Missing People Website

How we can find missing people

Where the missing person is at risk and reported missing to police:

If you would like us to help, we will need to contact the police to check which action we can carry out at this stage. However, Missing People can usually offer the following services:

• We can produce and circulate posters of your missing person
• We can carry out publicity through web appeals, media slots and features
• We can undertake forensic artwork - for example, age progression and image enhancement
• We can make our own enquiries to try and find and contact the missing person.
• We provide a 24 hour service for sighting of missing persons, click here to send us a sighting online
• We provide 24 hour services for missing people to contact us confidentially
• We are able to text Message Home or Runaway Helpline Freefone number to the missing person's mobile phone (if their number is known)

In addition, we will support you and keep in contact throughout the duration of the case

When a person may not be at risk, but where there has been a breakdown in family relationships:

Missing People can usually look for your missing person so long as:

• You know the full name and date of birth of the missing person.
• You are be over 18 years old
• The missing person was last seen within 15 years (or if longer where the police have given us a special request to look)

If you are looking for someone but don't think we will be able to help you, we can advise on other organisations who can help you.

How do we find missing people?

We make enquiries via our confidential contacts. The contacts we use, including, for example certain government agencies , do not disclose the address of the missing person to us, but can inform us if they hold what they believe to be a current address for the missing person and will agree to forward a letter on our behalf. The letters we send ask the missing person to contact us, in confidence, so we can help them work out what they would like to do next. We do not disclose any of the missing person's details without their permission, and likewise we would not disclose any of your details without your prior consent.

For more information on our confidentiality policy please email: services@missingpeople.org.uk

DISCLAIMER: For the purposes of training, calls to our helplines may be listened in to by additional members of staff. This also allows us to develop the quality of our services. All of our helpline staff and volunteers are bound by our confidentiality policy. Calls to all our helplines cannot be traced and are not recorded.