At 03.26hrs in the early hours of this morning the GMP Force Duty Manager contacted our Team Leader Garry Rhodes MBE directly, regarding the teams immediate assistance with reference to a missing 10 year old boy.

The missing boy had been reported missing by his mother, the previous evening, with at that time the last confirmed sighting of the young boy having been outside his school that morning.

GMP investigations brought new information that the missing boy had left a friends house in the Walkden area of Worsley, Greater Manchester on the evening of Tuesday 13th July, presumably to then go to his home address in the Little Hulton area of Worsley.

With growing concerns for the childs welfare, a major Police search operation was put into place focused on all routes the child may have taken, which was planned to take in the area of Blackleach Country Park and lake at Walkden, Whittle Brook lakes, Walkden, and a large number of disused railway lines / linear walkways in the area.

An immediate full team call out was instigated, alongside the call out of two MR Search Dogs, with the GMP Air Support Unit helicopter also lending its support to the search.

Our Team Leader, who lives near to the areas in question, (and also knew the areas very well from his childhood living in that same area) was on scene very quickly to liaise with GMP Officers, when thankfully news was received by GMP and acted on immediately that the missing child had been located in the central Manchester City area, safe and well. (Trying to make his own way to contact a close family member)

At 04.26hrs the team was stood down, alongside all GMP resources.

The following resources were known to be involved at this stage of the search ;

Bolton MRT, 20 x team call out list members responding, three of whom were stood down on scene. All five of our Team Vehicles were mobilising, alongside our Control Trailer and SAR Boat.

Bowland Pennine MRT / SARDA Wales Mountain Rescue Trail Dog Team, Handler Iain Nicolson, Trail Dog Mij. (On immediate home standby ready to deploy)
Bowland Pennine MRT / SARDA England Mountain Rescue Air Scenting Dog Team, Handler Alison Nicholson and Search Dog Floss. (On immediate home standby ready to deploy)

Greater Manchester Police, 1 x Missing Person Search Manager, 1 x Tactical Aid Unit with Officers, 3 x Divisional Patrol Vehicles, 1 x Traffic Unit Patrol, GMP Air Support Unit Helicopter.