The SEBEV Search & Rescue is available 24 hours a day to search for vulnerable missing persons and this is the organisations primary role.

The team covers Berkshire as their ALSAR agreed area of responsibility and has enjoyed a close relationship with Thames Valley Police for over 30 years.

Requests for SAR searches will usually come directly from TVP however the team often assist other ALSAR teams in searches on other areas particularly where those searches are large or prolonged.

SEBEV SAR provides foot searchers, search controllers and Search Managers as well as all the equipment needed to manage a large scale search including a control vehicle, computerised mapping, medical equipment, scene lighting etc.

The team usually deploys at the request of a POLSA (Police Search Advisor) in order to support the statutory emergency services.

All team members receive training to become a Lowland Search Technician. The course itself was first created by SEBEV in 1995 and has been delivered (in various forms) to all Lowland SAR teams in the UK. The current course covers:-

• Searcher Preparedness
• Callouts
• Search Techniques
  • Types of Search
  • Searcher Spacing
  • Northumbrian Raindance
  • Purposeful Wandering
  • Searcher Cube
  • Detection & Recognition
  • Scanning

  • Clue Conciousness

• Scenes of Crime
• Missing Person Behaviour
• Communications
• Briefing and Debriefing
• Introduction to Search Management

The course is assessed with practical and written tests and SEBEV SAR members must also undertake a separate practical assessment under full simulated search conditions after the course. The course materials can be found here