ABOUT US

Midshires Search and Rescue (Call-sign MSAR) was formed back in 1999 as a small but dedicated group of volunteers available to assist the police 24/7, 365 days per year. In the time since the team has grown and now has around 50 on call professionally trained volunteers, 3 specialist vehicles and have remained free of charge to our police forces and
emergency service partners across Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire.
 

MSAR is a member unit of the UK’s Lowland Rescue service. Alongside Mountain Rescue, Cave Rescue, the RNLI and Volunteer Coastguard, we form the backbone of specialist help for the Emergency Services when anyone is in need of finding or rescuing. We are called out by the Police, other search teams and County Emergency Planning Officers to search for missing and vulnerable people and to assist in civil
emergency situations such as flooding.

​

Midshires Search and Rescue is on call 24/7, 365 days a year to assist police in Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire with searches for high-risk missing people. In 2024 alone, our team responded to 92 callouts, many operations were complex and demanding. MSAR also operate a specialist Water Search Team, ready to deploy to water-related incidents and flood emergencies. Our team is made up of dedicated, professionally trained volunteers who meet nationally recognised standards. We receive no statutory funding and rely entirely on public support to stay operational. In 2025, our running costs are expected to be around £35,000.

 

All our volunteers come from a range of working backgrounds whether it is working within the Emergency services, Education or Business they all share the same goal and ambition of bringing missing people home to their families as quickly as possible.