Missing child reports soar to 550 every day

Cases up by two thirds, to 23 per hour, as experts warn criminals and mental health issues fuel the rise

POLICE are dealing with more than 550 missing children a day, as official figures show numbers have jumped by two thirds in four years due to both the exploitation by county lines crime gangs and a rise in mental ill health.

Data, to be published this month by the National Crime Agency, show that police dealt with 199,634 missing child reports in 2018-19, a 66 per cent rise on the 120,000 cases recorded in 2014-15. That is equivalent to 23 incidents an hour, or 550 a day.

Children, the majority aged between 12 and 17, accounted for 62 per cent of all cases of missing people, as the biggest charity dealing with the problem said one in four calls that it received related to criminal or sexual exploitation. “It is a really big issue both in terms of children being sexually exploited and [those] being exploited by gangs to transport and sell drugs across county lines,” said Susannah Drury, the chief executive of Missing People.

The figures cover “high level” cases where there is judged to be a risk which is “life threatening and/or traumatic” and show that the number of missing people, of all ages, has risen by 63 per cent, from 196,560 in 2013-14 to 320,715.

“Going missing is evidence that something is seriously wrong in people’s lives,” said Ms Drury. “The overall reason for the increase is closely connected to many issues that are increasing – mental health, relationship and financial problems are some of the most common reasons.”

The charity is warning that the extra mental health and financial pressures brought about by the pandemic could lead to an even bigger increase in missing children and adults.

Concerns have been raised by Sir Tom Winsor, Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Constabulary. His annual report highlighted a 65 per cent rise in missing person cases recorded by South Wales Police over the past year, and a forecast by Northamptonshire Police of a 43 per cent increase by 2022.

Of particular concern were children missing from care, which in previous years has accounted for about 45 per cent of cases. Cambridgeshire alone registered 657 cases in just one year.

“Children missing from care homes are at particular risk of criminal exploitation,” said Sir Tom.

Catherine Hankinson, who deals with missing persons for the National Police Chiefs Council, said: “We are becoming increasingly aware of criminal exploitation of vulnerable young people. County lines are a part of that but there are other elements … being missing and being vulnerable increases your risk. That makes you a target for criminals who might want to exploit you.”

She said there were intense, co-ordinated efforts – involving police, the Government and local authorities – to try to understand and eventually reduce the scale of the problem.

Last year, the NCA estimated the number of county lines networks at 2,000, with a single line capable of making profits of £800,000 a year.