6 days ago
Family of missing Scot Greg Monks who vanished on Portugal stag do send SOS plea
Desperate loved ones of Greg Monks are pleading for more resources and experienced boots on the ground to search for him.
The family of a missing Scot who vanished while on a stag do in the Algarve have sent an SOS for national Portuguese cops to get involved in the search.
Desperate loved ones of Greg Monks are pleading for more resources and experienced boots on the ground to search for him - almost a week on since he disappeared after a night out in Albufeira last Tuesday evening, May 27.
The 38-year-old, from Cambuslang near Glasgow, went missing after he became separated from a group of pals who had flown over for a stag trip. Greg was set to be a groomsman at the wedding.
Police in Portugal have told the family they have captured two CCTV clips just 15 minutes apart of Greg in the early hours of Wednesday morning. The clips were taken in a quieter residential area of Cerro de Aguia around four miles from the group's apartment and the party strip.
His desperate family, including his mum, dad and girlfriend Nicole have flown out to the holiday destination to help search for him. But despite exploring numerous avenues, including checking local hospitals - there have still been no further sightings of Greg.
Today they sent an urgent call for help as they revealed local police services the GNR were stretched and under resourced trying to search for him.
They called on the case to be escalated beyond the GNR to Portugal's national force the Polícia de Segurança Pública (PSP).
Greg's cousin, Alison Fraser who is in the Algarve searching for him said: "The family of Greg Monks is actively working with the local GNR in Albufeira to support the ongoing efforts to locate him. We are awaiting formal instructions from the authorities to organise a larger search operation. To this end, we are appealing for the support of people with experience in large-scale search and rescue operations, since, as an ordinary family, we do not have the knowledge or experience necessary to deal with a situation of this nature.
"Given the number of police personnel and resources currently in the region, it is clear that the resources available to the local GNR are insufficient to respond adequately to the complexity of this case. Therefore, we urgently request the intervention of the higher authorities in Portugal, as well as the increased involvement of the British government.
"We also appeal to all people with political connections to exert their influence in order to mobilise institutional support and additional resources. Greater media visibility at a national level could also be crucial to accelerating these efforts.
"If you have any suggestions or contacts that could help advance this cause, please contact us as soon as possible."
Greg's sister Jillian Monk also sent a desperate plea to First Minister John Swinney to help get involved in the hunt for Greg.
She posted to Mr Swinney's account on X: "Please help me get this to Government level! Local Portuguese police doing all they can but no sightings since Wed! Local police resources are stretched we need help! Please share get attention of John Swinney."
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The Record told how the family had "never known pain like this" as they continued the frantic search for Greg.
Greg had only been in the Algarve for a matter of hours before he vanished from pals. The group checked into the Novochoro Apartments before heading out to the famous strip.
The group visited King's Cross karaoke bar before Greg became separated from them. Yesterday the last known picture of Greg was shared by family on a social media page set up to help find him.
It shows he was wearing navy Nike shorts and a t-shirt by the sports brand.
The family have yet to be shown CCTV footage of Greg with police adamant the clips show it is him. The last camera footage showed Greg walking past the Villa aguia mar at 3.27am on Wednesday morning (May 28).
The Record has contacted the GNR police force, the Foreign Office and the UK and Scottish governments for comment.
