do you get involved in MISSING PERSONS reports?

[falkor]

do you go to calls from the public wishing to report a MISSING PERSON?

BBC NEWS 20 Mar 2013
Police are to stop attending every report of a missing person to focus on cases where people are most at risk.

There are about 900 reports a day of those whose whereabouts are unknown and police have to investigate each one, but from April this will change.

Senior officers say the current policy, which applies to England, Wales and Northern Ireland, drains resources.

The NSPCC and the Children's Society have warned the changes could put children at risk.

Police deal with about 327,000 reports of missing people every year, with two-thirds of them involving children.

Chief Constable Pat Geenty, of the Association of Chief Police Officers (Acpo), said the current regime was "a huge demand on police resources".

Under the new approach, police call handlers will divide reports into two categories.

People who are simply not where they are expected to be will be termed "absent" and the cases will be monitored.

Where there is a specific reason for concern, they will be classed as "missing" - prompting an investigation.

'Collection service'

Pilots of the approach by Greater Manchester, West Midlands and Staffordshire police forces showed officers focused more on higher-risk incidents and saved thousands of officer hours over a three-month

[Bert Moffat]

About time too.

[PI & GI]

it makes sense!

[Big Brother]

Finally, we don't have to attend every report of someone being 20 minutes late home and some idiot who has vanished for the umpteenth time.

[Arthur ASCII]

Children in care are the most prolific "mispers", but on the other hand, they are also very vulnerable. I'd rather keep an eye out than not be informed of a missing vulnerable person.

I'd be mortified if they were being groomed or used and I couldn't help because I wasn't told.

[Minx]

Yes Falkor, all the time. Ours are split about 50/50 with patients from the local mental health unit and juveniles. The patients are the biggest cause for concern as there have been 5 successful suicides after going missing from there in the last 2 years.
We are seeing a growth in teenage female runaways, usually from care homes or foster carers, being groomed by older teenagers and young men though. It is troubling.

I'm not sure if this is the way to go. Something needs to be done but how can it be predicted whether, the next time a MisPer is reported, that they don't end up on the railway or in the hands of a predator, just cos they haven't previously?

[Gualsa]

Usually its teenagers who are in fact in mobile contact with their parents texting: "I aint cmin hme cuz u all suck!" which leads me to think that they are not in imminent danger. It tiring because once we find them there is not always cause to bring them home. I believe parents can sing an "anti harbouring agreement" with police if their child gravitates towards a certain person and address which is deemed unsuitable. This would then give police powers to forcibly remove that child from that place/person and even in some case make arrests. However, its harder when it is a foster child as they often go back "home" where they have contacts and cross border misper inquiries are more slow.

In Norfolk we are in the process of introducing something called the "Herbert Protocol" which is a set of guidelines and procedures which a care home or school would sign up to. This means that they are so much more prepared and can deal more effectively with any missing persons. I have already signed up a few schools and a care home and we are having a positive response from them (especially when they realise that it will give brownie points with Ofsted).
http://www.norfolk.police.uk/newsandeve ... homes.aspx

[falkor]

the two new classifications began on 1 April 2013 (PCSOs please note!)

MISSING
“Missing” will refer to cases where it is out of character for the individual to go missing or the individual is considered to be a possible subject of crime or is at risk of harm to themselves and/or others.
ABSENT
“Absent” will refer to cases where the individual is not at a place where they are expected or required to be.

It is important that you KNOW these definitions - effectively those who fall within the "Absent" category are not Police Missing and will not result in "Police Resources" being tasked to "investigate"

This is actually designed to create a NET in which to catch reports that are actually "WORTH POLICE TIME" (Absent cases are not)

EXAMPLE 1. schoolgirl aged 11 was supposed to have returned home from school at 4pm - it is now 9pm, don't know where she is, that is a MISSING PERSON

EXAMPLE 2. 17 year old lad was due home at 10pm on a Friday night, it is now midnight, don't know where he is, that is an ABSENT PERSON REPORT (we will note it, CAD it, close it, maybe intel, close)

EXAMPLE 3. 17 year old lad, on medication went to his room at 9pm he has gone out leaving all his medication behind, don't know where he is, the last time he did this he was found drinking alcohol which does not go with his meds, he has learning difficulties and it is now 2am - that is a MISSING PERSON

EXAMPLE 4, the hospital has just phoned, a 50 year old male who turned up at A+E at 5pm with groin strain and was in pain could not be found in A+E at 9.30pm believe he just walked out, don't know where, hospital are reporting him missing, that is an ABSENT PERSON REPORT

EXAMPLE 5, the children's home has just phoned, 16 year old girl not on meds, no medical problems, no additional issues known, is 1 hour late back to the children's home, staff reporting this because their management tell them all children late back must be reported to police - on checking we find that many previous missing reports on this girl exist - that is an ABSENT PERSON REPORT

[ninjamonk]

All noted! thanks for the update Falkor.

[averagejoe90]

[falkor]

well as far as the public are concerned maybe they see it as actually a poorer police response

and perhaps I should say that those Examples I gave, are just my interpretation of the new categories, please do come in with your opinion if you disagree with my examples, or have seen your Force deal differently since the changes came in in April this year.

Children in care are the most prolific "mispers", but on the other hand, they are also very vulnerable. I'd rather keep an eye out than not be informed of a missing vulnerable person.

this is one area where regular police resources were being used up week in week out, if not day after day and pretty much most of the time, wasted resources and all for better safe than sorry!

well now is it better sorry than safe?