Forces News spotlight on MDP at HM Naval Base Devonport
British Forces Broadcasting Service (BFBS) meets Ministry of Defence Police teams in and around the naval base in Plymouth.
Forces TV and MDP Project Servator deployment. Copyright BFBS.
A series of mini-documentaries and reports on the MDP have featured on BFBS channels ahead of and during the week that followed the Force’s 50th Anniversary on 1 October 2021.
Three spotlight features on specialist MDP teams at HM Naval Base Devonport were released to coincide with the half-century milestone. These followed a mini-documentary focused on a firearms training exercise and a special 50th Anniversary Pass Out Parade.
At Devonport, Forces News reporter Briohny Williams joined the marine unit during a firearms training exercise afloat, followed our Project Servator officers out on deployment and met puppy Harri and the dog section.
Chief Inspector Darrell Barber, MDP Senior Police Officer at HM Naval Base Devonport, said:
“We were very pleased to spend time with Briohny and the BFBS crew, in support of the MDP’s 50th Anniversary campaign, to show a flavour of the Force’s specialist policing capabilities used at the sites we protect across the UK, and to explain more on our role in keeping the Naval Base here in Plymouth safe and secure.”
Watch the MDP Devonport Forces News reports
Marine
Watch the video: specialist armed police keeping UK waters safe
MDP has the largest marine policing capability in the UK and supports national policing operations for events and incidents when required.
The MDP Devonport Marine Unit (DMU) is responsible for ensuring waterborne policing and security at the naval base, escorting naval ships and other vessels, and working with the Queen’s Harbour Master on general police patrols.
Members of the DMU regularly practise marine firearms tactics simulations, as seen in the Forces News report, to ensure they’re prepared to respond to different security threats.
Project Servator
Watch how the MDP use Project Servator to protect Plymouth Naval Base: Forces Net video.
The national policing tactic Project Servator is used by the MDP at Devonport, and at other locations across the UK, to disrupt criminal activity while providing a reassuring presence for the Defence community and public in the surrounding area.
Project Servator officers are specially trained to identify tell-tale signs of criminal activity, during highly visible deployments that can happen at any time, anywhere. These are made up of a range of resources including: uniformed and plain clothes officers, armed police officers, police dogs, marine police units, vehicle checkpoints, CCTV and Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR).
Police dogs
Watch the video: from Cute Puppies To Defence Dogs
The MDP Dog Unit represents the second largest police dog capability in the UK and recently became the first non-Home Office police unit to achieve national accreditation for police dog training.
At Devonport the MDP has more than 15 dogs used in a range of protective and deterrent roles, and to detect and intercept suspicious activity and criminality, for example using specialist drugs or explosives dogs.
Training the dogs is a gradual process and Forces News gained insight on what’s involved during their time with the MDP Devonport Dog Unit and puppy Harri.