The NSW Police Force has launched its 2020 Missing Persons Week campaign, coordinated by the newly-formed Missing Persons Registry (MPR).
Staged each year to raise awareness of the issues and impacts surrounding missing people, NSW Police Commissioner Mick Fuller said substantial improvements had been made since the establishment of MPR, particularly in relation to the resolution of missing persons’ cases.
“To have a loved one go missing has a devastating impact on family, friends and the wider community, and while police do an outstanding job in providing support for the families, we are also committed to providing answers,” Commissioner Fuller said.
“Since its inception last year, reviews conducted by the Missing Persons Registry have led to 57 long-term missing people being located,” he said.
“This year alone, 99 per cent of persons reported missing to police have been located within 90 days, which can be attributed to the collaborative work by frontline police and those within the Missing Persons Registry.”
Commissioner Fuller said officers were using every technological advancement available to solve missing persons cases that dated back more than 70 years.
He said MPR was comprised of seven detectives and four analysts, including those with qualifications and expertise in psychology and data matching.
Minister for Police and Emergency Services, David Elliott said it was not a crime to go missing, but families and friends needed to know that police would always attempt to locate their loved ones.
