At 11.03hrs this damp, wet and grey morning, we were contacted by GMP for our search assistance to take part in a developing operation to try and locate Mrs Gulabben Nagin Patel of Wigan Road, Deane, Bolton, who had gone missing from her home address in the early hours of the morning of Tuesday 6th January 2015.

The circumstances of her disappearance were now giving GMP cause for concern for her well being, and were almost exactly the same as the two previous times she had gone missing on April 29th 2014 and December 23rd 2014, on both of which occasions we were also called out to assist GMP to find her.
With the search areas the same as on the two previous times we were involved (Incidents 46 and 99 – 2014) we were well practised in what was required.

A full team pager call out was made at 12.05hrs alongside requesting the assistance of our colleagues at Cheshire Search and Rescue Team.

As team members were assembling at our Ladybridge Hall Base / HQ in the early afternoon, a possible sighting of the missing 61 year old woman was made nearby, resulting in our vehicles and GMP patrols carrying out extensive vehicle based searches of the Heaton and Doffcocker areas.

Two other possible sightings of the missing woman, further focused the search around the Doffcocker Inn area, before GMP enquiries eliminated this possibility.

Open land searches of the Haslam Park, Deane Golf Course, Queens Park and adjoining areas were conducted by Bolton MRT and Cheshire SART assets, whilst GMP vehicle patrols continued alongside house to house enquiries.

As the afternoon drew in to the early evening, weather conditions worsened with heavy rain, as the search continued, now involving our specialist Mountain Rescue Trailing Dog Boris, and his handler Steve Nelson.
By 18.40hrs of Wednesday our part in the continuing enquiry to locate Mrs Patel was complete, and we stood down, whilst GMP continued with other lines of enquiry to try and locate her.

The following resources were deployed during this phase of the operation to locate Mrs Patel;

• GMP; Divisional Officers and PCSOs, and one GMP Missing Person Search Manager.
• Bolton Mountain Rescue Team; 19x operational Call Out list members, five Probationary members and Support Group member Dave Rees. All six of our Team vehicles were deployed.
• SARDA Wales; Mountain Rescue Trailing Search Dog Boris, Handler Steve Nelson and Navigator Elaine Gilliland (Both also of Bolton MRT and both included in the Bolton MRT attendance figure)
• Cheshire Search and Rescue Team; nine operational members.

Thanks are also due to the great many members of the public who offered their help to find Mrs Patel, alongside social media appeals.

FOOTNOTE; On the morning of Thursday 8th January, Mrs Patel was found cold and wet but otherwise ok on Chorley Street, Bolton, at circa 05.30hrs and was admitted to Royal Bolton Hospital.

We subsequently the same day received thanks from GMP PC Andy Parry, Police Search Advisor; “Thanks again for the great response yesterday, please pass on thanks to all the members involved.”