The blue light social services? Responding to repeat reports to the police of people missing from institutional locations

Abstract

The issues that arise in responding to repeat reports to the police of people missing from institutional locations (such as hospitals, mental health units and children's residential care) are the focus of this article. This focus relates to the broader issue of policing vulnerability and the concepts of 'duty of care', 'safeguarding' and 'risk' as they apply to role of the police in their response to missing people. The current study is based on research on 1,321 missing persons cases that were closed in 2011; these cases came from 149 institutional locations in a police force in central England and account for nearly half of all repeat reports to the police in this force area. The top ten organisational addresses accounted for over a quarter (27.6%, 364 of 1,321) of the repeat reports over a one year period. Seven of these organisational addresses are private children's care homes (275 reports, 75.5% of the top 10 reporting locations) and three are mental health units (89 reports, 24.5% of the top 10 reporting locations). The cost to the police of responding to reports from these 10 locations is estimated to be between £482,250 to £879,060. The article highlights that a significant part of police work on missing people relates to institutional locations that present the police with different types of potential risk.

Adult missing persons: a concept analysis

“…Adult missing person episodes are common, labour-intensive, and thus a significant financial burden (Shalev Greene & Pakes, 2014). In relation to mental health settings in the UK, police are involved in returning a third of adult missing persons reported on multiple occasions (Bartholomew, Duffy, & Figgins, 2009) at an estimated cost of £879,060 for the 'top ten' institutional facilities (Hayden & Shalev Greene, 2016). Police services face severe criticism and adverse publicity if they fail to locate a high profile missing person (Swanton & Wilson, 1989) and, despite the need to further understand missing behaviour, police officers tend to see return-home interviews for adult missing persons as repetitive and unhelpful (Harris & Shalev Greene, 2016).…”

Missing Children: On the Extent, Patterns, and Correlates of Repeat Disappearances by Young People

“…Second, the police place a high priority on investigating reports of missing children, in part because of the elevated crime and health risks associated with young people being away from home. This speaks to a core responsibility of the UK police, namely that of protecting and safeguarding vulnerable children, as set out under the Children Act 1989 (HMIC 2015; see also Hayden and Shalev Greene, 2018).…”

Applying the criminal narrative experience framework to missing children

“…The factors associated with going and being missing are wide‐ranging and complex, and may be due to numerous intentional or unintentional factors. For instance, a child may go missing due to mental health difficulties, suicidal ideations, being a victim of child sexual exploitation or county lines, becoming lost in travel, or following family or school related difficulties (Alys, Massey, & Tong, 2013; Biehal, Mitchell, & Wade, 2003; Hayden & Shalev‐Greene, 2016; Hunt, Ioannou & Synnott, 2019, 2020; James, Anderson, & Putt, 2008). Although research focus on missing persons has increased in recent years, the deeper psychological understanding of the circumstances and motivations behind why individuals go missing and the decisions made whilst missing remain undeveloped (Biehal et al, 2003; Hirschel & Lab, 1988).…”