Drugs Arrest In Belfast City Centre

Police deployments operating under new security tactics have made an arrest in Belfast City Centre.

Project Servator officers observed suspicious behaviour in the area on Tuesday night, 03 December and moved to search a 32 year-old male.

The man was then arrested on suspicion of possession of suspected class A drugs with intent to supply. Police also seized a small quantity of needles and drugs paraphernalia.

It comes after the PSNI commenced a trial of new safety and security deployments and policing tactics known as Project Servator, which aims to disrupt a range of criminal activity while providing a reassuring presence for members of the public.

The initiative was originally introduced by the City of London Police in February 2014 and has since been adopted by 23 other police forces, resulting in hundreds of arrests and pieces of intelligence being gathered.

Strategic lead for Project Servator Superintendent Pat Foy said: "My officers have been specially trained to spot tell-tale signs that someone is gathering information to help them plan or prepare to commit a crime and we will have deployments right across the Belfast Christmas Markets and the city centre.

"Project Servator patrols are highly visible and characterised by the use of a range of policing assets - dogs, vehicles, plain clothes officers – in an unpredictable way. If you see Project Servator officers across Belfast city centre, I can assure you there is nothing to worry about. They are normal police deployments there to keep you safe and are not in response to any specific threat."

Locally, Tactical Support Group officers have made a number of arrests for possession of drugs, and seized a substantial quantity of Class A and Class C drugs and a number of offensive weapons in the past week.

The PSNI is working closely with Belfast Harbour Police, security staff and CCTV operators, local businesses and retailers and members of the public to make the most of the new strategy and make Northern Ireland a difficult place for criminals and terrorists to operate.

Project Servator is also often deployed at major events, including the Commonwealth Games, Wimbledon Tennis Championships, and locally at The Open Championship in Portrush.

Superintendent Foy stressed the need for continued support and information from the public. He said: "I would stress that we cannot do this alone. Members of the public have an important role to play in helping us keep people safe by reporting anything that doesn't feel right. We rely on you to be our eyes and ears so please report any suspicious activity to police."

Anyone who observes suspicious activity can contact police on non-emergency line 101, or in an emergency call 999.



(JG/CM)