£20,000 has been awarded to Thames Valley's three Lowland Search & Rescue Teams and two Search Dog Teams by the Police & Crime Commissioner.
The support for the five organisations will support a range of work, including an advanced mapping system and additional equipment.
The three Lowland Search and Rescue teams covering Oxfordshire, Berkshire and Buckinghamshire have each been awarded £5,000 which will fund the MAPYX mapping system which is used to help search for missing persons.
The two search dog teams have each been awarded £2,5000 to assist with running costs and to pay for new equipment.
Deputy Police & Crime Commissioner, Matthew Barber said:
"The search and rescue teams do vital work in assisting the police with the search for missing people. The partnership between the teams and the police is invaluable and this additional investment will help to support their important work and make them even more effective.
"Many charitable organisations have struggled for funding over the past year so it is important that the Office of the Police & Crime Commissioner has been able to support this work from money seized from criminals."
Teresa Archer, Vice Chair of Lowland Search & Rescue, added:
"This funding award is excellent news for the five Thames Valley Lowland Rescue teams, at a time when all of our teams have suffered significant fundraising losses over the last year.
“All Lowland Rescue teams are independent charities and are available 24/7 to support their police forces in searching for vulnerable missing people.
“Most of them receive little or no secure funding to cover the annual running costs needed to maintain that availability and this grant will significantly help the Thames Valley teams.
“By making this award, the Thames Valley Police and Crime Commissioner has demonstrated his commitment to Lowland Rescue teams across Thames Valley and that their service and partnership work with Thames Valley Police is truly valued.”
Funding received by all five Search & Rescue Teams has been largely secured through the Police Property Act Fund (PPAF). The Fund, jointly managed by the PCC and the Chief Constable, is created from money recovered by the police and the proceeds from the sale of items that cannot be returned to identified owners, including seizures from criminals.
Despite the ongoing impact of the pandemic, all five Search Teams remain as busy as any other year. They continue to respond to high-risk missing person calls, with a number of high-profile cases making national news.
