Manchester Airport is the latest place to see Project Servator launched. The counter-terrorist policing tactic was used by Greater Manchester Police in the city centre during last year’s Christmas Markets, seeing police, security and other partners, businesses and the public working together to deter, detect and disrupt crime, whether pickpockets and thieves or terrorists that might carry out ‘hostile reconnaissance’ of sites. Now, the Airport policing team, Manchester Airport and partners are using the method.
Inspector Alan Kelly, who helps lead the policing team at the Airport, said: “I am really pleased to be introducing Project Servator to Manchester Airport. It is a fantastic opportunity for us to engage with passengers, visitors and staff using the airport and to work with them and our airport security partners to keep everyone safe and add another layer of security to our existing policing methods.”
As at other places where police have taken up Servator, airport users can expect to see visible police deployments happening in any part of the airport, any time. Deploying may be uniformed police officers, plain clothes officers, search dogs, police vehicles and searches, all backed up by officers trained to identify individuals who may have criminal intent, CCTV, security staff and unspecified less visible security measures.
Officers will also be talking to the public, including businesses, wherever they go to raise awareness of Servator and encourage people to remain vigilant and report anything suspicious. GMP is also encouraging everyone to follow national ACT (Action Counters Terrorism) guidance: visit www.gov.uk/ACT.
A Manchester Airport spokesman said: “The security of all of our passengers and staff is always of paramount importance, which is why we’ve worked closely with GMP on this new initiative. The airport is an incredibly safe place but this will further strengthen the measures in place to keep everyone safe and secure at all times.”
Visit www.gmp.police.uk/projectservator.
Project Servator has been developed and tested by the official Centre for the Protection of National Infrastructure (CPNI) and was first used by the City of London Police in 2014. Professional Security magazine since spring 2014 has featured Servator in the City; at King’s Cross mainline railway station by British Transport Police (BTP); the 2014 Glasgow Commonwealth Games; at Sellafield nuclear power station; by Essex Police at the intu Lakeside shopping centre, in the September 2017 print issue of the magazine; and in the May 2018 print issue, on Parliament Square in Westminster (and the Tower of London, pictured) to mark the London-wide launch of Servator by the Met Police, City of London, BTP and Ministry of Defence Police forces.
