Sharing the Experiences of Black Missing People and their Families

National Police Chiefs' Council's (NPCC) Missing Persons portfolio and the Police Race Action Plan are working alongside Missing People and Missing Black People to take the first step in national action to consult Black communities on improving the policing response to reports of missing people who are Black.

Collectively, we are seeking submissions and experiences from Black people who have been missing themselves, as well as families of Black missing people.

Research examples which reflect the requirement for this policing response involve Missing People’s February 2023 report The Ethnicity of Missing People. Based on data from police forces and local authorities, the research found that people from minority ethnic groups were missing for longer, less likely to be found by the police, and less likely to be recorded as being at risk, than white people. Another example is the National Crime Agency reporting that Black people accounted for 14 per cent of missing people in England and Wales between 2019 and 2020. This is four times the relative population of Black people living in England and Wales during this period.

On September 27, the first in a series of internal national policing workshops will take place to hear directly from those who are willing to share their experiences.

We are asking Black people to share their experiences with police officers who have strategic or tactical responsibility for missing people investigations and operational missing people specialists. We would welcome people sharing their experience and feedback for the police by joining the event or submitting videos or statements in advance that will then be shared at the event. This can be done anonymously if anyone is not comfortable sharing their identity with all attendees.

Missing People is facilitating the feedback. Those interested in contributing should reach out to either josie.allan@missingpeople.org.uk or info@missingblackpeople.com.

The focus of the September 27 event is to listen and to consider the actions to take forward as part of the delivery of this national activity. The event is planned to be a listening only environment, and we are seeking those who are open to share their stories (good and bad). Policing will reflect directly after the event and the findings will feed into a national programme of Police Race Action Plan activity throughout 2023 and 2024.

Any information shared on this date or fed into Missing People will subsequently be utilised to directly feed into deliverables and outcomes for this national activity.

After this online event, a statement including a list of actions, a summary of what comes up during the session, and the next steps for the Police Race Action Plan will be produced. These will be shared with any people with lived experience who contributed to this event and published by Missing People and Missing Black People on their websites, to demonstrate the progress on this work.

Introducing the online event on September 27, Dominic Norton of Missing Black People will welcome the audience. A short statement will follow to discuss the current state of the police response and scrutiny. The rest of this session will be wholly devoted on listening to the experiences of Black people.

National Police Chiefs' Council lead for Missing Persons, Deputy Chief Constable Catherine Hankinson said:

“As the NPCC Lead for Missing Persons, I am pleased to advise several encouraging activities are progressing, in respect of better understanding disproportionality in missing investigations. This action relating to missing people seeks to improve the police response and effectiveness in supporting missing people from Black communities which aligns to the overall operational task of successfully resolving missing persons investigations for all members of the public.”

Chief Inspector Alan Rhees-Cooper, NPCC Missing Persons National Coordinator said:

“When families share their experiences, policing may have a different understanding of what occurred. However, this session is not a forum for defensiveness or a time to challenge the personal experiences of these families. 

"This is a time to gain an insight into their personal experiences and perceptions so that we can reflect on how to improve our future responses so that their personal experiences are more positive, there is a greater understanding of the role and responsibilities of the police, and expectations are met or managed. After this workshop, there will be a follow up meeting for police representatives to reflect on this session and to share views on the way forward.”

Josie Allan, Head of Policy & Partnerships at national charity, Missing People, said:

“It is vital that the police hear and really listen to the experiences of Black people who have been missing, and their families. Black people are more likely to go missing, and can be at greater risk while away, yet their families have told us about their concerns not being taken seriously and bias informing the investigation.

"The Police Race Action Plan has acknowledged the need for a better response and a first step in that is hearing directly from those with experience of going or reporting a loved one missing, so lessons can be learnt, and improvements can be made.”