The “power few” of missing persons’ cases

Abstract

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to test the “power few” concept in relation to missing persons and the locations from which they are reported missing.Design/methodology/approachData on missing persons’ cases (n = 26,835) were extracted from the record management system of a municipal Canadian police service and used to create data sets of all of the reports associated with select repeat missing adults (n = 1943) and repeat missing youth (n = 6,576). From these sources, the five locations from which repeat missing adults and youth were most commonly reported missing were identified (“power few” locations). The overall frequency of reports generated by these locations was then assessed by examining all reports of both missing and repeat missing cases, and demographic and incident factors were also examined.FindingsThis study uncovers ten addresses (five for adults; five for youths) in the City from which this data was derived that account for 45 percent of all adults and 52 percent of all youth missing person reports. Even more striking, the study data suggest that targeting these top five locations for adults and youths could reduce the volume of repeat missing cases by 71 percent for adults and 68.6 percent for youths. In relation to the demographic characteristics of the study’s sample of adults and youths who repeatedly go missing, the authors find that female youth are two-thirds more likely to go missing than male youth. Additionally, the authors find that Aboriginal adults and youths are disproportionately represented among the repeat missing. Concerning the incident factors related to going missing repeatedly, the authors find that the repeat rate for going missing is 63.2 percent and that both adults and youths go missing 3–10 times on average.Practical implicationsThe study results suggest that, just as crime concentrates in particular spaces among specific offenders, repeat missing cases also concentrate in particular spaces and among particular people. In thinking about repeat missing persons, the present research offers support for viewing these concerns as a behavior setting issue – that is, as a combination of demographic factors of individuals, as well as factors associated with particular types of places. Targeting “power few” locations for prevention efforts, as well as those most at risk within these spaces, may yield positive results.Originality/valueVery little research has been conducted on missing persons and, more specifically, on how to more effectively target police initiatives to reduce case volumes. Further, this is the first paper to successfully apply the concept of the “power few” to missing persons’ cases.

Profiling persons reported missing from hospitals versus mental health facilities

“…Investigators have also found that, specific to these places, other harm and adverse events with a high likelihood of occurring are alcohol consumption, overdose death, self-neglect, aggression, violence, sexual assault, and medication non-compliance (Bowers et al, 2003;Carr, 2006;Dickens and Campbell, 2001;Pages et al, 1998;Tammelleo, 1999). For missing person reports from other locations, however, harm befalls anywhere from zero around six per cent of cases (NCA, 2019;Huey, Ferguson, & Kowalski, 2020).…”

“…Lorna Ferguson https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4077-9501 Notes 1. As an example of why these classifications can be important, a recent study by Huey et al (2020) found that "habitual/chronic" missing person cases ranged from three previous missing person reports to 144 prior reports. 2.…”

“…These various precursors to missing events can make it difficult for police to triage each case and effectively focus their response efforts. In relation to missing persons from hospitals and mental health units in particular, much of the literature has found that patients who go missing are often those with diagnosed or undiagnosed mental health issues (i.e., schizophrenia) (Muir-Cochrane et al, 2010), cognitive and physical disabilities, and drug/alcohol dependencies (Ferguson & Huey, 2020). Thus, police are often searching for and returning individuals that are in a variety of states and differing capacities.…”

How Far Do They Go?: A Spatial Examination of Missing Persons from Hospitals

“…As a result, calls for police service to locate persons from such places hold the potential to draw upon and drive a sizable proportion of policing resources (Hayden & Shalev CrimRxiv • How Far Do They Go? : A Spatial Examination of Missing Persons from Hospitals 3 Greene, 2018; Huey, Ferguson, & Kowalski, 2020). In the broader literature examining other occurrences similarly impacting policing (i.e., mental health-related service calls), recognizing the rise of austerity policing and dwindling police resources but increasing and expanding service demands has led police and researchers alike to investigate how police efficiency and effectiveness can be maximized when responding to significant service calls (Huey, Cyr, & Ricciardelli, 2016;Shore & Lavoie, 2019;Koziarski, 2020).…”

How far do they go?: A spatial examination of missing persons from hospitals

“…, 2009; Parr and Stevenson, 2013; Hayden and Shalev-Greene, 2018; Ferguson and Huey, 2020; Ferguson, 2021). As a result, calls for police service to locate persons from such places hold the potential to draw upon and drive a sizable proportion of policing resources (Hayden and Shalev-Greene, 2018; Huey et al. , 2020).…”