New project will aid vulnerable Scots

A new strategy dealing with missing persons has been unveiled.

Police chiefs, council bosses, the NHS and voluntary groups have forged The National Missing Persons Framework for Scotland.

The project aims to stop people from going missing and limit the harm associated with such distressing incidents.

Minister for community safety, Annabelle Ewing, said:“Every year over 30,000 people are reported missing to Police Scotland and around two-thirds of these are children and young people, who are especially vulnerable to harm and exploitation.

“We must be able to understand and deal with the issues that lie behind individual cases and, while Scotland already has the right set of policies in place as well as a wealth of good practice, we need a consistent and coherent, multiagency response .

“The National Missing Persons Framework for Scotland will ensure such a response is in place and is founded on a close collaboration between the Scottish Government, Police Scotland, local authorities, NHS Scotland and a number of third sector organisations.”

Police Scotland Assistant Chief Constable Mark Williams added:“Police Scotland deals with over 20,000 missing person investigations every year. Over 99 per cent of people are found safely but it highlights the scale of the challenge.”