%%WHAT?%% SEARCH AND RESCUE IN LONDON?
You are not the first person to be surprised that London has a Search and Rescue team. But people do go missing here - more often than you think.
From canal paths to woodland, riversides to hospital grounds, our team searches the spaces between the city’s busy streets. Who do we look for? Where do we search? What agencies do we work with?
You are about to find out.
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"IN LONDON, OVER %%50,000%% PEOPLE ARE REPORTED MISSING EACH YEAR. WE SEARCH FOR THE MOST VULNERABLE"
OUR %%VISION%% IS TO END PREVENTABLE LOSS OF LIFE WHEN A HIGH-RISK MISSING VIULNERABLE PERSON GOES MISSING IN LONDON.
Everything we do as volunteers, whatever our role within the team, starts with our purpose - help high-risk vulnerable missing people and their families by supporting the emergency services 24/7.
That is why our professionally trained volunteers turn up to a search at any time of day or night and in any weather conditions.
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%%WHY%% DO PEOPLE GO MISSING IN LONDON?
People go missing for many reasons. Those we help are often young people facing crisis; elderly members of our society, those living with dementia; or people facing mental health challenges, including those who have made plans to act on suicidal thoughts. The sooner a missing person is found, the better their chances are for survival.
%%HOW%% WE SERVE THE COMMUNITY IN LONDON
Search has always been at the heart of our work - and it will always remain our core focus.
Building on those skills, and in response to the growing mental health crisis, our team is expanding its impact through suicide intervention and prevention at high-risk locations across London.
MISSING PERSON SERACHES
Professionally trained volunteers search for vulnerable people across London’s vast parks, woodlands, commons and waterways.
SUICIDE INTERVENTION AND PREVENTION
Our Search Technicians, including Mental Health First Aiders and Medics, patrol high-risk locations around London’s bridges and waterways.
OUR %%PARTNER%% AGENCIES
London Search and Rescue works closely with the Metropolitan Police, City of London Police and NHS services to locate high-risk missing people across London. These partnerships are built on trust, shared expertise and interoperability - ensuring coordinated, life-saving responses when every moment matters.
METROPOLITAN POLICE
As the largest territorial police force in the UK, the Metropolitan Police Service is often the lead agency in missing person cases across London. We work directly with their dedicated missing persons units to provide operational support in both urban and green spaces. Our volunteer Search Technicians are deployed to assist with coordinated foot searches, drone operations, and specialist support where every second counts. This joint effort strengthens the city's response to complex, high-priority cases involving people in crisis.
CITY OF LONDON POLICE
Despite its smaller geographical footprint, the City of London Police plays a key role in keeping people safe in one of the capital’s busiest areas. When someone goes missing within the Square Mile, our team is ready to be called upon to provide specialist search expertise. Our collaboration ensures a rapid response while respecting the unique demands of this urban environment - and increasingly includes joint efforts to support suicide intervention and prevention work along the Thames, where fast, compassionate action can be critical.
NATIONAL HEALTH SERVICE
We are building partnerships with the NHS and mental health providers across London, offering specialist support in cases involving individuals at risk of suicide or in acute mental health distress. Our NHS collaborations - such as our growing partnership with Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Woolwich - enable earlier intervention and improved outcomes. Together, we provide compassionate, trauma-informed support to vulnerable people while reducing pressure on emergency services. These integrated efforts help shape a more proactive approach to safeguarding those in crisis.
OUR %%IMPACT%%
Impact means more than numbers. It’s our operational readiness to support the emergency services across London, the relief of a family, the return of a loved one, and the quiet reassurance that someone was there when it mattered most.
Callouts over the past five years (Oct 25)
team members volunteering time
OUR %%PLACE%% WITHIN SEARCH AND RESCUE
London Search and Rescue is an independent charity associated with Lowland Rescue. Representing our team as part of the wider UK search and rescue network, Lowland Rescue work closely with other statutory emergency services and specialist volunteer organisations. From mountains and caves to inland waterways and coastline, each SAR team brings unique expertise. Together, we form a nationwide response network committed to saving lives, supporting vulnerable people, and operating in some of the most challenging environments in the country.
MOUNTAIN RESCUE
Mountain Rescue teams are on call 24/7, 365 days a year - not just for injured climbers and lost walkers, but for vulnerable people in crisis across hills, riverbanks, and even flooded urban streets. These expert volunteers are trained in casualty care, rope rescue, search management and swift water response. They also support families, assist emergency services, and yes - even rescue stranded animals from impossible places.
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CAVE RESCUE
Cave Rescue teams are made up of highly trained volunteer cavers who provide specialist underground search and rescue across the UK. Coordinated nationally by the British Cave Rescue Council, these teams assist police when people become lost, trapped, or injured in caves, mines, and other subterranean spaces. With skills in casualty care, technical rescue, and diving, they operate in some very inaccessible environments, all as volunteers.
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RNLI
The RNLI provides a 24/7 search and rescue service around the coasts of the UK and Ireland. Volunteer crews launch from 238 lifeboat stations, saving lives in some of the most dangerous sea conditions. Supported entirely by public donations, the RNLI also delivers lifeguard patrols, water safety education, and international drowning prevention initiatives - protecting lives at home, on beaches, and across the world.
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LOWLAND RESCUE
Lowland Rescue is made up of 34 teams across the UK, with over 1,800 professionally trained volunteers, providing search and rescue coverage across lowland, rural, and urban environments. Teams support the police in locating vulnerable missing people - including children, those living with dementia, people facing mental health challenges, perhaps planning to take their life, and other vulnerable missing people.
%%BEYOND%% THE CITY SKYLINE OF LONDON
Our search area spans 700 square miles across all 32 boroughs and the City of London. While known for its skyline, over 47% of London is green space - including 3,000 parks, woodlands, and waterways. This is the terrain our team trains in to search for vulnerable missing people.
GREEN AND BLUE SPACE: OUR CORE SEARCH %%TERRAIN%% IN LONDON
Greenspace Information for Greater London CIC state that roughly 47% of Greater London is ‘green’ with over 2.55% of Greater London’s area being blue space such as rivers, canals and reservoirs. Of this, 18.13% is public open space including parks, common land and open spaces.
Credit: Greenspace Information for Greater London CIC, 2024
OUR %%VALUES%%
Our values underpin how we come together as a team; founded on being empathetic, professional, determined and innovative. Our boundaries support those values and represent the beliefs that we will not compromise; not now, not ever.
OUR %%BOUNDARIES%%
Some things will always matter to us - putting missing people first, supporting emergency services, valuing our volunteers, and staying grounded in compassion, professionalism, and purpose. We are proud to be part of a wider search and rescue community through our affiliation with Lowland Rescue. As we grow and evolve, innovation and partnerships will shape our future - but these core commitments will always guide how we serve.
EMPATHETIC
We are approachable, collaborative, inclusive, and selfless, ensuring those we support feel valued.
PROFESSIONAL
We are credible and qualified, acting with confidentiality in mind and training to high standards, overall building trust.
DETERMINED
We are are dependable whilst remaining grounded, resilient and optimistic, providing a safe and secure service.
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INNOVATIVE
We are creative, adaptable, intuitive, and open-minded, inspiring others with new ways to support missing people.
OUR %%HERITAGE%% AND JOURNEY
London Search and Rescue began its journey in 2012 as South East London Search and Rescue, founded by a small group of volunteers determined to make a difference.
What started as a handful of people coordinating searches from the back of a Volvo has grown into a city-wide charity with specialist teams, advanced training, and modern infrastructure.
In 2018, we became London Search and Rescue, expanding our remit to cover all 32 boroughs and the City of London (Charity No. 1157836). By 2024, we restructured as a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO) to strengthen our governance and prepare for sustainable growth (Charity No. 1192257).
Today we operate from a bespoke Incident Control Unit equipped with satellite communications, digital mapping, and the latest search technology. Our ambition is to grow to a team of 300 highly trained and dedicated Search Technicians - ready to support the emergency services when needed.
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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