The Neighbourhood Watch Search Team was formed with the specific objective of making available to the Police a body of trained volunteers to assist them in the event of a person going missing. As a result of an appeal in the then Highdown Watch Newsletter an initial meeting was held in September 2000 at which some eighty volunteers were enrolled from the Worthing and Arun Associations. Members of the team have undergone basic training in search techniques and preservation of evidence, a prerequisite for any member to participate in searches and take part in regular exercises.

Subsequent to the extension of the divisional boundaries of Sussex Police, the team has since expanded to one hundred and fifty members to encompass the Adur, Bognor and Chichester NW Associations. These members have now been fully trained and are operational.

One of the two sixteen-seater minibuses used to transport team members to a search location. They were acquired thanks to a grant from Sussex Police in recognition of the contribution of their resource to the police effort in the West Downs Division.

2007 Activities

The Search Team were called out on 10th April to search roads around the Durrington area looking for an aerosol can that had been used to spray racist grafitti around the area. 14 members turned out for the call-out and searched the front gardens and surrounding areas. The spray can has not yet been recovered. The Chief Constable who was in the Area giving a presentation to Sussex Police members, came and gave support to the Search Team.

The Chief Constable chats with members of the Search Team.

On April 13th (Friday), 17 members turned out at midday to look for an 82 year old missing man from Findon Village. The gentleman had been out all night. He was found by a rabbit shooter who then could get no signal on his mobile phone, so went up the hill to raise the alarm where he came across one of our search teams who went and assisted the gentleman and called-in to control. The man was found safe and well and returned home after a check up at the hospital.

Our total searches over the last 7 years now totals 46 searches, 868 members used and 5,963 hours spent on searches.

The Search Team is an initiative of the West Downs Neighbourhood Watch Group who also fund the project with additional grants from Sussex Police. We would also like to thank the supporters of the mini buses. PTS (Plumbing Trade Supplies), AJ'S Taxis, R & I Stacey (Ironmongers), Thistle Alarms, Holland Alexander (Chartered Surveyors), The Lock Centre, Ricardo’s (Hairdressers), Bayprint

If you know of a group or club that would like a presentation on the West Downs Neighbourhood Watch Search Team please contact Pam Davey or ring 01903 763082.

Page content last updated on 2008-03-23