More needs to be done to ensure there is a consistent response to missing and vulnerable people

National Police Chiefs’ Council Lead for Missing Persons, Chief Constable Mike Veale said:

“Police forces moved to an approach of risk assessing missing people reports so we can quickly identify and direct resources to those who are at the greatest risk of harm.  Those who are identified as being absent but not at immediate risk of harm would receive support from a missing people coordinator to address the underlying reasons behind their absence because we know regularly going missing for short periods of time can be a symptom of other issues like sexual or domestic abuse or neglect.   It is clear from the HMIC ‘missing children: who cares?’ study that more needs to be done to ensure that this approach is working consistently across all forces.

“We will work closely with chief constables, the Home Office and the College of Policing to address the recommendations so that missing children who are identified as high risk and those who have underlying issues or problems get the support they need from the police.

“Police forces cannot solve these problems alone and we are committed to building a consistent, multi-agency response to missing and vulnerable people.”