Nearly 900 additional people were reported missing to police in Cumbria last year compared with 2016.

A total of 3,719 people were reported missing in 2018, which is up from 3,218 in 2017 and 2,826 the year before. Of all those reported as missing last year, almost half (49 per cent) were classified as high risk - 1,820.

The figures were released as part of a drive to highlight the work that is done to locate people who are reported as missing.

Officers were on hand yesterday at Cumbria Police’s headquarters, in Penrith, to explain the different methods involved in locating someone, including drones, police dogs, retrieval of financial details and GPS tracking.

The most expensive and powerful drones used by the force cost £25,000, with smaller drones costing £2,000. The Matrice 210 - the most expensive in the Cumbrian fleet - can fly up to five miles from the pilot, tracks using infrared and can see objects half a mile away.

These drones are invaluable in covering large areas of terrain and difficult to access areas. It would take 10 officers between one and two hours to search a five-acre field, whereas it would take the Matrice 210 just five minutes.

PC Steve Wakefield is the lead pilot for Cumbria Police’s drones.

He said: “It (a drone) is a phenomenal piece of equipment, it can get to places so quickly, it can beam the footage back to any station.

“So officers can watch the footage live from any station in the country.”

Cumbria is ahead of other police forces when it comes to this type of equipment.

“We have the largest drone fleet of any police force in the country and we are also looking at two new drones that can fly inside buildings,” he continued.

“These will have obstacle avoidance software and will provide support to firearms officers.”

These new American drones would enable armed officers to navigate a drone around a building, so that officers would not be approaching a room or area completely unaware of who was inside.

Helping to manage support operations on the ground is ops support inspector, Kim Brennand.

“If there is an immediate risk, dogs can be deployed straight away,” she explained.

“For example, if someone plans to take their own life. If we haven’t found them within 24 hours it becomes very difficult.”

There is nowhere where one of Insp Brennand’s teams won’t go.

“My teams will search anywhere,” she continued. “Last week we sifted through eight tonnes of rubbish for evidence.”

Also at the inspector’s disposal are forensic dogs.

“They are trained to smell through liquids, they can go onto a boat and give us an indication of where we should be looking. We have two fox red labradors that can do this.

“They can search for blood, even if it has been cleaned with bleach. So if there was blood in the room at any point, they would be able to detect it even after being cleaned,” said Insp Brennand.

Detective Superintendent Furzana Nazir said: “The priority with any missing person is to locate them safe and well as quickly as possible.

“There is no standard response to a missing person investigation, each case reported is assessed and responded to in accordance with the level of risk to the individual.”

*Police are trying to find a north Cumbrian pensioner who has been reported missing. Albert Birkett, 69, was last seen at about 9.30am on Wednesday in Glasson, near Wigton, where he lives.

*James Benson of Carlisle, missing since Christmas Eve, has been found.