Merseyside Police asks for your help to keep summer safe
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At the midway point of the music festival season and with many other shows, parades and conferences still on the calendar, Merseyside Police is reminding the public to remain vigilant while they are out and about or attending any events this summer.
Merseyside Police is well-practised at planning for events such as the Pier Head Music Festival, Southport Airshow and Liverpool Pride. Encouraging the public to stay alert and report anything that doesn’t feel right is a vital part of any safe and successful large-scale event.
Chief Inspector Iain Wyke of Protective Security Operations at Merseyside Police said: “With the weather stubbornly changeable at the moment, you could be mistaken for thinking that summer is almost over but there are many more summer events lined up in our operational plans.
“From ‘In the Park Festival’ in Sefton Park this coming weekend through to the Labour Party Conference in late September, there is a wide variety of events that will draw a crowd and require security planning and collaboration with community partners.
“We know that when the public acts as our extra eyes and ears, it helps us keep those attending and working at these events safe. Our partnership working also includes ensuring event security staff receive training on how to spot suspicious activity and what to do.
“Merseyside is a go-to location for many event organisers, and we are fortunate to have such a wide variety of opportunities for residents, visitors and delegates to not only enjoy these events but also to make the most of what the surrounding area and neighbouring businesses have to offer.
“Our communities are used to seeing an increased police and security presence on the run-up to and during events, but we’d still like to remind the public not to be alarmed by this. It’s all about supporting partners with the smooth running of these events, disrupting any potential criminal activity and keeping people safe.”
The force will use a variety of tactics as part of its operational plans including Project Servator deployments, which have been used in Merseyside since 2018. The deployments are deliberately unpredictable and use specially trained uniform and plain-clothes officers to spot the tell-tale signs that someone may have criminal intent. These officers will also encourage the public, including people working in local businesses, to be extra eyes and ears, and report suspicious activity.
Chief Inspector Wyke added: “These highly visible Project Servator deployments are supported by colleagues in other specialist roles such as firearms officers and dog handlers. The officers are also in contact with City Watch for round-the-clock monitoring of the CCTV network used across the force area.
“If you see a Project Servator deployment, there's nothing to worry about. Feel free to talk to officers, they will be happy to explain what they are doing and how you can help keep people safe.”
Everyone can play a vital role in keeping summer safe. Report suspicious activity immediately to a member of staff or a police officer. Or call the police on 101. Suspicious activity is anything that seems out of place, unusual or does not seem to fit in with day-to-day life. If it is an emergency, always call 999.
Guidance on how to help, including what suspicious activity to look out for, and confidential reporting is available at www.gov.uk/act.