factsheet 5 - information on police investigation

8/3/2019 Factsheet 5 - Information on Police Investigation

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Unintentionally missing because theychanged their plans or forgot to tellsomeone where they were going

Unintentionally missing because they

have become a victim of crime such asabduction or another serious offence

Intentionally missing, perhaps due topersonal reasons they may not have

shared with anyone, or due to problemsthat they may be experiencing, such asarguments or relationship problems,financial troubles or medical issues likedepression.

A person in any of these groups may be at riskof harm; having information to determinewhat may have happened helps the police toplan searches and develop their lines of

enquiry. Police lines of enquiry may include:

Searching the area where the person

was last seen

Checks on mobile phones andcomputers used by the missing person

House to house enquiries

Reviewing CCTV footage

Specialist searches (for example usinghelicopters, divers or dogs),particularly for high risk cases

Co-ordinating media coverage to raiseawareness.

Should the missing person not be foundfollowing the initial lines of enquiry, then the

investigation may be passed to a nominatedofficer within the police station who will deal

with all further enquiries that can be carriedout. This may be the officer on duty at thetime, referred to as the Duty Officer.

In some circumstances, if the missing personis not considered to be at risk of harm, thepolice may wait for a period before taking

further action. This is because most peoplewho are reported missing return or are foundquickly.

There will be circumstances where a personmay be missing, but police involvement may

not be required. If the person you are tryingto trace is a relative that you have lost contact

with and there is no known risk to this person,the police will not normally investigate thiskind of case. The police may ask you some

questions to make sure that there are noidentifiable risks and once satisfied, close the

case and refer family members to appropriatetracing services. Advice can be obtained fromthe www.direct.gov.uk website on how totrace lost relatives. Other organisations maybe able to provide assistance, for example

Missing People, the Salvation Army or internettracing companies. There is a factsheet calledLooking for someone you have lost touch withwhich you may find helpful, available todownload at www.npia.police.uk/mpb

If a person is missing, but it appears that theymay have entered the UK without appropriateauthority, this may not be investigated by thepolice as a missing person case. The

circumstances of the case, the risk to theperson, their age and other factors will betaken into consideration by the police whenmanaging this type of case.

The police may also seek your consent forpublicity. Using the media to appeal forinformation can be very effective, but thisneeds to be done in co-ordination with thepolice investigation. The police may ask for

photographs (preferably recent) of the missingperson.

The level of police response will be informed

by the risk assessment process completed bythe police.

Forensic material

As part of their investigation, the police maycollect items and material that can provideforensic evidence, which will assist with theirsearch and enquiries.

Consider limiting access to the missingpersons bedroom or home until the policehave searched and collected evidence

Remember that clothing, bedding andother personal items may hold importantevidence and information for the police,

so do not wash anything or clean theirroom. Do not touch their hairbrush ortoothbrush (or other items used only by

the missing person) and when policeconduct a search, ensure that these itemsare highlighted to police, as they maywish to take them for the collection of

DNA and fingerprints.This may be


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important if the person remains missingfor a long period.

In addition to DNA and fingerprints, otherforensic material like dental records (if the

missing person was registered with a dentist)may also be useful to the investigation. Thepolice can also make sure that this forensic

information is added to the UK MissingPersons DNA Database and UK MissingPersons Dental Record Database, which

contains this kind of information. Thesedatabases can assist the police if they find anunidentified person or body that they thinkmight be the person who you have reported

missing.

If the police cannot get a DNA sample for the

missing person, it may be helpful for them toobtain a DNA sample from you and/or otherfamily members in order to assist with theDNA identification process in the future.

The police may also ask for details of themissing persons dentist and/or doctor in order

to obtain their dental, medical and possiblyhospital records; in some cases yourpermission may be sought to obtain these.

If you would like more information on DNA,

please refer to the document Identification ofpeople: A Guide, which can be obtained from

the UK Missing Persons Bureauwww.npia.police.uk/mpb. It is worthremembering that DNA is only used to helpidentify the person and is not used for any

other purposes. Also, once the missing personis found, the DNA profile is deleted from theMissing Persons database.

Family Liaison Officers

In some cases, the police may allocate aFamily Liaison Officer (FLO) to assist with theinvestigation. A FLO is more likely to be

allocated in suspicious cases where the policebelieve that the missing person may havecome to harm. If you are allocated a FLO,there is a possibility that they may bewithdrawn from the case after a period oftime, even if the missing person has not beenfound. Family Liaison Officers may also be

able to help you get in touch with a charity,

such as Missing People, which can providesupport and assistance during this difficulttime.

Police guidance

There is guidance that the police use when

investigating cases of people who have gonemissing. The Association of Chief Police

Officers (ACPO) 2010 Guidance on theManagement, Recording and Investigation of

Missing Persons is the main document whichguides the way that the police investigatemissing person cases. Actual police force

policy on missing persons may vary from forceto force, but should reflect the ACPO guidance.

If you wish to understand more about the

police investigation, you can access the ACPOpolice guidance document on investigatingmissing person cases and other related

information, on the UK Missing Persons Bureauwebsite www.npia.police.uk/mpb.

NPIA (National Policing Improvement

Agency) 2011

For additional copies, to enquire about thecontent of this document or to request theinformation in an alternative format, pleasecontact the UK Missing Persons Bureau on0845 000 5481 or email:

[email protected]

The information in this guide is not definitiveand should be utilised in conjunction with

police guidance and independent legal advice.

If you require more information, other

factsheets can be downloaded from the NPIAwebsite: www.npia.police.uk/mpb

factsheet 5 - information on police investigation

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