%%50,000 PEOPLE%%
GO MISSING IN LONDON EACH YEAR
London Search and Rescue supports the emergency services in the search for vulnerable missing people across London. We are volunteer-led, self-funded, and operate 24/7, in all weathers. We combine specialist training with compassion to help bring people home. From search technicians to support volunteers, we are united by a shared purpose: to serve our communities when it matters most.
VOLUNTEER-LED, PROFESSIONALLY TRAINED, COMMITTED TO SEARCH.
We are powered by volunteers from all walks of life, each bringing unique skills, experience, and motivation. Whether you're on the ground as a Search Technician or behind the scenes in a support role, you’ll receive full training, join a compassionate and capable team, and play a vital part in helping find missing people.
EXPERTS IN FOOT SEARCH, WITH SPECIALISMS ACROSS LAND, WATER AND AIR
From parks and towpaths to woodlands and city streets, our volunteers operate across London’s most complex terrain. With training in land search, water rescue, and drone operations, we support the emergency services with skill, care, and coordination during time-critical missing person incidents.
FUNDED BY PEOPLE LIKE YOU, WE ARE RELIANT ON YOUR DONATIONS.
We are a self-funded charity, relying on donations, grants, and community support. Every training session, search kit, and operational deployment is made possible by people who believe in our work. Your support ensures we can be ready to respond and support the emergency services.
%%WHO%% WE SEARCH FOR ACROSS LONDON
Someone is reported missing every 90 seconds in the UK. In London, that translates to over 50,000 people each year, with over 5,000 being the most vulnerable in our communities.
People go missing for many reasons. What they have in common is that they are all people we know; friends, family, colleagues, loved ones.
MENTAL HEALTH
Many of the people we search for are living with mental health challenges. Feelings of distress, confusion, or being overwhelmed can sometimes lead someone to go missing. Our role is to help locate them safely and work with our emergency service partners to ensure they receive the support and care they need.
SUICIDE
Some missing people may be experiencing suicidal thoughts or have made plans to take their own lives. In these cases, time is critical. Our volunteers respond quickly and professionally, supporting the police to search areas where a person might be at risk, with compassion and sensitivity at the heart of every action.
DEMENTIA
People living with dementia can become disoriented or confused, often leaving familiar surroundings without realising they are lost. We work closely with families and the police to locate them swiftly, using specialist search techniques designed to understand and anticipate how dementia may affect movement and behaviour.
CHILDREN
When a child goes missing, it’s every family’s worst fear. Children may go missing for a range of reasons, from curiosity and exploration to distress or risk at home. Our volunteers are trained to respond sensitively and effectively, working alongside the police to bring them to safety as quickly as possible.
OUR VOLUNTEERS ARE ALL PEOPLE LIKE %%YOU%%
Without our dedicated volunteers, we are lost. Our volunteers come from many different backgrounds, with different skill sets and experience, all sharing the common goal of serving their community.
SEARCH TECHNICIANS
Search Technicians are professionally trained to Lowland Rescue standards. They remain on-call around their personal and professional lives, ready to deploy 24-7, whatever the weather.
SUPPORT TECHNICIANS
Support Technicians are a critical resource that underpin search operations. They are often response drivers and lead on operational logistics around welfare, radio communications and vehicle maintenance.
SUPPORT SERVICES TEAM
Working behind the scenes to keep the charity operating smoothly. They are experts in fundraising, communications, social media, photography, videography, risk, finance, technology and human resources.
"The people we search for either don't know they're lost, or don't want to be found - meaning our searches are often quite different to mountain rescue or the rnli."
OUR%%IMPACT%% ACROSS THE CAPITAL
For us, impact is measured in three ways: lives saved, closure for families, and the specialist capacity we provide to ease pressure on emergency services.
The value of these outcomes goes far beyond numbers. Each search is someone’s story - a family’s fear, a community’s concern - and our team brings comfort, resolution, and hope in ways that statistics alone can’t capture.
SEARCHES ATTENDED DURING AN AVERAGE YEAR
SPENT ON SALARIES AS WE ARE ALL VOLUNTEER-LED
TEAM MEMBERS VOLUNTEERING THEIR TIME ACROSS LONDON
"Bringing someone back to their loved ones is a massive achievement. there's nothing like it in the world"
OUR %%SEARCH SPECIALISMS%%
Our search and rescue team is made up of trained volunteers with specialist skills in land, water, and drone search across Greater London. From missing person operations in parks, woodlands, and riverbanks to searches in built-up urban areas, our capabilities are designed to support the emergency services and protect vulnerable people.
The photographs below highlight the range of environments we work in and the specialist roles our team members are trained to deliver - whatever the terrain, whatever the conditions.
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BECOME A VALUED MEMBER OF OUR %%SUPPORTERS%% CLUB
London Search and Rescue is only possible because of people like you. We are a self-funded, volunteer-led charity providing professional search and rescue support to the emergency services across London. From foot searches to water rescues and drone deployments, our team operates 24/7 - in all weathers to find vulnerable missing people when it matters most.
But we can’t do it alone. Your donations fund the equipment, training, vehicles and technology we need to deploy. By joining our Supporters Club, you’re not just giving, you’re becoming part of our team, helping us stay ready to support the emergency services when someone is missing.
BRONZE SUPPORTER
Bronze Supporters help keep our team equipped and ready to go at a moment’s notice. From high-vis gear to medical kits, your support ensures we can respond quickly and safely across London’s parks, rivers, woodlands and city streets.
SILVER SUPPORTER
Silver Supporters help fund us recruit volunteers and provide essential specialist training and critical gear for our specialist teams. Your impact is felt in every search - from the first briefing to the moment a missing person is found and brought home.
GOLD SUPPORTER
Gold Supporters enable our team to grow, leveraging the latest search equipment and cutting edge technology. Your commitment to support helps us reach more people, faster, and with the professionalism our communities deserve.
Join us in making a
Difference
Your support can help us find missing persons and bring hope to families in need.
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