FOI 77995

FREEDOM OF INFORMATION REQUEST REFERENCE NO: 77995

I write in connection with your request for information which was received on 30^th April 2021. Please find below the response to your request:

Please provide me with answers to the following questions.

1. How many ‘missing’ episodes of children were recorded by your police force in the following years…
1. 1 April 2020 and 31 March 2021
2. 1 April 2019 and 31 March 2020
3. 1 April 2018 and 31 March 2019
4. 1 April 2017 and 31 March 2018
5. 1 April 2016 and 31 March 2017

2. Please breakdown the number of ‘missing’ episodes by children in each year of Question 1 by local authority area.
3. How many different children were recorded as ‘missing’ by your police force in the following years…

1. 1 April 2020 and 31 March 2021
2. 1 April 2019 and 31 March 2020
3. 1 April 2018 and 31 March 2019
4. 1 April 2017 and 31 March 2018
5. 1 April 2016 and 31 March 2017

4. Please breakdown the number of different children reported ‘missing’ in each year of Question 3 by local authority area.

Reply:-

Please be advised that the system used to provide the below data does NOT hold all missing person reports. This is particularly the case for short lived reports where i.e. a missing child returns very quickly within 0-4 hrs.
The true figures in relation to your questions are therefore likely to be significantly higher that the data provided below. This situation is not unusual with many other UK Police Forces and West Mercia are taking steps to address this.

To totally satisfy the request would require a manual trawl of each call to the Police where a person was reported missing and then the examination of each report to recover the data. This is not possible within the time limits of the FOI request and this response is therefore the most accurate that can currently be provided

How many ‘missing’ episodes of children were recorded by your police force in the following years.

1 April 2020 and 31 March 2021 - 1532

1 April 2019 and 31 March 2020 - 2510

1 April 2018 and 31 March 2019 - 2791

1 April 2017 and 31 March 2018 - 3270

1 April 2016 and 31 March 2017 - 3194

Please breakdown the number of ‘missing’ episodes by children in each year of Question 1 by local authority area.

How many different children were recorded as ‘missing’ by your police force in the following years.

1 April 2020 and 31 March 2021 - 819

1 April 2019 and 31 March 2020 - 1125

1 April 2018 and 31 March 2019 - 1189

1 April 2017 and 31 March 2018 - 1462

1 April 2016 and 31 March 2017 - 1432

Please breakdown the number of different children reported ‘missing’ in each year of Question 3 by local authority area.