200 people go missing every month
Nearly 200 people are going missing every month in North Lanarkshire.
The figure has been described as“staggering” by the area’s police chief who said some of those involved are as young as 10 years old.
Chief Superintendent Alan Waddell also warned that policing in Scotland’s fourth largest council area is suffering because officers devote so much time to searching for people.
His latest operational report reveals there were 1,760 reports of missing persons in North Lanarkshire between April and December last year.
That equates to one in 193 of the area’s population and works out at 195 people going missing every month.
Chief Supt Waddell stated:“The figure is quite staggering.
“Missing persons are a significant body of work for local officers since resources are dedicated to trying to locate them safe and quickly.
“It is one of the greatest demands on officers in North Lanarkshire.
“Responding to high rates of missing persons reduces our capacity to proactively police in our communities.
“The age of our most frequent missing persons is of significant concern.
“Those who go missing the most are young people between the ages of 10 and 19 years, with an increase reported on Fridays and Saturdays.
“Not only are these people some of the most vulnerable in our communities, but they are going missing at a period of peak demand on the service, when the night-time economy and licensed premises are at their busiest.”
Chief Supt Waddell also revealed that in the last three years the number of young people in care who have gone missing has leapt by 87.5 per cent.
He added:“We are working with the local authority and care homes to see what we can do to reduce this.
“It’s not unusual at our morning meeting to be talking about perhaps four young persons missing from care establishments.
“But I would stress that, while sometimes we have to deal with suicides, the vast majority of missing persons are found.”
Craigneuk councillor Kenneth Duffy, who has been praised for his work with families who have lost loved ones to suicide, described the figures as“truly shocking”.
He said:“They are linked to a desperate need for increased investment in supporting adults and young people in our communities.
“Problems that start small are becoming crises as help arrives too late.
“While there is now a much greater understanding of people’s mental health, these statistics show there is still a long way to go.”
National charity Missing People is working with the Scottish Government to support implementation of the National Missing Persons Framework.
A spokesman said:“Missing persons is a significant issue in Scotland and 186,000 people go missing in the UK every year although research shows that is an underestimate.
“We are committed to providing support for people affected by this issue in Scotland.”