The quest to find missing Suffolk airman Corrie McKeague has so far cost in excess of £300,000, according to Suffolk Constabulary figures.
The 23-year-old went missing after he went to Bury St Edmunds on a night out with friends on September 23.
During the night he split up from his friends and was last seen on CCTV in Brentgovel Street early on September 24.
Corrie was reported missing after not turning up for duty at RAF Honington on September 26.
Despite large-scale searches organised by police and his family, and a massive media and social media campaign along with a private investigation undertaken by his family, Corrie has still not been found.
In a reply to a Freedom of Information request, Suffolk police said up until December 30 more than £300,000 had been spent on the investigation into his disappearance.
The constabulary stated: “The exact information relating to hours worked for all officers on this investigation is not available.
“An estimation of the staffing costs has been made based on the salary and on costs of the search-trained officers, enquiry teams, the major investigation room staff and the CCTV viewing team.
“It is estimated that these costs are at least £260,000.
“It is not possible to give exact costs for all those involved in this investigation due to the differing salary grades and the fact that officers have been drafted into this investigation from across Suffolk and Norfolk Constabulary.
“In addition to this the costs for a major investigation are monitored in terms of spend that is over and above the usual costs of running the major investigation team.
“These additional costs would usually include the costs of overtime, forensic examinations, search, specialist resources, and travel expenses where enquiries are required out of the county.
“The additional cost to date, over and above estimated salary costs, for the investigation into the disappearance of Corrie McKeague is £53,230.
“The investigation has also been assisted by resources outside of the constabulary including other police forces, national investigative experts, the military and SULSAR (Suffolk Lowland Search and Rescue).”
SULSAR costs are not included in the police figures.
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