Volunteers out in force in search for missing man

Land Search and Rescue teams are completing another day of the search for missing Alexandra man Christopher Bates, while police remind the public to remain vigilant.

Twenty-five Land SAR volunteers and a police dog team have been searching the area around the Manuherikia River, to the east of Alexandra, near the railroad bridge.

Detective Sergeant Derek Shaw said searchers were combing dense vegetation, going over previously searched area in more detail.

• Blank drawn over CCTV photo

Mr Bates was last seen in Alexandra on February 11, and a massive search has been under way since.

Det Sgt Shaw said physical searches were not carried out last week, but intelligence and planning work had continued.

He said police had grave concerns for Mr Bates, and would continue searching for him until he was found.

The public could help by remaining vigilant and reporting anything unusual, Det Sgt Shaw said.

"The public are moving through these areas - bikers, fishermen, mountain bikers, walkers, dog walkers. If there's anything that's unusual or anything that would lead you to believe that there's a person concealed nearby, please do not hesitate to contact police.''

A CCTV image released by police earlier today was not of Mr Bates, Det Sgt Shaw said.

The footage was taken outside the Alexandra i-SITE Visitor Centre on Centennial Ave, on Monday, February 12 at 8.52am, and police had initially received information which suggested the man in the image was Mr Bates.

However, following the publication of the photo in the Otago Daily Times today, it had been established the man was not Mr Bates, Det Sgt Shaw said.

The physical search for Mr Bates was planned to continue tomorrow, he said.