As part of National Missing Persons Week, police are urging the community to “Follow your instincts” when it comes to preventing someone you love from becoming a missing person.

Every year, almost 6500 people in Queensland are reported missing. It is a significant number and according to police, is a figure that could be reduced dramatically with some forethought and planning.

“Of the 6500 people reported missing each year, 275 of that figure are elderly people and another 2450 are children. Quite often it may be the case that an elderly person may have just wandered off, become lost or disoriented. Children who feel they have no other option but to run away are another one of the key demographics we see go missing each year.

“Any person who has had no contact with their family or friends and reported to police becomes a missing person, regardless of how long they are lost for. Some are recovered quite quickly, but others stay on this list for much longer and understandably any of these scenarios can be extremely traumatic for the family,” Acting Detective Senior Sergeant Lisa Massingham of the Missing Persons Unit said.

While people go missing each day and the QPS recovery rate remains at 99.7%, there are many steps that can be taken to try and prevent anyone at risk from going missing.

“Anyone displaying withdrawn behaviour or behaviour out of character for that person or someone who is in regular contact with their family and friends who has dropped off the radar would be someone that may require some extra attention. We all lead such busy lives, but sometimes it’s important for us to reach out and check in on our friends, workmates or relatives.

“Things to do would be to check in regularly on these people or anyone in the at-risk categories, especially anyone who lives alone. Make sure anyone with dementia or illness has appropriate identification with them at all times and look at the available technology on offer including GPS systems and duress alarms,” Acting Detective Senior Sergeant Massingham said.

For anyone wanting to report a person missing it is a myth you need to wait 24 hours to report someone missing to police.

If you have a legitimate concern for someone’s wellbeing and you have been unable to contact that person, it is important you call police as soon as you can.

Having the appropriate information, including their description, where they were last seen, any details of their vehicle or mode of transport and a current photo are important to ensuring a timely recovery.

“Getting in touch with police as soon as you possible can be one of the most important factors in helping reunite someone who has gone missing with their family,” Acting Detective Senior Sergeant Massingham said.

A list of all outstanding long term missing persons cases can be found here:

https://www.police.qld.gov.au/EventsandAlerts/missingPersons/default.htm

If you have information for police, contact Policelink by providing information using the online suspicious activity form 24hrs per day at www.police.qld.gov.au/reporting.

You can report information about crime anonymously to Crime Stoppers, a registered charity and community volunteer organisation, via crimestoppersqld.com.au 24hrs per day.