Australian Federal Police

Each year in Australia some 30,000 people are reported missing. Their families and friends are left devastated, not knowing where the person is or what has happened to them. At least 12 people are affected when someone goes missing. For some families their lives will never be the same.

This year's National Missing Persons Week (August 1-7), sponsored by leading technology company, Sun Microsystems, focuses not only on those who are missing but also on those who are left behind.

An information pack prepared by the National Missing Persons Unit (NMPU), ‘Search Options and Support: A guide for the families and friends of missing people' (S.O.S. Guide) will be launched as part of the Week by the Minister for Justice and Customs, Senator, The Hon. Amanda Vanstone on Monday, August 2, 7.30am at Parliament House, Canberra.

Sun Microsystems is funding production of the S.O.S. Guide and other public education material as part of its National Missing Persons Week sponsorship. The company is also supplying the NMPU with powerful networking technology to help in the search for Australia's missing people.

‘When someone goes missing, families often don't know what to do or where they can turn for help and support,' Coordinator of the NMPU, Ms Carol Kiernan, explained. ‘The S.O.S. Guide provides information and practical advice to assist families through the search process and the difficult time before the person is found.'

Police and tracing organisations such as the Australian Red Cross, the Salvation Army and the International Social Service all play a role in searching for and locating Australia's missing people. Of the 28,500 people reported missing to police, 99.5 per cent are found, 85 per cent within a week and 95 per cent within a month.

Senator Vanstone said the Federal Government's proposed new DNA database, as part of the CrimTrac criminal investigation system, will be a useful tool in helping investigators solve some of the more baffling missing person cases.

‘The NMPU's research shows that people go missing for all sorts of reasons,' Senator Vanstone said. ‘Some people are escaping from real or perceived personal conflict. Some are suffering a mental illness and others just decide they want to take time out from life and don't tell anyone.

‘While less than one per cent of people reported missing become victims of crime, the national DNA database will help investigators resolve such cases and provide families with the answers they so desperately crave.'

As part of National Missing Persons Week, the NMPU is sending a message to people who may have lost contact with their families or friends: ‘Let someone know you are safe!'

‘The week is a timely reminder that if you haven't had contact with family or friends, just pick up the phone and talk to someone you trust, a tracing organisation or police to let someone know you are alright,' Ms Kiernan said.

The week's other main messages are:

• Being a missing person is not a crime. Police won't force anyone to return home unless there is a legal requirement. Once a missing person is found, their location can be kept confidential if that is the person's wish. Police are only interested in establishing that a missing person is safe and well.
• Contact your nearest police station if a family member or friend goes missing and you have concerns about their safety and welfare. If the missing person returns home, you should contact police immediately so they know the person is safe.
• If you have information that could help solve a missing person case you can contact your local police station or the National Missing Persons Unit's toll free number 1800 000 634 from anywhere in Australia.

This is the third year the National Missing Persons Unit (NMPU), based at the Australian Bureau of Criminal Intelligence, has coordinated National Missing Persons Week. The Week aims to raise public awareness about missing people and associated issues.