How the National Missing Persons Coordination Centre promotes missing persons cases
Currently in Australia there are over 2,500 long term missing persons

When a person has been missing for more than three months, they are classified as a ‘long-term missing person’.

At the three month mark the state or territory missing persons unit will seek permission from the family to provide the National Missing Persons Coordination Centre (NMPCC) with the profile information (and a recent photo of the person missing) for inclusion on the Public Register.

In addition to the Public Register, the NMPCC also works with corporate supporters, and looks for innovative ways to help profile missing persons cases across Australia.

We actively raise awareness of the issues and impacts of missing persons through campaigns and media. Our aim is to inform and educate the Australian community about this significant issue. Throughout the year we promote preventative messaging addressing key groups at risk of going missing and dispel common myths about missing persons.

Community support for our awareness messaging is invaluable. Community education is a large part of our strategy to reduce the incidence and impact of missing persons across Australia.

Please note: The cases listed on the Public Register do not represent every missing person in Australia that has been reported to police. Due to the different nature of missing person investigations, some profiles may not be suitable for advertising. It's at the discretion of the state and territory police, as to which cases are displayed on the public register. If you believe a missing person should be displayed, please contact the relevant state or territory missing person unit.

  • In 2023 over 56,000 missing persons reports were made to police in Australia. That is over 150 missing events a day. While most people are found within a short period of time, there remain approximately 2,500 long term missing persons; those who have been missing for more than three months.

    You can use the Public Register to search for long-term missing persons cases in Australia.

    Please note: The cases listed on the public register do not represent every missing person in Australia that has been reported to police. Due to the different nature of missing person investigations some profiles may not be suitable for advertising. It's at the discretion of the state and territory police, as to which cases are displayed on the Public Register. If you believe a missing person should be displayed, please contact the relevant state or territory missing person unit.

    If you are searching for a specific missing person, or a person matching a specific description, please see our site search tips page.

  • National missing persons posters are published in April and October each year. Posters are sent to state and territory police services, search organisations, community services, and other organisations for public display. If you would like to display missing persons posters in your organisation, please contact us.

    If you believe you have seen a missing person, or have information that may lead to their location, please contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.

    We regularly update these posters as missing persons are located. The most current version of each poster is available by visiting the missing persons posters page.

  • The National Missing Persons Coordination Centre (NMPCC) organise a range of ongoing campaigns including community service announcements and messages which target those most likely to be affected by or become a missing person, including:

    Find out more about missing persons in Australia and internationally by visiting:

  • Each year the National Missing Persons Coordination Centre (NMPCC) are involved in a number of events focussed on raising awareness of missing persons, including:

    Our events are individually themed to support a message important to the sector. We also proactively target existing events to extend the reach of our communication messages

  • Only through the assistance of industry partners are we able to achieve the reach in advertising missing persons profiles.

    We are always looking for additional partnerships to further promote missing persons issues to the Australian community. If you would like to join our network, please contact us for more information.