Police forces ‘failing' missing children

An inspection of police responses to missing and absent children by HM Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC) said that, while there was evidence of positive experiences and outcomes for some children, in the majority of cases children had negative experiences.

It found that most police forces do not have a good understanding of the nature of the problem of missing and absent children in their area, making it difficult for them to ensure an appropriate response.

Meanwhile, unreliable data at force and national level means it is impossible to know how many children in England go missing, or what risks they face, and that the police cannot properly protect these children from potential abuse.

“Our inspections in relation to missing and absent children have found some good approaches with prompt action to find missing children and joint work to protect them,” the report states.

“However, our principal finding was of inconsistencies in properly assessing risks, managing investigations, and providing support and help to the child.

“Consequently, our conclusion must be that this is leaving some children at unacceptable risk of harm."

HMIC also found that children categorised as "absent" received far less attention from the police than those classed as "missing", often not being looked for where circumstances may have escalated, or having any enquiries made as to why they left home.

Examples of missing children being incorrectly categorised as "absent", meaning that little action was taken to find and safeguard these potentially vulnerable children, were also highlighted.

HM Inspector of Constabulary, Wendy Williams, said: “Our inspection found unacceptable inconsistencies between and within forces, across all aspects of the approach to missing children, whether in respect of assessing risks, investigating or supporting children.

“This was echoed in our interviews with children, many of whom described how their experiences of the police varied, depending in some cases on which officers, sometimes within the same force, had contact with them.

“There must be both operational and cultural changes in the police service if children and young people, particularly those whose safety or wellbeing is threatened to such extent that they decide to run away from care or home, are to have confidence in the police as a source of help and protection.

Peter Grigg, director of external affairs at The Children’s Society, said the report confirms what his organisation hears from children and young people it works with.

“Children who go missing are extremely vulnerable and yet in many cases their situations are not taken seriously, or vital chances to protect them are missed, as police fail to act early enough to stop grooming and exploitation," he said.
 
“All children should be able to feel confident that the police will help them. The government must give all children who go missing the chance to speak to an independent professional who can help them deal with the issues that made them run away. We also need a missing children’s database so that the true scale of the problem can be known and tackled.”