POLICE Scotland’s response in finding missing people is “robust and effective”, with the force successfully tracing 99% of people alive in the last four years, a watchdog has said.
Scotland’s national police service was so effective, a new report found, that forces from across the world want to learn how they do it.
The report, by His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary in Scotland (HMICS), said Police Scotland conducted 16,236 missing person investigations in the 2023/24 financial year.
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Figures included in the report, titled Thematic Inspection Of Police Response To Missing Persons in Scotland, show that over the last four years, of all people who went missing – of which 60% were aged under 18 – more than 99% were traced alive.
More than half (58%) of such incidents were resolved within 24 hours, and 94% in 48 hours.
HMICS said police forces around the world have adopted Police Scotland’s approach to tracing missing persons due to its effectiveness.
However, it added that missing person investigations place a significant demand on policing in Scotland, with the equivalent of 900 full-time officers dedicated to such inquiries each year.
HM assistant inspector of constabulary in Scotland, Mark Hargreaves, said: “Police Scotland has demonstrated consistent success in resolving missing person incidents and locating people as swiftly as possible.
“However, the impact on families in the relatively small number of situations where a person is not found, or tragically is found dead, can be devastating.
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“We have highlighted where improvements can be made in the operational response when someone is reported missing.
“More too needs to be done to ensure that clear leadership and strategic direction is in place.”
Inspectors praised the “very high standard” of response given by police staff who initially receive missing person calls.
They said the operational response from local policing divisions was also “very good”, with officers “highly committed to locate and return people who have been reported missing as quickly as possible”.
However, inspectors also noted that Police Scotland’s dedicated national missing persons unit has limited staffing and resources, finding “gaps at a national level” when it came to leadership, governance and oversight of missing person investigations.
The report said out of all the people who went missing in the 2023/24 financial year, almost a quarter will go missing more than once, sometimes multiple times.
Inspectors made 11 recommendations for improvement, including better ongoing training for operational officers and supervisors, and that all guidance relating to missing people be brought together on the Police Scotland intranet.
Chief Superintendent Matt Paden said: “People go missing for a multitude of reasons, all of which are carefully risk assessed against criteria, considering vulnerability and individual circumstances.
“We respond to thousands of reports every year and take a person-centred approach, during our inquiries.
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“In most cases I am pleased to say that missing people either return by themselves or are returned following police investigation.
“It is encouraging to see from this report that our processes in place to trace and support missing people are robust and we will continue to review them to ensure we are always improving and maximising efficiency.
“I would like to thank HMICS for their inspection and will carefully consider their full report.”
A Scottish Government spokesperson said: “As HMICS points out, the competence and professionalism of Police Scotland in its approach to missing person investigations was seen as so effective that police forces from across the world had approached them with a view to adopting similar practices.
“We will continue to work with Police Scotland to improve the multi-agency response to safeguard people who go missing in Scotland.
“We are this year continuing to provide £145,000 of funding for two National Co-ordinators, through the Missing People charity, to help implement the aims of the National Missing Persons Framework for Scotland.
“The Scottish Government is providing record police funding of £1.55 billion this year – an increase of £92.7 million.”
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