A team of specially-trained volunteers – and their dogs – are on call in Surrey 24 hours a day, seven days a week, to search for lost or missing people.
Surrey Search and Rescue is one of the busiest lowland teams in the UK, and their work can make a life-or-death difference to the county’s most vulnerable residents.
Volunteers, all of whom are members of the public, are trained to give first aid to those in need before evacuating them to safety.
Searches can be carried out across a range of terrain, including woodland, farmland, in urban environments, and near water. There is also an aerial capacity using drones.
Around 80 people volunteer their time to the organisation, helping to search for some of the 2,100 people who go missing in Surrey each year.
In late July, Police and Crime Commissioner Lisa Townsend and Deputy Commissioner Ellie Vesey-Thompson joined the team for a training exercise in woodland near Guildford.
During the evening, volunteers trained their dogs to search over large distances. Both Lisa and Ellie were recruited to hide in the woods for the dogs to find.
The Commissioner said: “This voluntary specialist search team support Surrey Police and other emergency services to find missing vulnerable adults and children.
“No matter the time of day or night, teams respond as quickly as possible to minimise the time a person is at risk.
Unsung heroes
“They operate in farmland, urban areas and woodland, while some volunteers specialise in water rescues and search dog training.
“Surrey Search and Rescue relies wholly on donations, and the work of these unsung heroes is absolutely invaluable.
“Seeing the team in action has been fantastic, and although we’ve had just a brief glimpse of the challenges they face, it’s so impressive to see their professionalism and dedication.”
Ellie said: “I’d like to thank everyone who gives their time to Surrey Search and Rescue to support the emergency services and help save the lives of some truly vulnerable people.”