POLICE have been out in force at in York city centre.

Specially trained officers were out talking to members of the public in Parliament Street as part of Project Servator or 'unpredictable policing' which launched in North Yorkshire five years ago.

A police spokesman said: "York Christmas market is coming soon but our Project Servator officers are already here.

"We work closely with City of York Council and York BID Rangers to help keep everyone safe.

"If you see something suspicious, please report it. 

"Project Servator officers can turn up anywhere, at any time and in any weather.

"Thank you to those members of the public who took time to speak to our officers about the work we do and how you can help.

"If you see us out and about, please come and say hello. We love talking to you and really value your support."

Police say the scheme is a mix of "unpredictable and highly visible" deployments, plain clothes work, and work with businesses, community organisations and the public, and the scheme has since been adopted by other forces around the country.

Deployments can pop up anywhere, any time, in any weather, and include highly visible policing supported by a range of resources that can include CCTV, armed police officers, police dogs, automatic number plate recognition, mounted police, plain clothed officers and air support - including drones.