Memorandum by the Association of Lowland
Search and Rescue (ALSAR) (SAR 15)
SEARCH AND RESCUE PROVISION IN THE UK
The Association of Lowland Search and Rescue
has grown in the past five years from four member units to our
current 12. Each unit normally has responsibility for an individual
county. It is likely that this rapid expansion will continue over
the next few years and it is our aim that every Police Force in
the UK will eventually have access to a unit with a lowland search
capability within a realistic response time. ALSAR units work
alongside Lowland Search Dogs UK in most of our areas. This is
a separate organisation, whose members are trained to be able
to integrate with ALSAR units as and when necessary and most of
their members are also involved with their local ALSAR unit.
All of our units are made up of volunteers,
giving their time freely and, indeed, often incurring a considerable
expense in doing so. They are usually expected to pay for their
own personal equipment eg boots and outdoor clothing, waterproofs,
torches etc, as well as travelling expenses when attending a search
or training exercise. Personal Protective Equipment, such as high
visibility jackets, life jackets, throw lines etc. is generally
provided by the unit, as are radios. The levels of equipment held
by individual units vary enormously according to the funds they
have managed to raise.
The majority of ALSAR units are registered charities.
Some units have been lucky enough to have been given small grants
by their local authorities or Police Forces, usually in recognition
of a particular service they have provided. Others have benefited
from small lottery grants, sponsorship from local companies or
even donations from grateful families of people we have searched
for. Most units have a number of collecting boxes placed around
the local area. Very few ALSAR units have adequate funds to meet
their needs.
Most ALSAR units are constantly recruiting and
we currently have around 450 members. The turnover of volunteers
can be quite high in some cases as often a new recruit will join,
having underestimated the commitment necessary to play a full
part in a SAR unit. Some members find it quite hard to balance
this commitment with their family or professional lives. Another
problem experienced right across the board is that of a lack of
support members. Most members will join a SAR unit because they
have a desire to go out and search for missing people. Very few
members join to carry out the less physical duties such as fundraising,
letter writing, record keeping, research and liaison with other
agencies etc. All of these administrative tasks are important
to the survival of an ALSAR unit so members prepared to take these
tasks on are highly sought after.
One major bone of contention within ALSAR is
the VAT position of Lowland Search and Rescue Units. We currently
receive VAT exemption on radio equipment and emergency medical
supplies. However, much of our equipment is essential in order
for us to be able to carry out a search on behalf of the Police.
For example: High visibility jackets, maps, compasses, torches,
search poles and fuel for our incident control vehicles. Depending
on the area searched we may need to use life jackets, throw lines
or other safety equipment. The VAT element included in the cost
of this equipment represents a significant part of the budget
of an ALSAR unit.
Conservative figures show that the cost of a
Police Force providing a team to take part in a missing person
search is approximately £16 per hour per constable. In an
average search an ALSAR unit might provide 60-100 search man hours,
representing a saving of £900 to £1,500 to the Police
Force for whom they are working. This does not take into account
overtime rates or the cost of higher ranking Police Officers being
involved in the search, nor the cost of training those officers
in search techniques. Some searches may run into several hundred
or even thousands of search man hours over many days. Bearing
in mind these savings to the taxpayer and the difficulty most
SAR units experience in finding the money to pay for the equipment
to allow us to carry out our operations on behalf of the Police,
we feel that it would be fairer if SAR organisations in the UK
were granted VAT exemption on a far wider range of purchases.
Another problem which is common throughout ALSAR
is that of accommodation. Few units have a "home" where
they can keep their equipment, park their incident control vehicle
(if they have one) and carry out regular training. The cost is
usually prohibitive. Some units have been lucky enough to have
been granted permission from a local authority or private company
to use a building or a part of a building but quite a few units
have to meet wherever they can. Equipment may be stored at a variety
of members' houses or workplaces. This can impact on the efficiency
of the unit, sometimes resulting in delays in an emergency situation,
as well as complicated insurance issues.
ALSAR units are available for use in a civil
disaster scenario, having many of the skills required to assist
the statutory emergency services. Our common procedures, communications
and working practices mean that we are able to work smoothly together
in any part of the UK. Some units are included in their local
area emergency plans, taking part in exercises alongside other
agencies, whilst in other areas Emergency Planning Officers have
not included their local ALSAR unit. This may be because the use
of volunteers is often associated with poorly trained enthusiasts,
an idea which ALSAR is committed to working to change.
Margaret Bennett
Secretary, Association of Lowland Search and Rescue
February 2005
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