Scotish Royal Police forces from across the all Scotland are now involved in the hunt for missing three-year-old Mikaeel Kular as a first search of CCTV footage draws a blank.

At a press conference in Edinburgh this morning, Superintendent Liz McAinsh said “hundreds and hundreds” of police officers were searching for Mikaeel Kular.

She invited members of the public to help with the search, urging volunteers to congregate at the Local Team Office in West Pilton Gardens at 10am.

By mid-morning many were there, crammed into the community building, carrying their children, rucksacks and torches.

David Cowin, who has just finished 25 years service in the military, said: “At times like this you just want to help as much as you can.”

Supt McAinsh also revealed that police had received 150 calls to a hotline dedicated to the boy’s disappearance and all lines of inquiry were still open.

She said: “We are deeply concerned we have no positive sightings of Mikaeel. There’s lots of activity today, lots of police officers, helped by members of the public.

“I remain optimistic, I really do, but as time passes we become deeply concerned.”

The child’s mother put him to bed at around 9pm on Wednesday, only to find his room empty on Thursday morning.

Supt McAinsh said: “Mikaeel’s mother is getting a lot of support from both the police, her family and her friends but clearly she is very distraught, she just wants her little boy back home with his brothers and sisters.”

She said that officers have spoken to Mikaeel’s father and that all of the boy’s family have been very helpful to the police.

She added: “No-one is detained, no-one is a suspect, we have no evidence of any criminality.”

Supt McAinsh said she was not aware of any tension in the family that would have caused Mikaeel to run away.

A police helicopter, sniffer dogs, coastguard and lifeboat teams have been searching the area surrounding the flat he shares with four siblings in Ferry Gait Crescent.

Forensic teams are examining a second address in a block of flats near his home.

Officers have also urged neighbours to check gardens, sheds, parks and lock-ups to find the missing boy.

The temperature in Edinburgh overnight dropped to around 3C.

Police Scotland has activated the Child Rescue Alert system, which is usually reserved for abduction and kidnap cases and supported by all police forces across the UK.

The search remains focused around the Drylaw, Pennywell, Muirhouse and Silverknowes areas of Edinburgh, but other forces are now involved.

Mikaeel, who has two sisters and two brothers, was discovered missing from his bed by his mother at around 7.15am on Thursday.

He usually sleeps in the same room as his twin sister but was alone on Wednesday night.

His jacket and shoes were missing and police are looking into whether he might have left of his own accord.

Mikaeel is slim, 2ft, of Asian appearance and possibly wearing a thigh-length beige hooded coat. He may also be wearing black gloves with multi-coloured fingers, dark navy blue jogging bottoms, a grey pyjama top with an embroidered turquoise dinosaur on the chest and brown Clarks shoes.

He has a faded scar on the bridge of his nose and a sore on the left hand side of his mouth.

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