Police have scaled down their search for missing William Grange after weekend efforts failed to find the Canadian tourist, who went missing ten days ago.

At a press conference yesterday, Detective Inspector Mark Clarke said the police operation had switched from “proactive to reactive”.

A search party of more than 100 people, made up of police, regiment soldiers, and civilian volunteers, covered the entire Island on Saturday and Sunday, but found no trace of Mr Grange, who had been staying at the Cambridge Beaches resort in Sandys with his wife when he went missing at around 10pm on May 2.

The 67-year-old lawyer suffers from short-term memory loss.

Yesterday Det Insp Clarke said that, with the search effort now in its tenth day, it was impossible for the Bermuda Police Service to continue to assign large numbers of officers to the task.

The detective did say that some officers, including marine police, were still actively looking for Mr Grange, but could not say specifically how many were now deployed in the search.

“At this time the police search for Mr Grange has transitioned from the proactive phase, where various teams of police officers were deployed to actively search for Mr Grange, to the reactive phase, where specific police resources will continue to look for Mr Grange, with patrol officers maintaining their priority response to any reported sightings by the public,” Det Insp Clarke said.

“Both land and marine based police patrols will continue with their efforts and the public is encouraged to remain vigilant, actively searching and reporting all possible sightings to us.

“I also remind any resident who has security cameras to check any recorded footage they may have to determine if captured images of Mr Grange exist.”

“We will continue this search for Mr Grange. It has been unprecedented and in the last ten days we have been very proactive but now we have to transition into a period of reaction. Any time anyone has any information we will respond and will act accordingly.

“Everything is information and we’re responding to every call every piece of information and every potential sighting.”

One of Mr Grange’s two sons, said that he had still not given up hope of finding his father alive, although he acknowledged that he could be “somewhere where he is not mobile”.

He also said that, without medication, his father could be vulnerable to seizures.

“This is the first time he’s been off his medication, John Grange said at yesterday’s press conference.

“I know that while on medication he had no seizures. When he wasn’t, he was having seizures.

“We’re hoping the medication will stay in his bloodstream for a period of time. I’m assuming that he is somewhere where he is not mobile. Why that is — I can’t comment on.

“We don’t believe he is still up and walking. He’s probably hunkered down somewhere, in a shed, underneath stairs, he could be in an abandoned house.

“Please get off the road and go search. Ask your neighbours if they have searched their house. We need to be very active if my dad is to be found very, very soon.

“This has been an extremely emotional ten days but we’re going to find him with your help. I know in my heart I know in my soul.

“I am standing here today because I believe that he is alive. My mum is out there searching today because she believes that he is still alive.

“Everything in my being is telling us that he is alive. There’s no other option at this point.”

Last night police and sniffer dogs responded to reports of a “putrid smell” in the Cobbs Hill Road area of Paget.

Det Insp Clarke and other officers were at the scene but after a thorough search of the area it was discovered that the odour had been caused by a number of dead rats.

The Cambridge Beaches resort is planning to hold organised searches every evening this week, with volunteers being asked to meet at 6pm at the reception desk.

Any person who has any information concerning the whereabouts of Mr Grange should immediately call 295-0011 or e-mail mclarke@bps.bm.