Published by Robert L Senior Reporter on Friday, 3rd January 2025, at 14:00hrs
Officers comforted the woman and took her home to her husband who thanked officers for their assistance.
A Police Dog helped track a missing woman in her 80s with dementia who had become lost whilst out on a walk in Weardale.
The woman who was reported missing by her husband was found hiding behind a tree around 10pm on Sunday 29th December, just twenty minutes after receiving the call.
In a statement released, Durham Police said:
“At around 9.40pm on Sunday (December 29), officers were dispatched to Weardale after concerns were raised for the whereabouts of a woman in her 80s.
After speaking to her family, it was soon discovered that the woman, who was struggling with early stages of dementia, had left her home to go for a walk.
The team started searching through fields alongside officers and family members who assisting the search.
PC Laura Linskey and her trusty and recently qualified K9, PD Dutch joined the search team and arrived on scene just after 10pm.
PD Dutch lead PC Linskey to a field to the rear of a walled garden, he then pulled PC Linskey over to a small, wooded area and tracked up to the missing lady who was stood hiding behind a tree, lost and confused.
The woman was fit and well but explained to officers that she was frightened when she thought she was lost.
Officers comforted the woman and took her home to her husband who thanked officers for their assistance.
The woman has since been referred to the Herbert Protocol which is a process whereby you submit information regarding a vulnerable person, allowing us to start our search immediately and save vital time.
Find out more about the Herbert Protocol and how to refer someone with dementia here: https://tinyurl.com/yck7a6w7
For advice from our partner agencies, click here: https://tinyurl.com/2576euvx
In an emergency, always call 999.
G2K INCIDENT WATCH 