A while back I wrote a briefing paper, Spaced Out Searchers, that formed the basis for the ALSAR Conference presentation, Advances in Lowland Search Techniques. In it I discussed how ALSAR Units search techniques had changed because they were working with PolSAs who, because of the experience of search tended to want areas “cleared”.

To understand this you need to understand the main role of a PolSA. The role of a PolSA is to provide Chief Constables advice on the management of low-risk counter terrorist and explosive device search. That is, they search for devices in situations where there may potentially be devices, but that it is not suspected – for Royal visits etc.

When dealing with explosives you want to be pretty sure you haven’t missed anything so PolSAs and police offices trained in search are trained in terms of absolutes – either there is something there, or there isn’t. This works well too in the extension of the PolSAs work with evidence searches. Again, SIOs want to be confident that something is either there, or not.

However, as I stated in the paper, this takes time and resource. In order to have that level of confidence a PolSA will use whatever amount of resource for whatever length of time is required to achieve it. Missing person search is different. Time is critical; the misper is dying as time goes by – just take a look at the survivabilty figures for the evidence! And, unlike a planned operation, you only have the resources available to you there and then [which are never enough!]

This is where the mathematics of search theory comes in to play – allowing the optimum use of those resources available to you over time. [I will write a series of posts on this soon.]

However, the concepts of probabilities must be extremely difficult for officers trained in searching in absloutes to get their head around – especially when in one search one thing is called for, then in the next search which might even be during the same operational period or day, another search style needs to be used.

A radical thought came to be yesterday – why do we then train PolSAs to run our missing person searches? Why not train other, non police search trained officers to run missing persons searches?

I’d love to hear your thoughts;