• [Daily Mirror Icon]
• Features
• Missing persons

'If it was my child missing I'd want people rushing to help me too'

An investment banker from London leads a double life, where he is also on call 24/7 as a volunteer with London Search and Rescue to help find missing people in the city

[James Walker]

View 4 Images

A dad of three works full-time and remains on call 24/7 as a volunteer with London Search and Rescue

Investment banker James Walker leads a double life.

Despite his demanding job and being the dad of three young children, he is on call 24/7 as a volunteer with London Search and Rescue.

It means scouring parks, woodlands, streets and even rivers in a kayak for missing people. And when hes called on for help, it takes priority over everything.

James, 41, says: When the call comes through, it overrides all the settings on the phone so you can have your phone on silent and suddenly that alert goes off.

That initial feeling is of adrenaline. Youre given the outline of what the situation is, where you need to get to. It could be anywhere in London.

[James Walker kayaking ]

View 4 Images

James has worked in banking, for his day job, for over 20 years

Jamess day job is head of audit for a Swiss bank, having worked in banking for more than 20 years.

He first became involved in volunteering as a trustee, using the skills hed built up throughout his career to help with the organisation and governance of charities.

A lot of the experience that I brought in from the banking world really helped the charities but it also worked the other way around, he says.

As he learned more about the amazing work various charities do, he became drawn towards helping find missing people. In 2022 he began working with London Search and Rescue.

Already passionate about outdoor sports and a supporter of Mountain Rescue, he soon developed a much more hands-on role with the search and rescue team.

He says: Ive always felt its really important to do something to help others. So being able to do that in a more practical hands-on way and not always being on a committee behind the scenes was something that kind of caught my attention there.

Made up entirely of volunteers and working alongside the police and other rescue services, LonSARs aim is to help end preventable loss of life in London.

First training as a search technician, James, of Surbiton, south west London, progressed to become a medical and mental health first responder and a member of the kayak search team responsible for scouring the river banks and reed beds of waterways in the capital.

This means that one minute he could be at his desk or in his bed and the next he could be called to jump into action looking for someone who has been reported missing.

He says: Its often people who are vulnerable by age, being elderly or young. Often those with dementia. But the primary reason in London is poor mental health, as often those people have plans to take their life.

James recalls a particular case in July this year, which saw the entire team called out to search for a missing six-year-old in the Greenwich area of south-east London.

[The rescue team in a river]

4

View 4 Images

James has been called out to many cases, including a missing six-year-old in Greenwich

[James in his search and rescue uniform]

4

View 4 Images

Through his work with London Search and Rescue, James believes he has gained more perspective

He was in bed at the time but was at the scene within the hour, after receiving a call out at 5.55am.

He says: When you drive over, youve always got that kind of anticipation of what you are going to find. Ive got three kids around the ages of four up to 11 so this callout really resonated with me. If it was my child that had gone missing, I would want people to be rushing in and going out of their way to help too.

Working as team leader, he led a band of eight searching parkland. That was part of a larger LonSAR team of around 25 that had answered the call.

Using our core missing person behaviour training, we were looking for places that you might expect a child to be hiding, he says. We were just working out the next bit to cover when radio comms came through. We got the good news that they had been found alive, safe and well and theyd been taken back to their family. The mood then is really, really positive.

At that time in the morning as well, it was amazing to see the amount of people rallying and coming together from all across London. Its amazing. You do feel a huge sense of relief. Relief for the family, for the loved ones, for their friends, as well as for the person youve found.

Sadly, there are also times when the outcome is not positive. On my second search, I was in the foot team that had found the individual and they sadly had taken their life, says James. Often, you see peoples families on the ground.

Theyre hoping that youll find the person alive and seeing the impact that has on them, the devastation, it kind of sticks with you.

In some ways thats what motivates me to want to get to the person to help them before they come to harm and thats what our mission is focused around.

James is also a trustee for UK charity Missing People, who we are supporting this Christmas. He says: I cant remember a time when I havent had that kind of focus on wanting to help others. So it doesnt feel like a drag. It feels like its what I do to switch off almost from the day job and leverage that experience for something positive.

Anything from domestic violence to relationship breakdowns, financial problems to physical and mental health issues and bereavement can lead to people deciding to go missing, according to James.

How to donate toMissing People

Donate online: Visit this link or head to www.missingpeople.org.uk/mirror - read why we're supporting this campaign here.

Text: To donate 5 Text HOPE5 to 70660 - To donate 10 Text HOPE10 to 70660 - To donate 15 Text HOPE15 to 70660

Terms & Conditions: *Text costs 5/10 or 15 plus network charge. Missing People receives 100% of your donation. Obtain bill payers permission. Charity No England and Wales: 1020419, Scotland: SC047419. Missing People will send regular updates via text and may contact you at any time to ask for your contact preference.

Post: Please include your name and address and make cheques payable to Missing People via free post:

Freepost Plus RRKYXSECXAEC. - Missing People - Roebuck House - 284 Upper Richmond Road West - London - SW14 7JE

How your donation will help: 5 could help a missing child reach support - 11 could answer an urgent Helpline call from someone who is missing - 33 could give three families advice and help from a Support Worker - 110 could pay for two vital Counselling sessions to help a family to cope with the toughest of all losses

How to contact Missing People - free and confidential: Call: 116 000. Text: 116 000. Email: 116000@missingpeople.org.uk

How to contact Samaritans for mental health support: Call 116 123 or email jo@samaritans.org

[1_Mirror-Christmas-appeal-2024-landscapev2.jpg]

He recognises that those left behind are also in turmoil, as they dont know whether their loved one is safe, what the reason for their disappearance is, if they want to be helped or if they have come to harm.

He says: Youve got a really broad cross-section of the population that this impacts.

He also believes that no one is immune from the feelings that can lead people to lose the bigger picture and just walk out on the life they know.

James believes his work in search and rescue and with Missing People has not only given him great insight, but has also helped him to stay grounded.

I might be having a bad day at work but then when I step out of that and have to go and look for someone whos been missing, it snaps me out of that narrow focus and makes me think, Oh OK, theres a lot more going on than you might realise, he says.

This work has really helped me have a lot more perspective. Find out more here.

The Samaritans is available 24/7 if you need to talk. You can contact them for free by calling 116 123, email jo@samaritans.org or head to the website to find your nearest branch. You matter.

[Daily Mirror Icon]

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

Choose Daily Mirror as a 'Preferred Source' on Google News for quick access to the news you value.