Of course, this depends on the person you are looking for. Looking for a young child, or adult who is unable to care for themselves, will be very different to searching for someone who would be at work or school, or who is able to travel.
Use your gut instinct. If you are seriously worried or you know they can’t take care of themselves, react quickly and call 999.
If you feel you can make some searches yourself and spend some time looking for them, do this first:
Call the police and let them know you want to report a missing person. If you have time it is a good idea to write down some information about the situation so you are better prepared when you speak to the police as they are likely to ask for lots of information. Read more about the things they want to know.
The person you are missing may not be considered vulnerable or be at risk, that doesn't mean you might not be worrying about them. It may be that there are other ways of finding them, if the police aren't going to start a missing investigation for them. Your loved one may be missing abroad and it is not clear what the search will look like. We have brought together some information here, which might suit your search better.
If you have been out of touch with a family member for awhile and would like to be reunited, our Lost Contact tracing service may be able to try to help you reconnect.
Missing investigations may have different agencies involved in the search.  There are police, government agencies and charities which help with the search for missing and out of touch people.
If the missing person is a British Citizen and usually lives in the UK, the police force wherever the person normally lives is responsible for taking the missing report. Make contact with them and explain what has happened If the person who is missing outside of the UK, is not a British Citizen, we wont be able to help with the search but there may be agencies who can.
If you do think your child has been abducted and is immediate danger call 999. The police will advise you as to your next steps. The legal situation can be complicated and we cannot advise directly, organisations such as Reunite will be well placed to advice. Read the Government guidance here.
These 13 principles, developed with those who have been missing or reported a loved one missing, set out what everyone should be able to expect from the police.
Read more about what you can do to look after yourself whilst you wait for news.
Discover what things you might need to do for someone if they have gone missing.
We know how traumatic it can be to have to report someone missing. We are here ready to provide confidential and free support. Find out how.