NUYU Academy
Missing Persons
Written by College of Policing: 11 mins read.
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Introduction
Going missing should be treated as an indicator that the individual may be at risk of harm.
The safeguarding of vulnerable people is paramount and a missing person report should be recognised as an opportunity to identify and address risks. The reasons for a person deciding to go missing may be complex and linked to a variety of social or family issues.
Three key factors should be considered in a missing person investigation:
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protecting those at risk of harm
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minimising distress and ensuring high quality of service to the families and carers of missing persons
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prosecuting those who perpetrate harm or pose a risk of harm when this is appropriate and supported by evidence
Support for law enforcement agencies
Police investigators can contact the following specialists for advice and assistance in missing and unidentified person investigations.
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UK Missing Persons Unit (UKMPU) on 0800 234 6034
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NCA Major Crime Investigative Support (MCIS) on 0345 000 5463
Definition of ‘missing’
Anyone whose whereabouts cannot be established will be considered as missing until located, and their well-being or otherwise confirmed.
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This is a broad definition, intended to ensure that all cases of people suspected of being missing who are reported to the police are considered for a policing response. The nature of the response is for operational decision makers. Not all reports of missing people will require immediate deployment of police resources.
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All reports of missing people sit within a continuum of risk from very low risk through to high-risk cases that require immediate, intensive action. All should be viewed as missing persons and the appropriate response initiated. In some cases, there will be very limited police action – an initial investigation to inform a risk assessment, followed by instructions or advice to the person reporting on the next steps they should take and setting a review time. In other cases, immediate police action may be required.
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The framing of risk of harm within a continuum is intended to indicate that there should not be defined steps between the various risk levels, but that the boundaries are, in reality, more blurred.
Risk assessment and response
The risk assessment table
The following table should be used as a guide to an appropriate level of police response based on initial and on-going risk assessment in each case.
Risk assessment should be guided by the College of Policing Risk principles, the national decision model (NDM) and police Code of Ethics.
The Risk Assessment Table
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