Project Servator police in Parliament Street in York

Specially trained officers along with British Transport Police and their dog have been out talking to members of the public in Parliament Street, and in Duncombe Place as well as at the railway station as part of Project Servator or 'unpredictable policing' which launched in North Yorkshire five years ago.

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A police spokesman said: "When you see us, please say hello and find out more.

"We pop up anywhere.

"Please stay vigilant and report anything suspicious."

Project Servator police outside York Minster (Image: North Yorkshire Police)
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.