Search & Rescue Dogs

Hello all,

What to say about myself?

I do not belong to any particular search team or organisation, although I have been known to help out a number with training etc. (Ill-health means I don't get to go play operationally anymore.)

I help out a lot on UKLSI courses, in particular their Search Controllers course, and have met and trained a number of Lowland Search Dog members over the years - which I must say has been a great honour and priviledge and mostly great fun too.

I also edit the Chiltern Search Dogs website because if you can make a website, sooner or later someone will ask you to do it for them!

I have a passion for search research and evidence-based practice in search and so study a lot of the mathematics of search theory, as well as missing person behaviour statistics and research and search techniques - hence my occassional post on this forum on these subjects. I have set up a website document this, www.re-search.org.uk but as with all things, I haven't yet had the time to get it up and running.

I am currently in the middle of studying the missing person risk classifications of various police forces - there is a great variation in the numbers graded high risk by different forces. This may be due to policy/recording etc. although my personal view is that the subjective risk assessment required by the ACPO guidance is even less effective than the numerical scoring that it replaced. I'll have to wait to see where the evidence leads though.

I have also asked/been asked to look at the ALSAR stats, which unfortunately haven't produced much nearly five years after their introduction!

Other interests include testing the use of search theory in managing vulnerable missing person searches, and testing the efficiency of different search resources and techniques.

When I'm not in "search" mode, I am a College Lecturer, Adult Education Tutor, and house husband - and do a little web design on the side.

Hi Robert,

I am really interested in the search research too!

Please post any info on this when you have a chance.
Sue Berkshire SAR

Hi Mr Bradley,

ALSAR Stat's!!!!

Good Luck, if you want a hand just give me a bell anytime, better after 10am and before 10pm, but feel free. The police have intresting theories on high risk, we could discuss maybe Sunday ALSAR meeting or even off-line. Messenger is always good for me.

Any stats from rainy Cheshire just PM/MSN/ring me

Take care and big cuddles

Mojo

Edit x1 - Spelling Errors

UKLSI will be holding their second (and possibly last!) lowland search mini-conference in Sussex, 19th - 21st September 2008.

(Why last? Because Adrian Edwards the new ALSAR chairman believes that providing this service is, or should be, ALSAR’s role and wants to take it on; something UKLSI members would readily agree with.)

Why am I posting this here?

Because I have been asked to do a presentation on evidence-based practice in search at the event.

This will hopefully include some evidence and figures for the use of scenario based planning in search, some search theory and some best-practice when it comes to multi-agency searches.

If that doesn’t interest you, perhaps you will be interested by the presentations by Sussex Police Welfare Team, or possibly the Beachy Head Chaplaincy Team (one which I am especially looking forward to!)

If none of these float your boat - perhaps you should just turn up to network and socialise with a few of the many ALSAR and LSDogs teams’ members that come to these UKLSI events - because one of the things I will be talking about is the importance of knowing figures from other teams and agencies before working together!

Why not just have a look - visit the UKLSI website, or contact Mr. Walker from Sussar for more information.