Website for PolSAs?
I’ve thought for a long time that PolSAs need a lot more support and training in missing person search. If they are lucky they get sent on a short course on misper search; some of these courses are very good, some not so. Then, having had a couple of days instruction, they are expected to totally [...]
April 27, 2011
· 
Robert Bradley · 
2 Comments
Tags: Misper, Missing Person Search, Police Search, PolSA · Posted in: Search Thoughts, Search Training
A Defence of Purposeful Wandering
Johnnie Walker a long while back made a throwaway comment when he was commenting on his own Search Analogy; I know of Police Services who ban purposeful wandering by their search volunteers. Yes, you read that right. Not insist on it. Ban it! [Read it here if you don't believe he wrote it...] I have [...]
January 13, 2010
· Robert Bradley · One Comment
Tags: ALSAR, Johnnie Walker, POD, Police, PolSA, Probability of Detection, Purposeful Wandering, Search Controllers Course, Search Techniques, Search Theory, Search Volunteers, UKLSI · Posted in: Search Thoughts
Search Pre-Planning Ideas
It has been a week since the UKLSI Search Controllers course. Delegates on that course only qualify after passing an assessment assignment. The assignment is made up of two parts; a “critical” review of two past searches (the search management decisions made etc.) and to produce a Search Pre-plan from their local area. Delegates should [...]
December 2, 2009
· Robert Bradley · One Comment
Tags: PolSA, Pre-Planned Search, Search Controller Assignment, Search Controllers Course, Search Incidents, Search Management, Search Pre-Plan, UKLSI · Posted in: Search Thoughts, Search Training
Are PolSAs the right resource for managing missing persons search?
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 [...]
November 12, 2009
· Robert Bradley · 4 Comments
Tags: ALSAR, ALSAR Presentation, Counter Terrorist Search, Evidence Search, Missing Person Search, PolSA, Search Theory, SIO, Spaced Out Searchers, Survivability · Posted in: Search Thoughts
Common Pitfalls in Vulnerable Missing Person Search
The first item on the UKLSI Search Controllers course competencies is “recognise common pitfalls in lowland vulnerable missing person search”. These are taken straight from the 2002 research paper, Missing You Already by Charlie Hedges. In this paper, Hedges notes, Problems encountered in this area usually relate to: • Not starting the search early enough [...]
September 29, 2009
· Robert Bradley · One Comment
Tags: Charlie Hedges, Learning the Lessons, Missing Persons Investigation, Missing Persons Search, Missing You Already, PolSA, UKLSI · Posted in: Search Research, Search Thoughts, Search Training
