces, have seen an increase in arrests for theft, possession of offensive weapons and drugs and traffic and immigration offences, along with an increase in intelligence gathering.
Effective engagement with members of the communities that the MDP Project Servator team serve, in and outside the wire, has also strengthened the counter-terrorism focus on being vigilant and reporting anything that does not seem right.
Project Servator was first developed and introduced by the Centre for the Protection of National Infrastructure (CPNI) and the City of London Police in 2014 and it is now used by a growing number of police forces in the UK, Gibraltar and most recently Australia.
