POLICE have defended the scale of resources they have dedicated in their search for the Newton Abbot man who went missing four weeks ago.
Simon Jay, 42, left his home at Torbryan on December 12 and has not been seen since.
On Sunday, six Dartmoor Rescue Team handlers and their dogs searched Berry Pomeroy Woods in freezing conditions.
Police also serached Great Ambrook Ponds, Ipplepen, breaking the ice of the smaller of the two ponds near his home before entering the water.
They will search the other pond when the weather improves.
Senior investigating officer DI Sam de Reya said that members of the public had questioned the degree of effort they were putting in.
'If it was one of your family members you would want us to do all we could to locate them. We have a family liaison officer to look after the family. We are here to look after people,' he said.
Concern is mounting for Mr Jay's safety. Unemployed and living with his partner, he is known to have been in a troubled state of mind. He likes to walk long distances along the coastal paths of Devon and Cornwall and the moorland lanes and may get about by hitch-hiking.
DI de Reya said his family had no reason to believe he had harmed himself and that his behaviour was 'completely out of character.'
'Ultimately, we want to find him safe and well, but we have to bear in mind the weather conditions. We may be looking at a potential suicide or he may have been in an accident. Has he wandered off and been hit by the weather? We are trying to cover every possibility.'
Mr Jay is 6ft tall, of slim build. He has short thick red hair and a beard and wears black rimmed spectacles.
He was wearing a blue T-shirt, a navy blue long sleeved top, a blue thigh length jacket and jeans.
Call police on 08452 777444, quoting the log number 368 131209, if you have any information about Mr Jay.