This is where we archive our press releases, news and operational activities from the last 12 months. You can look at our very latest news by clicking here.
[08/12/07]
SusSAR involved in
Missing Person search
Following on from our activities
of 20th and 22nd July 2007, we were requested by Sussex Police to
attend a renewed search for the Missing Person in the area surrounding
his home. We were joined in the search by colleagues from Neighbourhood
Watch search teams of North and West Sussex together, Kent
Search and Rescue, Lowland
Search Dogs (Sussex) and members of CanTech.
A SusSAR team, working with members of Kent Search and
Rescue and CanTech discovered the body of the man in woodland on the
outskirts of the town.
[24/11/07]
Mountain Bike Team Training Day
Sussex Search and Rescue
is leading the way in developing the use of mountain bikes to assist
our operations. We now have a pool of trained members equipped with
the skills to use our fleet of bikes that travel to
all searches in our Support Vehicle.
[17/11/07]
Search Exercise
Working with our
colleagues from Lowland
Search Dogs (Sussex) we organised a day long exercise at Southwater
Country Park near Horsham. The aim of the exercise was to develop
the way that our Units work together, and how our own Foot Searchers
and Mountain Bike Team can complement the work of the Dogs and vice
versa. It was an extremely succesful event and we look forward to
further joint training exercises over the coming months. Many
thanks to West Sussex County Council and the Park Rangers for allowing
us to use the facility.
[08/11/07]
Training Evening
This month we were joined by some of our colleagues
from Lowland Search Dogs (Sussex)
on a Search Exercise on the Downs around Lancing College. We deployed
both foot searching and Mountain Biking teams for the scenario and
were successful in locating both of the 'Mispers' in the darkness
and challenging weather conditions.
[11/10/07]
Training Evening
We were at Shoreham Beach
for this month's training, practising our techniques for shoreline
searching.
[06/10/07]
SusSAR attend Sussex
Police Search Exercise
This 2 day Sussex Police led search exercise In Friston Forest, East
Sussex involved working alongside personnel from the Sussex Fire and
Rescue Services and our colleagues from North and West Downs Neighbourhood
Watch Teams and Lowland
Search Dogs (Sussex). This was an opportunity to
develop the way that we work with these other agencies and a chance
for members of our Unit to get out on the ground and searching again
after what has been a relatively quiet time for us recently.
[22/09/07]
Mountain Bike Team Training Day
Sussex Search and Rescue
is one of the first in the country to use mountain bikes to assist
our operations. We have developed our own training programme for our
members which has taken into account advice and good practice from
Police forces and other search organisations from around the world.
With a number of our members now trained and our fleet of bikes now
travelling as a resource to all searches attended by our Search Support
Vehicle, we are certain that the Bike Team will soon prove their worth
in assisting with a 'real life' search.
[16/09/07]
SusSAR assist Hampshire
Search and Rescue in Missing Person search
A number of our members responded to a request for support from Hampshire
Search and Rescue in a search for a vulnerable missing person
in the Eastleigh area. Our assistance involved house to house enquiries
and the searching of property and gardens in the area around the missing
persons residence.
[13/09/07]
Training Evening
After a quiet month in terms
of callouts, it was good to get back out on the ground to stretch
the legs and test our skills at this months training evening. Over
20 members of the Unit attended and took part in a night navigation
and search activity on the Downs near Steyning Bowl, with the foucs
of the learning tasks being the analysis of MisPer behaviour statistics
and their use in search planning.
[09/08/07]
Training Evening
This month our training officer
Steve Bavin organised a round robin of three activities for our members
- some first aid management practice, a familiarisation exercise involving
the Search Support Vehicle (SSV) and an opportunity to get on the
ground searching with a 'hasty' route and path scenario along the
banks of the River Adur.
[26/07/07]
New Members Evening
We were pleased to welcome
twelve people to our new members evening this month as part of our
ongoing recruitment drive. The evening gave us a chance to tell these
potential recruits about our Unit and the work that we do. We look
forward to welcoming them all to our August training session.
[22/07/07]
SusSAR involved in
Missing Person search
In the light of a further
request from the police, the Unit returned to Battle to continue the
search for the 70 year old male Alzheimer sufferer, missing from his
home in Battle since Wednesday 18th July. Footpaths across the town
were searched but unfortunately without trace of the missing person.
The Unit stood down at 11pm.
[20/07/07]
SusSAR involvedin
Missing Person search
The unit were called out
by Sussex Police to search for a 70 year old male in the Alzheimer
sufferer, missing from his home in Battle since Wednesday 18th July.
Working alongside our colleagues from Lowland
Search Dogs (Sussex) we put out 2 foot teams and 2 dog teams.
Searching was carried out over some arduous terrain for over 6 hours.
We stood down from the search around midnight, unfortunately,
with no trace of the missing person.
[12/07/07]
Training Evening
This months training evening
was an opportunity for those who attended the UKLSI search conference
to update other members on the latest developments and discussions
in lowland search best practice.
[09/07/07]
SusSAR involved in
Missing Person search
The unit were called out
by Sussex Police to search for a 72 year old male in the Ashington
area of West Sussex. Several of our members attended and worked alongside
our colleagues from Lowland
Search Dogs (Sussex) and North
Downs Neighbourhood Watch. All teams were stood down at 15.00
hrs, having searched all of the areas identified by the police intelligence,
but without locating the missing person.
[05/07/07]
SusSAR involved in
Missing Person search
The unit were called to give
further assistance to Sussex Police in the search for the 42 year
old male, missing since the 28/06/07 in the Burgess Hill area of West
Sussex. Additional information had suggested a number of further areas
to be searched. The Missing Person was safely located at 11.15 am
by a colleague from North
Downs Neighbourhood Watch team.
[29/06/07]
SusSAR involved in
Missing Person search
The unit were called to assist
Sussex Police in a search for an 42 year old man, missing since the
previous evening in the Burgess Hill area of West Sussex. Working
alongside our colleagues from the Lowland
Search Dogs (Sussex), the teams were tasked with searching areas
around the Victoria Industrial Estate and surrounding parkland. The
Unit were stood down at 2130hrs after having conducted searches of
the priority areas.
[26/06/07]
SusSAR on Standby
The Unit was put on standby to support Hampshire
Search and Rescue in a search for a vulnerable missing person
near Hindhead on the Surrey / Hampshire border. The Unit were stood
down prior to the search after the missing person was located.
[21/06/07]
SusSAR on
Standby
The Unit was put on standby to support Lowland
Search Dogs (Sussex) who were to assist SEBEV in carrying out
a search of hospital grounds in Ascot. The Unit were stood down prior
to the search until further notice.
[16/06/07]
SusSAR assist Hampshire
Search and Rescue in Missing Person search
A number of our members responded to a request for support from Hampshire
Search and Rescue in a search for a vulnerable missing person
in the Andover area. We provided approximately 50 hours of searcher
time to the operation, working alongside our colleagues from Hampshire,
Bucks and Dorset to search several large areas of woodland and paths
for a 39 year old male despondent missing since 6th June.
[14/06/07]
AGM
A new committee were elected into post at our Annual General Meeting.
The incoming committee members briefed the Unit on the aims and objectives
for coming year which included our plans for furthering the professional
development of our current membership and for attracting new recruits
to the Unit.
[10/06/07]
South of England
Show
We were delighted to receive an invitation from Sussex Police to make
use of their publicity trailer during this years South of England
Show alongside our colleagues in the Neighbourhood Watch Teams and
Lowland Search Dogs (Sussex). Not only were we able to use the opportunity
to help publicise our services to the public, our expertise also came
into play as we performed six searches for missing people at the event
itself!
[10/05/07]
Monthly Training
Event
Torrential rain and strong winds accompanied our May training evening.
Training Officer, Steve Bavin, set out a testing orienteering course
covering an area of 5km square of the Downs above Lancing. A high
level of map and compass skills were required to succesfully complete
the course, whilst the inclement weather was an opportunity for our
members to test their personal equipment under demanding conditions.
[21/04/07]
Search Exercise
We were joined by colleagues from Wiltshire
Search and Rescue for a daylight Missing Person search exercise
in Cowdray Forest, north of Balcombe. The complexity of paths and
dense undergrowth in the forest were typical of the challenging conditions
that we are often required to work in and enabled us to further develop
our skills of navigation and search techiques. Our gratitude goes
to the Paddockhurst Estate for kindly allowing us the use of their
grounds.
[15/04/07]
SusSAR assist Lowland Search Dogs (Sussex)
in Missing Person search
We received a request from Lowland
Search Dogs (Sussex) for the assistance of a small number of our
qualified Search Technicians to assist their dog handlers with navigation
and communication tasks in a Missing Person search in the Gravesend
area of Kent. Our colleagues from Kent and Essex Search and Rescue
Units were also in attendance. Kent Police were very grateful for
the assistance given by all of the volunteers groups.
[13/04/07]
SusSAR involved in Missing Person search
The unit were called to assist Sussex Police in a search for an 82
year old man, missing since the previous evening in the Findon area
of West Sussex. Working alongside our colleagues from the Neighbourhood
Watch search teams, SusSAR were tasked with searching the area around
Cissbury Ring above Findon Valley. We deployed our Mountain Bike Team
to perform a search of the tracks and paths in the area, and a foot
team used to search the woodland and undergrowth. The Unit were stood
down at 1500hrs when the Missing Person was found alive by a member
of the public on a footpath to the west of Findon.
[12/04/07]
Monthly Training Event
This months training evening was an opportunity to refresh our knowledge
on 'Scenes of Crime' preservation, including a practical search task.
Members also received training in the use of the Units water safety
equipment and our new buoyancy aids and throw lines. The session ended
with a practical demonstration of the stretchers available within
the Search Support vehicle.
[10/03/07]
Search Exercise
15 members of the unit attended a search exercise in the Tilgate Park
area of Crawley. The training scenario entailed a search for a missing
despondent who it was feared may have intentions of self harm. The
exercise continued into the darkness and ended with a simulated casualty
evacuation and stretcher carry.
[08/03/07]
Monthly Training Event
With our new Search Support Vehicle now fully operational, this month's
training meeting was an opportunity for members of the unit to familiarise
themselves with the set up of the vehicle and our new equipment. There
was also an update and training on communications procedures and use
of the hand held radio, as well as the obligatory search practice.
[10/02/07]
SusSAR support Sussex Police exercise 'Op Foil'
Members of the unit were in attendance to support Sussex Police in
a training exercise for the North Downs Neighbourhood Watch in Lindfield,
East Sussex. Our members were on-hand to provide guidance and advice
to the newly formed Watch team as they searched an area of farmland
for evidence and discarded items from a 'post office raid' the previous
day. We also fed back to the Police our observations of the event
and the teams that we were working alongside.
[08/02/07]
Monthly Training Event
16 members of the unit took part in a search exercise in the Lancing Hill area of West Sussex. The weather conditions and darkness provided a realistic scenario for the type of conditions that the unit often works in.
[03/02/07]
SusSAR involved in evidence search
The unit were called out to assist Sussex Police after a shooting in Burgess Hill the previous evening. 11 members of the unit were deployed for 4 hours in the search for discarded items across an area of open parkland in the west of the town.