The relationship between the families of long-term missing persons and police forces in the UK

When someone is reported missing, the police assume responsibility and conduct searches to locate and return them. Despite their best efforts, though, some missing persons are not found and can become long-term inquiries after 6 or 12 months of investigations. At this point, the case is not actively pursued, and the police conduct only desk-based inquiries to check that there has been no activity on phone, bank or national insurance records. This usually occurs annually, but can be conducted at any time should new information become available. Becoming a long-term inquiry can be difficult for families to accept, and so they can take on search efforts once the police’s responsibility has ceased. To continue the investigation in the hopes of finding their loved one, one can take significant tolls on their well-being, both physically and mentally. However, the relationship between the families and the police during long-term missing person inquiries has not been sufficiently explored. Thus, through semi-structured interviews with six family members of long-term missing person cases, this study sought to identify the relationships between family members and the police in these cases. Using an inductive approach to Thematic Analysis, the study identified two main themes: positive and negative interactions. The negative interactions theme further consists of six sub-themes. Overall, the families felt let down, frustrated, and disappointed with the police’s responses. There were some basic things not offered to families, which increased their frustration, including the lack of a single point of contact, and a feeling that the police owned the cases, leaving them with limited avenues for continued support. Thus, the chapter concludes with some recommendations for police forces in their response to, and management of, the family members of long-term missing persons.