Police helicopter helps rescue man, 72, lost on Doncaster moors
A man in his 70s has been rescued by police after becoming lost on moors near Doncaster.
South Yorkshire Police officers, along with the support of the National Police Air Service, came to the rescue of a distressed elderly walker.
At 6.03pm on Tuesday 26 August, officers at Humberside Police were called by a man asking for help who was lost at Hatfield Moors Nature Reserve.
Humberside Police transferred the incident to SYP as the man was in its force area.
The 72-year-old was dehydrated, had been trying to find a path for three hours, and had only 5% battery life on his phone when he called emergency services in distress.
Officers attended the nature reserve, which is around 11 square miles in size, to search for him.
At around 7.20pm, the man’s phone ran out of battery, and officers had no way of getting in touch with him again.
Due to the size of the area, a drone was not suitable for the search, and officers contacted NPAS for support.
An NPAS helicopter was dispatched and arrived over the moorland in minutes.
NPAS conducted a search from the air of the large moorland area, and after more than an hour, they spotted the man they were looking for more than a mile from the nearest main road.
The ground was too soft for the NPAS helicopter to land, but the pilots stayed in radio contact with officers on the ground and directed them to the man’s location.
At 8.52pm, the man responded to officers’ shouts, and they were able to make their way to him.
The terrain was very boggy and when officers reached the man, who was exhausted and had not had anything to drink for hours, NPAS further helped to direct them onto surer ground.
The man told officers he thought this was going to be his last night on Earth as he was helped out of the moorland. Officers took the man to hospital to be treated for dehydration and exposure and he has since been discharged.
Doncaster Response Team Sergeant Matthew Sics said: “I am incredibly proud of the officers who ensured the safety of this man was their top priority.
“Officers on the ground worked hand in glove with NPAS in the air to conduct a successful search and prevented this man from coming to serious harm.
“Policing is about keeping our community safe, and this is exactly what these officers did. I would also like to extend my best wishes to the gentleman who called on our services. I am glad he is safe and well.”