Missing - Information and Facts Part 1

Approximately 350,000 people each year go missing.

The UK has an estimated population of 62,300,000 and rising.

That's an approximate of 0.40% of the UK population that has gone missing.

It may seem a little but it is 0.40% of people that we can aid in the search for.

With this figure that leaves 99.60% left of the population to spread the word and help us make a difference by bringing these people home to their loved one.

How do we define a missing person?

There is currently no single defining point of a missing person. People go missing for a number of reasons and this makes it more difficult to gauge if they can be defined as missing. The following are three definitions which have been devised by academics-

• ‘A break in contact which either the missing person or someone else defines as going missing, and which may be either intentional or unintentional.’ (Biehal, Mitchell and Wade, 2003: 2)
• ‘…a social situation in which a person is absent from their accustomed network of social and personal relationships to the extent that people within that network define the absence as interfering with the performance by that person of expected social responsibilities, leading to a situation in which members of the network feel obliged to search for the missing person and may institute official procedures to identify the person as missing.’ (Payne, 1995: 335)
• ‘Anyone whose whereabouts is unknown whatever the circumstances of disappearance. They will be considered missing until located and their well-being or otherwise established.’ (ACPO, 2005: 8)

Another factor which brings difficulty in defining someone as missing is that the person who is missing may see not see themselves as missing but as taking a time out or making a new start somewhere else. This then brings the question of who decides if a person is actually missing or not? Under UK Law adults actually have the legal right to go missing and this right is respected by all those involved in missing person cases including the police and government.

The main concern when an adult goes missing is to ensure their welfare and safety. A child under UK Law is deemed not to have the right to go missing (A child shall either be in the care of parents or guardians with parental responsibility, or subject to an order and have a nominated carer. (Children Act, 1989).) With the various reasoning as to why people go missing we can not simply give one single definition as to who is a missing person. This then makes it very difficult to those offering support to the missing.

What types of missing person are there?

Again there are many reasons as to why people go missing. This can range from the intentional of those who want to get a way to the unintentional of those who have been abducted. There are four main classifications for the type of missing person, however the missing person can work their way from one classification into another depending on their circumstances.

• Decided - Someone who has decided to break all contact with family and friends. (Intentional)
• Drifted - Someone who gradually loses contact over time. (Intentional)
• Unintentional Absence - Someone who may have lost contact by accident. (Unintentional)
• Forced - Someone who has been abducted. (Unintentional)

These four types of missing person can help those left behind to gain an understanding of why their loved one has gone missing.

Police hail dad’s innovative alert system

A MISSING persons service launched by a Wigan dad has been hailed by police chiefs using the innovative system.

Police connect with SSE North West Student Missing Persons Website

People in West Lancs urged to be vigilant after attempted child abduction