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Police Operational Issues

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Where did the idea come from?
The web site was originally started in America by the National Centre for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) which is a government funded not for profit organisation. In the US, it is now used by over 17,000 police forces in America. The intention is that it will eventually be used worldwide by police services.

2. What safeguards are built in to the site?
All hits on the site are logged and can be tracked back to the originating computer. The site has been running for some time in America and there is no evidence of the site being used by predatory paedophiles etc. The information on the site is on two levels: a public domain and police domain. The police side is protected by password and encryption technology that has proved highly resistant to 'hackers'. Part of the reason for the roll out via regions is to ensure tight quality control of entries. The Police National Missing Persons Bureau based at New Scotland Yard, evaluates, monitors and quality-assures the website.

3. What types of cases are suitable for the site?
The only hard and fast rule is that the child must have been under 18 at the time of going missing. The final decision about placing the child on the website will be made by the officer in the case based on an assessment of risk both to the child and to others. The earlier a child is put on the site, the earlier police forces and the public can have access to easily printable posters and information about the missing child.

For long term missing children, photographs can be age-progressed.

4. Who do I need to contact within my police force to place pictures and information on the website?
Only certain 'hub-forces' have the capability to do this. These 'hub forces', based on ACPO regions are Avon and Somerset Constabulary, Greater Manchester Police, Northamptonshire Police, Hertfordshire Constabulary, Lancashire Constabulary, Police Service of Northern Ireland, The Metropolitan Police Service, South Wales Police, South Yorkshire Police, West Midlands Police, and the Police National Missing Persons Bureau. The appropriate contact details can be obtained from the ACPO Guidance on the Management, Recording and Investigation of Missing Persons.

Forces	Contact
City of London Metropolitan	Metropolitan Missing Persons Bureau
Bedfordshire Cambridgeshire Essex Hampshire Hertfordshire Kent Norfolk Suffolk Surrey Sussex Thames Valley	Hertfordshire Community Safety
Avon and Somerset Devon and Cornwall Dorset Gloucestershire Wiltshire	Avon and Somerset HQ CID
Cleveland Durham Humberside Northumbria North Yorkshire South Yorkshire West Yorkshire	South Yorkshire FIB
Staffordshire Warwickshire West Mercia	Staffordshire FIB
Dyfed-Powys Gwent South Wales North Wales	South Wales PNC Bureau
Derbyshire Leicestershire Lincolnshire Northamptonshire Nottinghamshire	Northamptonshire PNC Bureau
Cheshire Cumbria Lancashire Merseyside	Lancashire PNC Bureau
Police Service of Northern Ireland	PSNI Force Press Office
West Midlands	West Midlands PNC Bureau
Greater Manchester	GMP CRO (MFH Section)

5. What is the process for getting a child on the site?
Under normal circumstance, before a child can be placed on the site, the parent or guardian must sign a Consent Form. The investigating officer for the case must also agree that this is a suitable case for the site. Once it is approved, non-hub forces must transfer relevant details and the photograph of the child to their local hub force by the best available means. The hub site can receive email documents and images as part of its function. The simplest answer is for forces to contact the hub point manager and agree the data transfer process.

6. Is this site supported by other organisations involved in work with missing persons?
Yes. The site has the support of the Children's Society, the National Missing Persons Helpline, NSPCC, Miss Dorothy web safety advocates, the Salvation Army and the Suzy Lamplugh Trust.

7. How can I print a poster from the web site?
To print a poster of any child featured on the web site, simply click on the View Poster text on the page containing the information about the missing child. This will automatically generate the format for the poster.
Follow the on-screen prompt to Page Set-up in your file menu and remove all headers and footers that your internet programme may generate.
Select 'Landscape' as the paper size/format.
The poster can then be printed in black & white or colour, depending on your printer.
To print in a foreign language, the initial search for the child must be done in that language. On the search page, use the drop down field to select the required language.