At 20.55hrs this fine and sunny evening, GMP contacted our Team Leader Garry Rhodes for the teams immediate assistance in the developing search for two young children missing together in the Tonge Moor area of Bolton.

A team standby page was made at 20.59hrs closely followed by a full team call out page at 21.03hrs.

Our Team Leader responded directly to the Police RVP next to the Matalan Store on Folds Road / Tonge Moor Road, Bolton, arriving at 21.20hrs to meet the GMP Missing Person Search Manager.

The two young children involved, aged 6 and 8, had last been seen together playing outside their home addresses on the same street in the Tonge Moor area in mid afternoon, with Police being made aware of the missing children in the early evening, prompting an initial search by Divisional Police Officers.

As the search area contained open and dense woodland, grassland and Eagley Brook / River Tonge, as well as many industrial units, and considering the children’s young age, as time went on there was growing concern for their well being.

Joining the GMP search were the families of the two boys involved and many local residents, with the GMP Air Support Unit Helicopter not only involved in the search but also using its ’Skyshout’ public address system to ask members of the public to look out for the missing children.

As team members were arriving at the Search RVP and with search plans being formulated to increase the search areas, Police Officers in response to reported sightings of the children near to some industrial units on Union Road, Back o’ th’ Bank / Tonge Moor, safely located the two children at circa 21.45hrs.

The following resources were responding to or directly involved in this search operation:

• Bolton MRT; 23x Team members stood down on scene at the search RVP, 4x other team members stood down responding to the RVP. 5x Team Vehicles, our Control Trailer, one Team Kayak Unit, our team Semi Rigid Inflatable Boat (And Team Water Search and Rescue personnel)
• Greater Manchester Police ; Divisional Officers, a Missing Person Search Manager, 1x Tactical Aid Unit on scene and two others stood down responding, GMP Air Support Unit Helicopter ’India 99.’
• Family members of the two missing boys and local residents.