Police challenged over dog rescue group snub
POLICE Scotland are being asked why local volunteer dog search team was not called on asked to help a missing person search a few miles from their base.
Dave Ashpool who, with his wife Val runs the Caithness and Sutherland Search Team (CASST), is furious about the snub and says it is another example of the police not using his service, leaving his search team’s future in doubt.
About 40 people, including police, lifeboat and coastguard teams, along with police dog units, were involved in the overnight search for an elderly woman who went missing from her home in Scarfskerry on Monday night.
She was found safe and well, but when Mr Ashpool – a retired Royal Navy and Dounreay police dog handler – heard of the incident, he was flabbergasted that his team based in Dunnet was not called out to help.
CASST, set up in 2003, was for many years not used by the former Northern Constabulary, but a memorandum of understanding it struck in 2011 paved the way for it to be used to back up police dog section and other rescue agencies.
Things improved, but since the unified Police Scotland force was formed in 2013, Mr Ashpool believes the situation has gone back to square one.
He said: “We just want to be complementary to the effort going on to give somebody a better chance of survival.
“We’re in the incredible situation that we’ve only got four dogs left and we’re being given no incentive to train, so who knows what that means for our future. I’m just angry we weren’t used. I think it’s disgraceful and just unbelievable.”
Specific questions asked about why CASST was not used were not addressed by the police.