European Observatory to Combat Radicalization
Met launches new counter terrorism team for London’s roads and transport hubs
Met.police -The Met’s Roads and Transport Policing Command (RTPC) is launching its own dedicated Project Servator team to make it even more difficult for terrorists and other criminals to operate across London’s roads and transport hubs.
The new RTPC Project Servator officers will be on roads, on buses, at bus stations, bus stops and transport interchanges. They will also conduct regular vehicle checks at key locations across the capital. During deployments, they can also be positioned in CCTV control rooms to monitor activity. These officers are supported by a range of other police resources such as Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR), firearms officers and sniffer dogs.
At the same time, officers will speak to people in and around the places they deploy to, including business owners and staff, community partners and members of the public to encourage them to be our extra eyes and ears and report anything that does not feel right.
Project Servator is a specialist counter terrorism policing tactic to deter, detect and disrupt a range of criminal activity, including terrorism, while providing a reassuring presence for the public. These officers are specially-trained to spot the tell-tale signs that someone is planning or preparing to commit a criminal or terrorist act. Their patrols include a mix of uniformed and plain-clothed officers who can show up at any time and in any location.
The new Project Servator team will provide an additional layer of protective security on the roads and transport network. This will bolster existing Project Servator patrols in busy areas such as shopping centres, around tourist attractions, the Square Mile and London’s airports. They will work in partnership with other Project Servator teams across the Met, City of London Police, British Transport Police and the Ministry of Defence Police.
The Met’s Project Servator teams have been operating across London since April 2018. Between then and November 2020, they arrested more than 1,000 people and have gathered over 2,000 pieces of intelligence relating to criminal activity.
Inspector James Beattie, Roads and Transport Policing Command, said: “This is good news for the travelling public and bad news for anyone with terrorist or criminal intent.
“The introduction of specially-trained RTPC Project Servator officers will make life even more difficult for potential terrorists and criminals to operate across London’s roads and transport network. Consequently, we are making a safer and more secure environment for members of the travelling public.
“Don’t be surprised if you see us pop up. It is nothing to worry about and we will be talking to members of the public and urging them to help us. Defeating terrorism requires a collective community effort where police, security staff, retail workers and the public come together to minimise the chance of attacks. The cooperation between the public and the police is a powerful defence against terrorism.”
We encourage everyone to play their part in Project Servator by remaining alert while out and about, and reporting anything that does not feel right to police, security or a member of staff immediately.
