Scotland reports sharp decline in missing persons cases

Cairo, Sep 11 (IANS) Scotland has recorded a sharp drop in missing persons cases following the rollout of a national framework aimed at prevention and inter-agency cooperation, the Scottish government has said.

Police investigations into missing people fell from nearly 23,000 in 2017/18 to about 14,700 in 2024/25, official data showed on Wednesday (local time).

Repeat disappearances also declined, with one in three cases now involving the same individual, compared with one in two previously, reports Xinhua news agency.

The National Missing Persons Framework for Scotland, launched in 2017 as the first of its kind in Britain, brings together Police Scotland, the National Health Service, schools and voluntary organisations to identify and support vulnerable people.

The Scottish government has allocated 900,000 pounds (1.22 million US dollars) to the program, funding national coordinators and community-based initiatives.

Under the framework, police handle emergency responses, while health services and schools identify at-risk individuals, and charities provide local support.

Shared data and pre-collected information on vulnerable groups, such as children in care and people with dementia, allow authorities to respond more quickly when someone goes missing.

On Wednesday, the government unveiled an updated framework for 2025, which introduces enhanced training for frontline staff, tighter coordination between agencies and new early-prevention protocols.

Hester Parr, chair of the national working group on missing people, said the new guidance "builds on existing success but also charts a path to continuous improvement."

--IANS

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