ABOUT
NORTHAMPTONSHIRE SEARCH & RESCUE

Northamptonshire Search & Rescue (NSAR) is a Registered Charity (No. 1195265) formed back in 2011.
 

NSAR has grown into a 52 strong team of highly trained volunteers, on call 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, supporting Northamptonshire Police and other statutory emergency services to find and return missing people as quickly and safely as possible.

The team is trained and equipped to serve a county population of around 818,000 people — an increase of approximately 15% since 2011 — across 760 square miles (2,364 km²) of diverse and often challenging terrain.

When a search is required, Northamptonshire Police contact our Duty Operations Manager, who activates the team using a specialist SMS alert system, enabling a rapid and coordinated response.

We are primarily deployed to search for vulnerable missing people across environments including flood plains, woodland, open fields, country parks, rivers and lakes. Our volunteers train specifically to operate safely and effectively in these conditions.

Our Resources

NSAR operates three dedicated vehicles:

• A state-of-the-art Incident Control Unit

• A 4×4 pickup carrying essential operational supplies

• A 4×4 personnel vehicle for transporting team members and equipment

All vehicles are based at our bespoke team base in the Northamptonshire countryside, allowing quick access across the county.

Our volunteers are spread throughout Northamptonshire, enabling fast mobilisation wherever an incident occurs. We are always seeking new members to strengthen the team.

NSAR is made up entirely of volunteers and is funded solely through donations and fundraising. This support is essential to maintaining our vehicles, equipment, training and operational readiness — ensuring we remain a vital emergency resource for the county.