Thinking of joining us? We look for volunteers that can give their time willingly and in a professional manner to support returning vulnerable missing people to a place of safety. Please read THIS first to find out more about us and then come back here.
Why join us
Being a member of HANTSAR is extremely rewarding. The team is friendly, welcoming and small enough to get to know everyone fairly quickly. The work we do for the police is important and essential, therefore whether our members are operational or support, we are all working towards a common goal of helping to find missing people.
A significant difference between us and many other charities is that we employ no paid staff. All our income (from fundraising activities, donations and occasional grants) is put towards our operational commitments. If you are looking for a voluntary role with a difference, then please do consider joining us.
Who joins HANTSAR?
We welcome team members from all walks of life. We have members in their 20s through to members in their 70s, so whatever age you are, you will fit in. (You must be over 18 to join us.) The word clouds below give examples of the sectors and jobs our members are involved with.
Operational or support member?
We recruit for trainee operational Licensed Search Technicians (LSTs) or support members who support us with fundraising and other activities.
It takes around 4-8 months to train as an LST and, once qualified, an LST will go onto the callout list. All our operational members are on call 24/7 (there is no rota) and are expected to attend as many callouts as possible, anywhere in Hampshire, around existing commitments.
Our support members are highly valued and help us with other equally important activities, such as vehicle and equipment maintenance, acting as a missing person on search exercises, driving our vehicles when they need to go for servicing, or maybe assisting with local resilience tasks in support of local emergencies such as flooding.
All our members, whether operational or support, are required to assist with a minimum of four fundraising events a year (operational) or six a year (support). These consist of either supermarket collections or assisting at an event where we have a fundraising stall or marshalling a running race.
All members will need a full driving licence and access to a car. Although car sharing is encouraged, it is not always practical given that we cover the whole of Hampshire.
Our volunteers are subject to an Enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (eDBS) check, reference checks and periodic police checks as required.
Some items of unform are provided, e.g. polo shirt/jacket(s), but most personal kit must be provided by members themselves. We are not able to reimburse petrol expenses.
All positions are unpaid, voluntary roles
Subscriptions
There is a joining fee of £10 for all members plus an annual subscription of £15 a year for operational members and £7.50 a year for support members.
Joining us a support member
You can join us as a support member at any time of the year. Our Membership Officer will arrange for an eDBS check to be conducted first. We do ask that you attend one of our operational recruitment mornings soon after joining so that you can learn a bit more about the team. You will also be asked to undertake some safeguarding training online and also some other role-appropriate training. You will be issued with an ID card and uniform appropriate to your role.
There is no fitness requirement for support membership, but we will require completion of a medical screening questionnaire beforehand so that we can be sure the role is safe and suitable for you.
If this is something you feel you can do, please complete the support application form here.
Or if you would like some more information first, email your enquiry to our Membership Officer here.
Joining us as an operational member
Training as an operational member requires much time and commitment. There are regular training sessions to attend before and after you qualify. Some are online, some are classroom based on weekday evenings, and others are full Saturday or Sunday sessions. There are also search exercises to attend, usually on Thursday evenings or Sunday mornings.
Fitness requirement
Operational members must be able to walk five miles in under two hours, over undulating terrain typical for our county, carrying their kit. There is also a medical screening questionnaire to complete to ensure that your well-being is ensured whilst out with us.
Selection
We hold operational selection events once or twice a year, depending on vacancies. Prior to attending, you will be asked to attend a fitness assessment walk and be eDBS cleared. If you are successful at the selection event, your training will start shortly afterwards.
Our current joining process for operational members is below:
If you are interested in operational membership, please contact the Membership Officer here for further information.