The Met Police's Head of Security speaks out about his Project Servator plan to train officers to spot terrorist activity.

The project launched in April last year across London including Waltham Forest and trains officers in uniform and normal clothes to look for people inadvertently displaying tell-tale signs of would-be terrorists.

Since its launch, it has led to more than 400 arrests for offences ranging from possession of offensive weapons to fraud.

Commander Simon Bray said: "If you’ve ever watched or played a game of poker, you’ll know how disastrous it is to have a “tell” – a behaviour or action you unconsciously display when you’re feeling under pressure.

"Even the tiniest twitch can betray a professional to a vigilant opponent, and then it’s game over.

"In London and across the UK, thousands of officers have been specially trained to spot the “tells” of would-be terrorists."

He added that the specialist officers work in populated areas such as tourist attractions, shopping centres, train and tube stations and airports, among others.

Mr Bray said: "The officers’ specialist training is based on extensive research into how terrorists think and behave when they are scoping out a location to carry out an attack or ‘hostile reconnaissance’ as we call it.

"It’s incredible really – some small and innocuous action that most people wouldn’t notice is like a blazing red warning light to Project Servator officers.

"The officers will speak with anyone acting suspiciously to find out more about their reason for being in the area and to ultimately assess if they are a cause for concern."

Since the project launch, Project Servator officers have stopped people carrying knives, firearms and drugs.

The Head of Security added: "Sometimes the officers won’t necessarily recover evidence of a crime, but if they believe a person might be carrying out hostile reconnaissance, they’ll pass the intelligence on to the Met Police Counter Terrorism Command, working with them to identify terrorist activity.

"Of course, not everyone that Project Servator officers approach is doing something illegal. If you are one of these people we may ask you to stay around a bit longer while we explain what Project Servator is and how you can help keep London and the UK safe.

"Because you really can help, and you don’t need to have the specialist training of our Project Servator officers to do so.

"The stakes in terrorism are so high and that’s why we all need to play our part in keeping London and the UK safe from those intent on causing harm."

If faced with a situation that causes concerns, call police in confidence on 0800 789 321 or in an emergency call 999.

To find out more about the project visit: met.police.uk/projectservator or follow #ProjectServator on Twitter.