Missing persons

Missing Persons

How can you report someone missing to the Police?

First hand reporting from a relative or friend is the most common way that Police are notified of a missing person. The Police will take reports of missing persons in any of the following formats:

  • Calls by telephone to a police station
  • By a visit to a police station
  • Contact with a Police Officer/Police Staff away from a police station

What happens when you report someone missing to Police?

Once a Police Officer has taken a report from you about the missing person, he/she enters all the information onto a computer at the police station and circulates the person as "missing" on the Police National Computer. Now that that information is on the computer any Police Officer nationally or internationally can contact us to find out more in-depth details.

Immediate enquiries are undertaken by the Initial Investigating Officer to try to find the missing person as soon as possible.

Should they still not be found then the investigation is passed onto a nominated officer within the police station who will now deal with all further enquiries that can be carried out.

What can they do?

  • The officer will firstly make sure that we have all the necessary details so that an efficient investigation can be conducted, these will include details of:
    - Details of friends or relatives,
    - Places that the missing person is known to frequent,
    - Health or medical conditions that they may suffer from,
    - Financial account details (such as bank account, credit and debit card details),
    - Details on any benefits that they may receive, and the location of where they may collect them from,
    - A number of recent photographs,
    - Events that could be linked with their disappearance,
    - DNA sample for subsequent forensic examination (i.e. toothbrush).
  • Officers will also need to search with your consent the home address to establish if there are any further evidential leads (this is a normal procedure).
  • Consent to publicity will also be sought from you. We have found that using the media to appeal for information can be very effective.

What can you do?

Police realise that this is a very traumatic time for you and that you need support and feedback from them, but this is also a time where you can help them by making many enquiries yourself. Please keep in touch with the officer in the case if you find anything out. We will work with other agencies to bring this incident to a swift conclusion.

Sometimes the adults who go missing may wish for their location to remain anonymous, and they do have that right which we must respect. We will always tell you if this is the case.

FAQ

Missing Persons Bureau website

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