Three Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) rangers have been commended for their crucial support in helping to find a missing man in the Peak District.
In August, police responded to concerns for the safety of a man in Sheffield. Officers engaged with the man on the phone and managed to determine he was somewhere in the Froggatt Edge location. A search began but, due to the large area and tricky terrain, it proved very difficult to locate the man.
On seeing the blue lights of responding officers, RSPB ranger Tomo Thompson came to check in with the search team. Upon hearing why officers were in the area, Tomo managed to get a drone operator, Sam Udall, on the scene within five minutes. Using the heat sourcing from the drone, the man was located walking along the edge of Froggatt Edge. A third RSPB volunteer, Danny Udall, quickly drove officers across the terrain to the man so they could engage with him and bring him to safety.
All three men received District Commander Commendations from Chief Superintendent Jamie Henderson for their quick actions on the day.
Chief Superintendent Jamie Henderson said: "Conducting this search on foot would have been almost impossible and given the location and situation that the man was found in, it is certain that had Tomo, Sam and Danny not offered their assistance the outcome could have been very different.
"Not only did the three men provide vital operational support but after the man was safely back in the ranger vehicle, they provided friendly and reassuring conversation with him putting him at ease in what would have been a tense and difficult situation.
"This is a fantastic example of volunteers working successfully in partnership with the police to protect vulnerable members of the public. I would like to again reiterate my thank you to Tomo, Sam and Danny for their potentially life-saving help."