EMBARGOED UNTIL 1200hrs FRIDAY 1st JUNE 2018

A policing tactic designed to deter, detect and disrupt a range of criminality, including terrorism, goes live across Gibraltar from Friday 1 June 2018.

Project Servator, researched and developed by experts from the UK Centre for the Protection of National Infrastructure (CPNI) in partnership with the City of London Police, has been rolled out across a number of UK cities since 2014. The City of London, Metropolitan, British Transport, Ministry of Defence, Civil Nuclear Constabulary, North Yorkshire and Essex Police forces, and Police Scotland, are deploying this tactic. Gibraltar is the only location outside mainland UK where this scheme has been approved for use, following several months of UK and locally-based training, as well as engagement with UK partner organisations. Project Servator sees the deployment of highly visible police officers, supported by other resources such as police dogs, firearms officers, plain clothes officers, marine police units, vehicle checkpoints and CCTV, across Gibraltar’s points of entry, city centre, leisure areas and other crowded places. They are supported by officers specially-trained to spot the tell-tale signs that an individual may have criminal intent. The deployments are highly unpredictable and intelligence-led.

Key to the success of Project Servator is the support of residents, workers and visitors to our community, being our extra “eyes and ears” and reporting any suspicious activity.

Commissioner of Police Ian McGrail said:

“Building on the UK success of Project Servator in deterring, detecting and disrupting a wide range of criminality whilst reassuring the public, the Royal Gibraltar Police has completed an extensive programme of work since last November that has included training, community awareness and operational deployments in the lead up to today’s formal launch.

“In adopting Project Servator, we are enhancing our existing tactics by adopting best practice developed by experts and implemented by policing partners in the UK, in order to help keep key sites and crowded places within Gibraltar safe and secure.

“The active support of the public, community and businesses is vital to the success of Project Servator.

“We have been actively engaging local businesses and the wider Gibraltar community since December to introduce them to Project Servator, explaining the vital role that they have to play.

“Please don’t be surprised or alarmed if you see a heavy police presence in a specific area of Gibraltar, as these are normal police operations to deter, detect and disrupt a broad range of criminal activity.

“You can help us keep our community safe by engaging with the Project Servator teams if you see them deployed in your area; speak to officers to find out how you can play a part.”

“We want to reassure our community that we are working together to keep everyone safe”.

Local project coordinator, Detective Inspector Paul Chipolina said:

“The aim of Project Servator is to combine effective police deployments with increased levels of vigilance in our community to deter, detect and ultimately disrupt a broad spectrum of criminality, from pick-pocketing to terrorism.

“These tactics are not in response to a specific threat or recent tragic events in the UK or across Europe, but have been in the planning stages for some time as part of a wider project to uplift our capability.

“We have been rolling out this project since December as part of our continuing work to keep Gibraltar safe by collaborating with local, regional and international partners. There has been significant investment in training officers locally and overseas during the past few months. We also use leaflets, posters and social media updates to inform the community about what we are doing and encourage them to take part. We will continue delivering awareness briefings to key community stakeholders in parallel to our deployments.

“We have already received positive feedback from local businesses and the public feeling reassured by this approach. Everyone has a key role to play; those extra eyes and ears provide us with added capability to deter, detect and disrupt a range of criminality that is second to none.

“We continue to call on the public to be vigilant and to report anything that they deem to be suspicious immediately by telling a police officer, or by calling us on 20072500 (if not urgent), in the event of an emergency 199 / 112. We can also be contacted by email on servator@royalgib.police.gi

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