ABSTRACT
The initial evaluation of a report of a missing person, the assessment of risk and determination of the type of response that is required are all critical to the quality of the investigation. The challenge is recognising those cases that require immediate and urgent action out of the many that are reported to the police. Data gathered by the UK Missing Persons Bureau has shown slightly declining figures for three years’ collection, slightly in excess of 300,000 reports made to the police in the UK per year (NCA, 2015). Such numbers require a sifting process, as it is not possible to conduct a full investigation into every report and a discerning approach is required.
