Search for Vulnerable Missing Person near Moffat

At 19:07 on Monday 30 December 2024, Moffat Mountain Rescue was asked by Police Scotland to aid search for a vulnerable missing person near Moffat.

16 team members responded to Moffat Mountain Rescue Team Base where the team was able to set up a control room to coordinate the efforts. A hasty search team was deployed into an initial priority area whilst the remaining team members worked on a more detailed strategy involving line searches using the team’s thermal imaging camera.

Due to the poor weather and the size of the search area additional resources were requested from the Police Scotland Mountain Rescue Team, a Coastguard Rescue Helicopter and a police search dog.

While the ground teams concentrated on areas of forestry and local hillsides the helicopter covered large areas of open ground using its search light and thermal imaging system.

After a coordinated search effort the missing person was located safe and well outwith the search areas.

If you are concerned about a person who you think is missing, call the Police on 999/112 as early as possible to maximise chances of a search being successful, particularly during cold or bad weather conditions.

Unrelated to this incident, if you know of a vulnerable person with dementia at risk of going missing, consider viewing this webpage from Police Scotland on the ‘Herbert protocol’ and completing the form linked on the page to have information to hand to assist search teams if they are needed.