Multi-agency approach to help missing persons outlined in new report

Improved data sharing between police, councils, charities and health authorities are among the recommendations set out in a report by the Missing Person’s Taskforce published this week.

In producing the document, the Missing Persons Taskforce identified a number of problems in the way missing persons cases were handled; these included poor data collection, uncoordinated multi-agency response and a lack of support to the family.

Recommendations made in the report largely drive towards a need to reduce the number of children and vulnerable adults going missing, while ensuring best operational performance to manage the cases that arise.

The report includes a call for the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) to issue revised guidance on missing persons investigations, incorporating good practice in data collection and information sharing as identified in the report.

ACPO is also expected to support the National Policing Improvement Agency (NPIA) and the Child Exploitation and Online Protection (CEOP) centre to ensure full police force compliance with the Police Code of Practice on the Collection and Sharing of Missing Persons Data.

CEOP has assumed responsibility for missing and abducted children from the Missing Person’s Bureau. As part of this, CEOP will be piloting a service with police forces to help review their long-term missing children cases.

The new recommendations include:

• A national model of information-sharing to facilitate better sharing of data between police, local authorities, charities and health services on missing individuals.
• A single point of contact for families in police forces, local authorities and health authorities, ensuring families and practitioners know where to turn and that there is a joined-up response.
• Better training for police, social workers, charity case workers and health professionals to deal with missing people and their families.
• Government to work with Ofsted, Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC) and the Care Quality Commission (CQC) to ensure correct measures are in place for monitoring and assessment of performance on missing incidents.

All the recommendations made in the report have been accepted by the Home Secretary and the Prime Minister and will now be developed into an action plan and a strategic delivery group established to monitor implementation.

Home Office minister Alan Campbell, who chairs the Taskforce, said he was confident that these practical measures would lead to real improvements in the services offered. “A strong, coordinated response is essential from all partners. There is more to do, but these recommendations are an important step in the right direction.”

Good practice

West Mercia Police was experiencing high numbers of reports concerning ‘looked after children’ and so actively addressed the issue.

One home, for example, reported 265 missing children to the force since 2008, with one child reported 81 times. The force worked hard to target the missing persons cases in its area and drew up a list of the specific challenges faced and developed an action plan to: intervene with top missing persons using local policing teams; challenge poorer performing homes and hospitals; and raise standards of corporate parenting in those homes. This enabled it to deal more effectively with the problem and detailed figures show that during the year 2009/10, the force was able to reduce the number of missing incidents significantly and make cost savings of £5,723,000 – the equivalent to 139 constable posts.

Grampian Police produced a standard operating procedure which provides direction to managing missing persons inquiries. A computer-based missing persons recording system is managed either by the control room or force service centre and reports are created for all those who fit the definition of a missing person. Divisi