What to do when someone goes missing
You do not have to wait 24 hours to report someone missing
If you think someone is in danger you can report them missing right away.
Reporting a missing person
If the missing person is in immediate danger, is a young child or vulnerable to harm, call 999 now.
If you have a hearing or speech impairment, use our textphone service 18000 or text us on 999 if you’ve pre-registered with the emergencySMS service.
If you don’t think they are in immediate danger you can:
Your report will be dealt with by our control room in exactly the same way whether you report it online or call 101.
If you report online you will get an email confirming that we've got your report and telling you what will happen next.
And you may find it easier to answer the questions online at your own pace.
What you can do
If you don't think someone is in immediate danger, before you report someone missing you should:
- ring round friends and family
- check your phone and email for messages
- search the home or wherever they were last seen
- check the loft, garden, shed or garage
- remember that children can fit into small spaces
- look for any notes or other clues
- ring round local hospitals
If you can, make a note of everything you do.
Leave the missing person's room and things alone in case we need to take a DNA sample.
It is not illegal to go missing
A missing person will not be in trouble or be arrested for going missing. Our first concern is for the missing person's wellbeing.