What SAR Sweden does

SAR Sweden is a Swedish non-profit volunteer organization (ideell organisation) with origins in 2010, formally established in 2015 and headquartered in Täby, Stockholm County. Its sole operational client is the Swedish Police (Polismyndigheten), for whom it provides supplemental search and rescue resources to locate missing persons — typically dementia patients, individuals with mental health conditions, lost children, and elderly. SAR Sweden is activated exclusively when the Police initiates a rescue operation and dispatches the organization as additional search capacity; it operates 24/7 on a fully volunteer basis.

The service is built around three operational sections plus a drone capability. The Vehicle Group (Fordonsgruppen) deploys ATVs, UTVs, and motorcycles to access terrain that standard vehicles cannot reach. The Dog Group (Hundgruppen) runs search-dog teams that must pass annual functional testing. The Patrol Group (Patrullgruppen) provides ground navigation, tracking, and map-reading support, often transporting dog handlers via ATV. A UAS/drone capability equipped with thermal cameras extends searches into aerial and night operations. Volunteers are trained by the Police in the internationally recognized Managing Search Operations (MSO) methodology and coordinate over the RAKEL public-safety radio network. Operational coverage is documented across Stockholm and a widening ring of municipalities including Uppsala, Norrtälje, Ekerö, and Södertälje, with deployments logged through March 2026.

SAR Sweden does not charge for services and has no commercial revenue model. It is funded by Swish and BankGiro donations and by an in-kind and cash sponsorship ecosystem that includes equipment partners (Response Nordic, Goal Zero, 5.11 Tactical, 24mx, Swedol), vehicle partners (Bilia, Svea Fordon), a training partner (HLR-Teamet), a medical sponsor (MiraMed), and consumable sponsors (Orkla, Monster Energy), alongside individual contributors. Headcount is reported as 9, reflecting core staff or coordinators rather than the broader volunteer force, and new-member intake is currently closed.

Name

SAR Sweden

Legal name

SAR Sweden

Website

https://sarsweden.se

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

SAR Sweden is a Stockholm-based non-profit volunteer organization providing search and rescue services to the Swedish Police for locating missing persons, deploying terrain vehicles, certified search dog teams, and thermal drones across the Stockholm region on a 24/7 basis.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Search and Rescue Services

NAICS

Justice, Public Order, and Safety Activities (922), Other Similar Organizations (except Business, Professional, Labor, and Political Organizations) (813990)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Emergency Response & Search-and-Rescue (SAR) (BPAGAAAA)

Keywords

• Search and rescue services
• Volunteer emergency response
• Missing person search
• Police support operations
• Nonprofit rescue services

Headquarters

HQ city

Täby

HQ country

Sweden

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Sponsorship: SAR Sweden operates as a nonprofit organization funded through donations and corporate sponsorships. They receive support from sponsors including equipment providers, financial contributors, and suppliers. Work is conducted entirely on a voluntary basis.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

SAR Sweden is a non-profit volunteer organization that assists the Swedish Police (Polismyndigheten) in locating missing persons by providing supplemental search resources. Members are activated only when police initiate rescue operations and deploy specialized teams including all-terrain vehicles, motorcycles, search dogs, drone/UAS pilots with thermal cameras, and ground patrol teams trained in the internationally recognized Managing Search Operations (MSO) methodology. All work is conducted on a voluntary basis, 24/7, at no charge to the requesting authority.

Product overview

SAR Sweden is a non-profit organization, not a technology company. It operates as a volunteer search and rescue service that assists the Swedish Police in locating missing persons. The organization comprises three main operational groups: the Vehicle Group (fordonsgruppen) using ATVs, UTVs, and motorcycles for rapid terrain coverage; the Dog Group (hundgruppen) deploying search dog teams; and the Patrol Group (patrullgruppen) providing ground search and navigation expertise. Additional resources include UAS/drone operators with thermal imaging capabilities. The organization is structured around volunteer members who are trained in internationally recognized search methods (Managing Search Operations - MSO) and operates entirely on a volunteer basis, available 24/7.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Search and Rescue Operations

Quantifiable outcome

• Search operations documented to find missing persons within hours, including night operations with thermal drones

Named customers1 record

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

19 partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Response NordicminorOthersEquipment sponsor providing gear and supplies to support SAR Sweden's search and rescue operations.
• Goal ZerominorOthersEquipment sponsor providing portable power and lighting solutions for search operations.
• HLR-TeametminorOthersTraining partner providing first aid and CPR/D-HLR training support.
• VitriminorOthersEquipment sponsor supporting SAR Sweden operations.
• MiraMedminorOthersMedical equipment sponsor.
• PSSminorOthersEquipment sponsor listed on partners page.
• LoxyminorOthersEquipment sponsor providing gear for operations.
• 5.11 TacticalminorOthersTactical equipment and apparel sponsor for volunteer members.
• OrklaminorOthersFood and equipment sponsor supporting operations.
• SwedolminorOthersWorkwear and equipment retailer sponsor.
• BiliaminorOthersVehicle-related sponsorship support.
• SledstoreminorOthersEquipment sponsor for winter/sled operations.
• 24mxminorOthersMotorcycle and powersports equipment sponsor.
• Monster EnergyminorOthersBeverage sponsor providing energy drinks for volunteers during operations.
• OutmealsminorOthersFood-related sponsorship for volunteer operations.
• Svea FordonminorOthersVehicle-related sponsorship.
• Swedish Police (Polismyndigheten)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrimary operational partner. Police initiate rescue operations and activate SAR Sweden as additional search resources. Police also provide training in MSO methodology.
• Ingemar LindewallminorOthersIndividual sponsor supporting the organization.
• Erik HagmanminorOthersIndividual sponsor supporting the organization.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Emerging players

• Frivilliga Motorcykelkåren (FMCK): Swedish volunteer motorcyclist organization cited in SAR Sweden's own history as a co-trainee in Police-organized SAR courses. Direct Swedish organizational predecessor/parallel in the volunteer motorcycle SAR ecosystem.
• Svenska Brukshundklubben: Swedish Working Dog Club providing certification and training for working and search dogs. Direct parallel to SAR Sweden's Hundgruppen for sourcing and credentialing volunteer search-dog teams.

Direct peers

• Norsk Folkehjelp (Norwegian People's Aid) Search and Rescue: Norwegian volunteer organization running search and rescue teams that are activated by police and emergency services. Similar Nordic volunteer SAR model with multi-modal capabilities and government partnership.
• Mountain Rescue England and Wales: Volunteer-run mountain rescue charity responding to police activations across England and Wales. Comparable volunteer SAR operational model with multi-discipline teams.
• Missing People (UK): UK charity focused on finding missing persons, deploying volunteer search teams at police request. Comparable mission, volunteer-led model, and police-activation GTM.
• ICE-SAR (Icelandic Association for Search and Rescue): Iceland's nationwide volunteer search and rescue organization, operating a comparable community-led model with multi-modal teams (dogs, vehicles, technical rescue) responding to police and emergency services. Most internationally analogous volunteer SAR nonprofit to SAR Sweden.
• Vapepa (Volunteer Rescue Service, Finland): Finnish volunteer rescue organization supporting authorities in search and missing-person operations. Strong Nordic volunteer SAR parallel with similar multi-modal resources.

Regional players

• Svenska Livräddningssällskapet (Swedish Lifesaving Society): Sweden's national volunteer water rescue organization operating with a similar nonprofit, member-supported, government-partnered model. Comparable Swedish volunteer rescue organizational structure and training infrastructure.
• GOPR (Górskie Ochotnicze Pogotowie Ratunkowe / Polish Mountain Rescue): Polish volunteer mountain rescue organization activated by emergency services. Comparable European volunteer SAR model with similar government-coordinated activation path.

Broad incumbents

• Österreichischer Bergrettungsdienst (Austrian Mountain Rescue): Established Austrian volunteer mountain rescue service with a national footprint and government partnership. Comparable scaled European volunteer SAR model that SAR Sweden could potentially grow into.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/sarsweden

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about SAR Sweden