Project Servator was formally launched in Gibraltar on the 1st of June 2018,  following a 6-month trial and the provision of specialist training to a number of  RGP officers. It features as one of several Key Performance Indicators under  “Protecting our National Security” and “A Safer Gibraltar” within the Annual  Policing Plan, and is endorsed by both the Gibraltar Contingency Council &  Gibraltar Police Authority. 

A statement from the RGP follows below: 

Project Servator is a policing tactic involving unpredictable highly visible  deployments using a variety of specialist resources as part of an inclusive  collaborative community strategy, designed to deter, disrupt and detect a wide  range of criminal activity including terrorism. It was researched and developed  in 2012 by experts from the UK Centre for the Protection of National  Infrastructure (CPNI) together with the City of London Police, which began  using this tactic in 2014. Since then, 16 UK police forces (including the  Metropolitan, City of London & British Transport police forces) have formally  adopted Project Servator, with several other UK forces presently undertaking  trials. Gibraltar was the first location outside mainland UK where this project  was licensed to operate, followed by Australia’s New South Wales Police in  September 2019. 

Commenting on the anniversary of the project’s launch in Gibraltar,  Commissioner of Police Richard Ullger said: “Since we launched Project  Servator in 2018, we have gone from strength to strength, building up  networks with partners, delivering security awareness presentations and  increasing our engagement with residents, visitors to Gibraltar and our  business community. The pandemic has understandably adversely affected our  engagement due to additional policing commitments, Gibraltar’s lockdown (no public events) and border restrictions. However, we have recently resumed  Project Servator deployments in parallel to activity by our Traffic Taskforce,  Operation Trojan Anti-Social Behaviour deployments and joint working with  the Department of the Environment. 

“The Servator vigilance network is supported by the use of specialist police  resources such as uniformed teams, armed officers and police dogs, as well as  less visible measures, including plain-clothes officers and CCTV, the latter being  a fantastic tool in the fight against crime. Since adopting this tactic, we have  invested significantly in specialist training for officers locally and in the UK and  will continue to do so.” 

Detective Chief Inspector Paul Chipolina (Crime, Security & Protective  Services), and National Coordinator for Projector Servator said: “Project  Servator involves intelligence-led, unpredictable police deployments aimed at  disrupting criminality and terrorism; these deployments are vital in creating a  network of vigilance and a difficult environment for terrorists considering their  targets and/or individuals looking to commit crime. 

“Over the past 3 years, Project Servator officers have engaged with hundreds  of persons during their deployments at Gibraltar’s points of entry, crowded  spaces and critical national infrastructure, with some interactions resulting in  individuals arrested for offences relating to the possession of drugs, stolen  property, offensive weapons and forged documents, with others issued with  fixed penalty notices for various traffic offences. No individuals have been  dealt with under Gibraltar’s Terrorism legislation. 

“Project Servator tactics are not in response to a specific threat or recent tragic  events across Europe. This work forms part of wider efforts to keep Gibraltar  safe through ongoing collaboration with a range of local, regional and  international partners.  

“Each of us can play a part in keeping Gibraltar safe by being alert NOT  alarmed, reporting any suspicious behaviour either to security staff or a police  officer in your area, through our online reporting portal (www.police.gi/report online if not urgent) calling 20072500 (if not-urgent). In an Emergency always  dial 199.