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Project Servator

Date published: 27 July 2023 09:51

What is Project Servator?

Project Servator is the name given to unpredictable, highly visible police deployments carried out by South Yorkshire Police and other police forces, designed to disrupt a range of criminal activity.

The tactics aim to identify and disrupt hostile reconnaissance – the information gathering a criminal does when planning to commit a criminal act, including terrorist attacks.

Our officers are specially-trained to spot the tell-tale signs that someone may be carrying out hostile reconnaissance or preparing to commit a crime. They work with security staff to look out for those signs and take action.

What you will see

Specially-trained uniformed and plain clothed officers will turn up unannounced at various locations across Sheffield city centre to carry out deployments. These will be unpredictable, so they could happen at any time and last for different amounts of time.

The officers will be supported by other assets and security measures – some you will be able to see and some you will not – such as police dogs and horses, armed officers, CCTV operators, Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) and police drones. Vehicle checkpoints are also carried out.

As part of the deployments, officers will hand out leaflets explaining what Project Servator is, while you may also see posters on display. We’re also directly engaging businesses based in and around deployment sites, to help raise awareness amongst their staff and customers.

What we need you to do

You have an important role to play in helping keep people safe by reporting anything that doesn't feel right.

We rely on you to be our eyes and ears so please report your concerns. This could be anything from an unattended item to someone acting suspiciously or anything that seems out of place or unusual.

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

Tell a police officer or a member of staff, or call 101. In an emergency, always call 999. Trust your instincts and report it.

Project Servator on social media

Our officers also engage with the online community, sharing information about Project Servator. Search #ProjectServator.