Government Urged To Reimburse Suffolk Police For Corrie Investigation

Ministers have been urged to reimburse a police force as soon as possible for its £2.1 million investigation into the disappearance of missing RAF gunner Corrie McKeague.

Tory Peter Aldous said Suffolk Constabulary, who he said had carried out an "extensive search" for Mr McKeague, had applied to the Home Office for repayment of the costs.

The 23-year-old was last seen walking through Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, in September 2016 after a night out with friends.

Mr Aldous (Waveney) raised Mr McKeague's disappearance during a debate in the Commons on a motion to set police budgets next year, telling MPs:

"Police budgeting is a very difficult science as events will take place that you can never predict.

"One of these is the tragic case of the airman Corrie McKeague, who disappeared after a night out.

"Quite rightly Suffolk Constabulary have carried out an extensive search for Corrie, which very sadly has not yet shed any light on his disappearance.

"This search has so far cost £2.15 million, an application has been made to the Home Office for the repayment of these costs and I would urge the minister to process this application and reimburse Suffolk Constabulary as soon as practicably possible."

According to a study carried out by the University of Portsmouth, the average cost of an investigation for this kind of missing person's case is £2,415.

As part of the inquiry, police searched a landfill site in Milton, Cambridgeshire, believing that the RAF gunner had been taken there in a bin lorry.

However, this search has now ended and the investigation continues.