Family’s drive to employ detective

The family of missing RAF serviceman Corrie McKeague has launched a fundraising bid to pay for a private detective after branding police “incompetent”.

A Just Giving page has been set up to raise £20,000 to fund work relatives claim Suffolk Police are not capable of resourcing.

The 23-year-old airman, who comes from Dunfermline, has not been seen since he vanished after a night out with friends on September 24.

He was last spotted on CCTV walking into a loading bay area of the town at 3.25am.

It is believed he was trying to make his way back to his base at RAF Honington.

The online page, set up by family friend Cheryl Hickman on Tuesday night, has already raised more than £15,000.

It reads: “The police investigation team, through a combination of lack of resources, intransigence and incompetence have failed to capture and process vital evidence and still lack the basic resources to efficiently process a tiny number of phone calls per week.

The money raised will fund the appointment of a private investigator and a data analyst to collect, collate and analyse the information gathered so far.

In addition, some money will cover the costs of Corrie’s mum Nicola and brothers, Darroch and Makeyan, maintaining a presence in Bury St Edmunds.