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Project Servator sees heavy police presence in Bristol city centre
Police officers on foot and on horseback swooped on Wapping Wharf on Wednesday lunchtime.
There were initial assumptions that the heavy police presence was to ensure that social distancing measures were being adhered to.
But in fact, the operation was part of Project Servator, the name given to highly visible police deployments carried out by Avon & Somerset Police and other police forces across the UK.
Police also targeted Corn Street and Broadmead on Wednesday as part of the operation designed to disrupt a wide range of criminal activity.
Avon & Somerset Police’s website says that the tactics “aim to identify and disrupt hostile reconnaissance – the information gathering a criminal does when planning to commit a criminal act, including terrorist attacks”.
“Our officers are experienced and specially trained to spot the tell-tale signs that someone may be carrying out hostile reconnaissance or preparing to commit a crime. They work with security staff to look out for those signs and take action.”
Main photo and video: Martin Booth
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