People disappear in Yorkshire every 15 minutes as police statistics reveal children twice as likely to be reported missing

The statistics released by the National Crime Agency also revealed that children in Yorkshire & the Humber were, on average, twice as likely to be reported missing.

Of the 35,489 people reported missing in the year ending March 2019, some 22,779 were children.

While the vast majority of missing person cases result in the person being found straight away, the data shows that as of March last year, there are at least 255 people still missing in the region whose fate is unknown.

Some 74 of those were children at the time of going missing.

However, South Yorkshire Police was unable to disclose the figures for its unsolved missing persons cases, so the real figure is likely to be higher when considering cases such as the disappearance of Doncaster 14-year-old Andrew Gosden, who has not been seen since getting off a train in London in September 2007.

His father, Kevin Gosden, continues to fight for answers to Andrew's whereabouts.

Humberside has by far the highest number of unsolved missing people cases with 142 adults and 63 children whose whereabouts remain unknown. This in part is due to disappearances at Humber Bridge, as well as the area being a major UK port with the police force overseeing historical maritime disasters.

West Yorkshire Police had the highest number of missing persons reports in 2018/19, with 18,620 reports of which 60 per cent (11,134) were children.

The force had the fourth highest rate of missing people per 10,000 people, after Greater Manchester, Cleveland and Dorset. It also has 14 people still at large, of which four were children at time of going missing.

South Yorkshire Police saw 8,592 reports of missing people, 62 per cent (5,362) of whom were children, while Humberside received 5,650 reports in the same year with 77 per cent (4,397) being children.

North Yorkshire Police had 2,627 missing persons reports, 72 per cent of whom (1,886) were children. The force has 36 people still missing, including seven children.

Analysis of the national data showed that mental health is the leading reason for people aged between 18 and 59 going missing, while for over 60s it was dementia. Family and romantic relationships were the most common reason for children to go missing.

Another sadly common reason is people being victims of exploitation from criminal gangs.

Nationally, boys and men were also more likely to go missing than girls and women.

The Missing People charity meanwhile is calling for multi-agency safeguarding for those who turn up after being reported missing to prevent repeat occurrences.

Jane Hunter, Senior Research and Impact Manager at Missing People charity said, “Whilst police rightly take the lead on investigations into disappearances, we’d like to see the return of a missing person as a moment that activates a multi-agency response, to identify which support measures should be put in place to safeguard and prevent further missing episodes.

"Behind these figures are individual people, who may be experiencing mental health crisis, problems where they live, exploitation, domestic violence, or a range of other issues. And we must not forget those left behind, desperately searching for answers of their loved one’s whereabouts."

Detective Chief Inspector Dave Cowley, of West Yorkshire Police, said cases where a person has disappeared often leave lasting trauma on both that person and their loved ones.

“That is why we take reports of missing people extremely seriously – especially when someone missing is thought to be “high risk,” said Det Chief Insp Cowley.

“When someone is assessed as being ‘high risk’ (the other categories are low and medium risk) a considerable policing operation is launched to find them as quickly as possible.

“This includes officers physically searching for them and, when appropriate, using social media as a tool to share important messages to help find the person quickly and safely.”

Detective Chief Inspector Phil Booker from Humberside's Protecting Vulnerable People unit said: “Whilst some people may be found in a matter of hours, others require comprehensive and detailed investigations to trace their last steps.”

Many police forces follow the Herbert Protocol scheme where carers for elderly people can fill out forms listing their circumstances in the event they are to go missing.

North Yorkshire Police meanwhile said that it “never closes a case” until it is concluded as long as there are active lines of enquiry.

A spokeswoman said: “Sadly sometimes, despite the effort of extensive police resources and the exhaustion of every investigative opportunity, some people are not found.”

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