What is
HUMBSAR?
Developed by HFR Solutions CIC, Humberside Search and Rescue (HUMBSAR) is a dedicated volunteer lowland search and rescue team providing life-saving support across the Humber region 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
Working in partnership with Humberside Police and local emergency services, our volunteers help locate and care for vulnerable missing persons while strengthening communities for a brighter tomorrow.
Our Purpose
What HUMBSAR Does
When a vulnerable person goes missing, every second counts.
Activated by Humberside Police, HUMBSAR provides trained Search Technicians, Team Leaders, and Search Managers who work alongside police and emergency partners to locate and care for missing people.
Our volunteers assist in searches for:
- Children and elderly people
- Individuals with dementia or Alzheimer’s
- Those experiencing mental health crises or suicidal ideation
Beyond locating individuals, our teams can provide immediate medical assistance and preserve potential crime scenes where necessary.
The Need
Why HUMBSAR Exists
According to the National Crime Agency (2020), Humberside has the highest number of unresolved missing-person cases in the region — 142 adults and 63 children whose whereabouts remain unknown.
Children in Yorkshire & the Humber are also twice as likely to be reported missing as the national average.
Behind every number is a family waiting for answers.
HUMBSAR was created to ensure a professional, volunteer-led search capability is always available — providing rapid support when lives may be at risk.
Meet the HUMBSAR Team
Leigh Smith – Search Coordinator / Manager
With more than 30 years of search experience, Leigh began his career as an Infantry soldier in 1987, completing multiple tours in Northern Ireland and specialising in search leadership. After 15 years in the Army, he joined Humberside Police, becoming one of the first Police Constables trained as a Police Search Advisor (PolSA).
Leigh has since served as a Missing Persons Search Advisor, Hazardous Environment Search Advisor, and assisted in training with the Police National Search Centre and SO15 Metropolitan Police. Today, he volunteers as a Search Manager and Instructor with HUMBSAR, helping to develop the next generation of search technicians.
Phil Bradley – Search Training Consultant / Trainer
A former Police Officer with over 30 years of service, including 20 years in operational search, Phil has delivered and developed national and international search training for Counterterrorism and High-Risk Missing Person Search operations.
As former Training & Development Lead at the Police National Search Centre, he has trained agencies across the UK, Europe, Africa, and the US. Now proudly part of HUMBSAR, Phil focuses on mentoring new technicians and supporting search operations across Humberside and North Lincolnshire.
Training & Professional Standards
Every HUMBSAR volunteer trains to National Policing Search Standards, ensuring alignment with the National Police Concept of Operations and recognised best practice.
HFR Solutions’ experienced instructors deliver specialist courses in:
Continuous training guarantees that our volunteers maintain the highest standards of safety, professionalism, and operational readiness.
OUR Mission
Providing 24/7 Support,
365 Days a Year
At HFR Solutions CIC, we exist to protect people, the environment, assets, and reputation through our emergency response expertise. Creating HUMBSAR was a natural step in our ongoing mission to make the Humber region a safer place to live and work.
Through HUMBSAR, our skills in planning, preparation, and response extend beyond the industrial and workplace environments we serve every day. We bring structured, professional search and rescue capability to our local communities when they need it most.
Contact & Follow HUMBSAR
HUMBSAR is proudly operated and supported by HFR Solutions CIC, working together to make the Humber region safer place to live and work.
Contact US
Need More Information
We are your trusted rescue and safety specialists. Contact our team to discuss your organisation’s emergency response and training needs.