April Jones searchers’ ‘selfless’ commitment praised

“We will always be indebted to you” reads the letter pinned against clock tower railings in the centre of Machynlleth.

They are the words of Dyfed Powys Police Chief Constable Jackie Roberts in a poignant tribute to those who gave up their time to search for April Jones.

In an open letter addressed “To All Volunteers”, she describes their “selfless” commitment as an “inspiration to us all”.

The letter was written yesterday as the police announced that the search for five-year-old April Jones had now developed into a murder inquiry.

Many of the local volunteers were shattered by the news, with the police asking them to step back from the searches.

Police vowed to continue their efforts to find April after charging 46-year-old local man Mark Bridger with April’s murder and abduction.

At Y Plas Machynlleth hall this morning near the town’s leisure centre – the nerve centre of the search operation – scores of local volunteers remained involved.

Nicola Pritchard, a resident from the Bryn-y-gog estate, where April is from, was packing up food parcels for the mountain rescue teams.

Others have been helping to raise money for April’s family. The nature of their task has altered, but their collective response to what has happened here remains a striking feature of this deeply unsettling case.

Superintendent Ian John, who has fronted many of the police press conferences, was also outside the leisure centre on Saturday, insisting that the searches are in no way being scaled back.

Specialist police search teams have in fact increased, we were told. As he addressed journalists, another mountain rescue crew packed up and headed off on the search for April.