West Mercia Search & Rescue is an entirely volunteer, registered charity, supporting police and emergency services across Shropshire, Worcestershire and Herefordshire in the search for vulnerable, high risk missing people. We are on call 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
In the past, when the National Police Air Service (NPAS) helicopter was operating overhead, safety restrictions meant our drone team was unable to fly.
Following the signing of a new Memorandum of Understanding with NPAS, our drone team can now safely operate alongside the police helicopter, providing enhanced aerial search capability.
This new agreement was put into action during a recent search, where our drone team successfully flew alongside the NPAS helicopter for the first time. Using the drone’s thermal imaging and daylight cameras, the team located the missing person and helped ensure they received the assistance they needed.
The incident marked two significant milestones for West Mercia Search & Rescue: the first successful location of a missing person by our drone team, and the first operational deployment alongside NPAS.
Always on-call. Always professional. Always volunteers.
To find out more about us, please visit:
www.westmerciasar.org.uk