Missing Persons Essay
“Outline and Critically Assess the Police use of the Media in Missing Persons Investigations”
In this essay, I will analyse what is a missing person, reasons why persons go missing, critically asses the police use of the media, the media’s role, media and search strategies and senior investigative officer’s (SIO) responsibility.
A missing person is defined by the Association of Chief Police Officers as “Anyone whose whereabouts is unknown whatever the circumstances of disappearance. They will be considered missing until located and their well-being or otherwise established”. (ACPO, 2005: 8) The main objectives in missing person cases are the safe and well recovery of the missing person. And the majority of missing persons turn up shortly after being reported missing with a genuine reason and not too far from where they had gone missing.
However, if they don’t return safe and well, an OIC (officer in case) has to consider possible scenarios (hypothesis) of reasons why that person had gone missing. Potential reasons are: a lost person, person missing voluntary, and person missing under the influence of a third party and missing due to an accident or an illness. If the circumstances are suspicious then the investigative officer uses the phrase: “If in doubt think murder”. The police use this phrase because 1% of all reported missing persons are found dead.
A “lost person” is someone who is confused and wishes to be found. These persons are usually lost in unknown places. Lost persons are relatively easy to locate as they want to be found. Missing persons that are missing voluntarily are missing for a specific reason. Whether they have been abused and run away from home or found a partner and ran off with them. The SIO has to take considerations when dealing with this type of missing person because that person may wish to commit suicide and needs to be found as soon as possible. Potential high risk priority due to danger factors like self-harm.
Missing
In this essay, I will analyse what is a missing person, reasons why persons go missing, critically asses the police use of the media, the media’s role, media and search strategies and senior investigative officer’s (SIO) responsibility.
A missing person is defined by the Association of Chief Police Officers as “Anyone whose whereabouts is unknown whatever the circumstances of disappearance. They will be considered missing until located and their well-being or otherwise established”. (ACPO, 2005: 8) The main objectives in missing person cases are the safe and well recovery of the missing person. And the majority of missing persons turn up shortly after being reported missing with a genuine reason and not too far from where they had gone missing.
However, if they don’t return safe and well, an OIC (officer in case) has to consider possible scenarios (hypothesis) of reasons why that person had gone missing. Potential reasons are: a lost person, person missing voluntary, and person missing under the influence of a third party and missing due to an accident or an illness. If the circumstances are suspicious then the investigative officer uses the phrase: “If in doubt think murder”. The police use this phrase because 1% of all reported missing persons are found dead.
A “lost person” is someone who is confused and wishes to be found. These persons are usually lost in unknown places. Lost persons are relatively easy to locate as they want to be found. Missing persons that are missing voluntarily are missing for a specific reason. Whether they have been abused and run away from home or found a partner and ran off with them. The SIO has to take considerations when dealing with this type of missing person because that person may wish to commit suicide and needs to be found as soon as possible. Potential high risk priority due to danger factors like self-harm.
Missing
Bibliography: Newiss, G.(1999) “Missing presumed?”. The Police response to missing persons”. Police research series Paper 114. Available from: http://rds.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/prgpdfs/fprs114.pdf (accessed 19/12/2010) Biehal, N. Mitchel, F. “Lost from view”, A study of missing persons in the UK. Available from: http://www.york.ac.uk/inst/swrdu/Publications/MissingPersons.pdf (accessed 19/12/2010) NPIA.(2007) “Road death investigation manual” . Available from: http://www.acpo.police.uk/asp/policies/Data/road_death_investigation_manual_18x12x07.pdf (accessed 19/12/2010) NPIA.(2005) “Guidance on the management recording and investigation of missing persons”. Centrex. Available from: http://www.pact-online.org/pdf/MissingPersonsInteractive.pdf (accessed 19/12/2010) Woolnough,P & Gibb,G.(2007)”Missing Persons”, “Understanding Planning Responding”. Grampian Police. Available from: http://www.missingpersons.gov.au/Assets/Files/169deac2-9629-45bb-9408-cabb9d9ded82.pdf (accessed 19/12/2010)