Police have closed off a park in the city centre of Bath as part of a new operation specifically designed to disrupt a range of criminal activity.

Avon and Somerset police launched Project Servator in Bath today (June 12). Part of that involved closing off Parade Gardens by the river not long before midday.

This involves highly visible and unpredictable police deployments made up of officers specially trained to identify criminal intent, along with a range of other police resources including police dogs, police horses, armed police officers and police helicopters and drones.

The idea is to create an uninviting environment for potential terrorists considering their targets and individuals looking to commit crime.

UPDATE - Why Bath was chosen for operation

Police officers getting an 'eye from the sky' using drones

One key part of this operation was having an, as police sergeant Natalie Gooch put it, 'eye in the sky'.

Officers then flew a drone up into the air from Parade Gardens and used it to fly around Bath, looking for any signs of crime.

"We have police deployed on the ground in Bath today for Project Servator and we also have drones in the air as well," she said.

"Although officers are out and about on the streets of Bath, we want to get an overall view of the area and a drone provides us with another set of eyes in the sky.

"If there is a criminal or someone carrying out hostile reconnaissance, which is where someone with malicious intent will gather information before carrying out a crime, then a drone can help with preventing that.

Police sergeant Natalie Gooch is a key member of the Project Servator task team

"We are saying to the local public, businesses and everyone in the city, if you see something that does not look right, report it to us, no matter how serious you think it is.

"We did this at the Bath Christmas Market, in Bristol and the airport as well. This has proven to be successful.

"But we are approachable and we want to reassure the public to come and chat to us. Sometimes people are more likely to report something to someone in person than over email or on the phone."

What is Project Servator?

At a police briefing at around 11am today, officers said that 'Servator' is a Latin word which means 'watcher', 'observer', 'saviour' and 'preserver'.

Project Servator, which is funded by Counter Terrorism Policing, was developed by the Centre for the Protection of National Infrastructure (CPNI) and the City of London Police, and has been fully adopted by 13 other UK police forces.

Police horses deployed in Bath city centre today as part of new operation

Deployments are intelligence-led and can turn up anywhere at any time.

They will see uniformed officers speak to the public and hand out leaflets, while plain-clothed officers blend into the crowd and watch for suspicious activity.

Officers will be supported by CCTV operators and security staff and may set up vehicle checkpoints while using ANPR (Automatic Number Plate Recognition).

Avon and Somerset police are encouraging everyone to follow national ACT (Action Counters Terrorism) guidance.

More information on what to look out for and how to contact police can be found at  www.gov.uk/ACT .

 

 

Got a view on this or another local news story? Email richard.mills@reachplc.com.

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