Stansted: How Project Servator patrols are helping to keep the airport safe

Officers specially trained to spot the signs that people are planning criminal activity have been on patrol at Stansted Airport.

As part of the national Project Servator initiative, Stansted Community Policing Team have been working alongside our firearms and dog units to conduct unpredictable high visibility patrols at the main terminal building and in and around the airport’s bus and train stations.

The aim to is reassure the public, deter and disrupt criminal activity, and encourage the reporting of any suspicious or unusual activity.

Stansted is one of a number of high-footfall areas across the county where Servator patrols have taken place. The airport - used by 29 million passengers in the past 12 months to fly to more than 180 destinations - has its own police station and dedicated police team.

PC Caroline Clark is the force’s Project Servator coordinator. She said Servator tactics have proved effective at apprehending individuals linked to wide range of offences:

“Project Servator deployments see the police, our partners, businesses and the public all working together to create a hostile environment for criminals to operate in.

“We can pop up anywhere at any time day or night, all year-round. We work with Border Force and neighbouring police forces, and use a variety of resources including drones and the OpenGate weapons detection system.

“Officers are trained to spot key indicators that reveal people may not be in areas for legitimate reasons. We have apprehended people who can’t explain why they’re carrying large amounts of money, gathered intelligence that has led directly to the downfall of organised criminal gangs, and 44% of our stop searches have positive outcomes.

“It’s an effective way of countering many different forms of criminality.”

PC Clarke added that engaging with the public is a key part of the deployments and there was no need for anyone to be concerned about the increased police presence:

“We want the public to be our eyes are ears – if they see anything that makes them feel uneasy, we want them to contact us. We’d always rather be called and not needed than not called. People have good instincts. If you’re going to the same place regularly, you may spot something that we need to know about.”

Assistant Chief Constable Rachel Nolan joined the latest Servator deployment and said that it was essential the force was highly visible at the airport:

“It’s important that people arriving at Stansted - some potentially visiting the UK for the first time - see the friendly and engaging face of Essex Police.

“However, when there are issues, whether that’s disorder or crime, we react quickly and appropriately to demonstrate that behaviour isn’t tolerated in Essex.

“How we police our transport hubs should be representative of what we deliver across the county.

“The team have been talking to people and they were happy to chat and responded to our requests to be vigilant. But we also saw people who didn’t respond as well to the police being around and we talked to them to find out why they were here.

“Servator uses nationally recognised tactics to deter criminals and with the launch of live facial recognition later this month, we’re looking at how we can work smarter and use the two together to prevent crime.”

If you see something suspicious, please tell a police officer or use our online form to tell us about possible terrorist activity. If it's an emergency, always call 999.

You’ll find more information on what to look out for and how to report it at ACT - Action Counters Terrorism.