Dedicated missing people unit needed

THE EDITOR: Missing people investigations are not simply locating someone that a citizen cannot find.

Although there have been countless cases of runaways and women fleeing from emotional abuse, there exist also legitimate criminal links in people termed “gone missing.”

Police do the very best they can, but let’s be honest, they have to prioritise based on today’s escalating crime rates.

The existence of cold cases is also posing a significant challenge to the police, especially with limited specialist manpower resources.

Many times police investigations can be aided by families hiring private investigators who can dedicate resources to finding a missing person.

Private investigators can start looking for a missing person as soon as a family member becomes worried, immediately in other words, whereas law enforcement must wait until a period of time has passed before someone can be reported as actually “missing.”

This is unfortunate because in many cases, due to policy and procedure, the missing child or adult can be fatally harmed before law enforcement has the opportunity to respond.

A workable solution is the creation of a dedicated missing people unit, with specialist investigators, equipped with modern tools of the trade and aligned with an international counterpart that can provide training and development in practical investigation scenarios.

These types of investigations demand intense research skills and crime mapping (re-creation of crime scenes, in the case of cold cases) that warrant specialism and best practices.

The importance of this initiative, however, is that it must be success driven and involve consistent interaction and dialogue with family.

There is a distinct difference in law enforcement between kidnappings/abductions and missing people. Both theatres demand a different approach, procedure and best practice.

Therefore classification and specialism need to be amplified and complemented with a dedicated effort, from a dedicated unit.

CDR GARVIN HEERAH

former head of NOC

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