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The ‘Capital to the Coast’ tour was a joint initiative between the AFP and the Daniel Morcombe Foundation which took place in the week leading into Day for Daniel in October 2015. The Daniel Morcombe Foundation promotional truck, ‘Big Red’, toured primary schools from Canberra to the NSW South Coast delivering child safety presentations.The tour started in Canberra on Friday 23 October and concluded on the NSW South Coast on Thursday 29 October. ‘Big Red’ stopped at various towns along the way including Queanbeyan, Braidwood, Batemans Bay and Narooma, to reach as many schools as possible and help educate kids on how to keep safe. Schools in the ACT who registered for Day for Daniel also had the exciting opportunity to secure ‘Big Red’ on Friday 30 October – Day for Daniel.The educational tour was targeted at primary school students in grades four to six and aimed to educate children on how to recognise, react and report potential dangers and threats.

The Daniel Morcombe Foundation’s ‘Big Red’ truck will feature in the inaugural ‘Capital to the Coast’ tour next month (October), in support of Day for Daniel 2015.In the week preceding Day for Daniel on October 30, ‘Big Red’ will travel from Canberra to the NSW South Coast delivering child safety presentations to primary schools from Queanbeyan to Batemans Bay, through to Narooma, and down to Pambula.The tour is a joint initiative between the Australian Federal Police National Missing Persons Coordination Centre and the Daniel Morcombe Foundation.As part of the tour, ThinkUKnow online safety sessions will also be conducted, educating parents, carers and teachers on the challenges they and children may face online, and how to overcome them in a safe and ethical way.AFP Day for Daniel Ambassador Rebecca Kotz, and fellow ambassador and South Coast local Melissa Pouliot will lead the tour, saying it is the first time Big Red will visit the region, and the first time the Daniel Morcombe Foundation will lend the truck for such a tour.“Educating children on personal safety is the key aim of the foundation, and that of the National Missing Persons Coordination Centre,” Ms Kotz said.“The AFP proudly supports the foundation and we are pleased to be able to provide this great resource to south coast primary schools who have registered for Day for Daniel.“The sessions will educate and empower our children to Recognise, React, Report when they feel unsafe in both physical and online environments.”Ms Pouliot, whose cousin Ursula Barwick has been missing since the early 1980s, encourages all local schools to register for Day for Daniel for the opportunity to have a visit from the ambassadors and Big Red.“Child safety is an issue close to my heart,” she said. “The greater safety education we can provide, the safer our children will be.”ACT schools who register for Day for Daniel will also have a chance to secure a visit from Big Red on October 30.Registration is so easy, it only takes three minutesTo have a chance to secure a visit from Big Red, South Coast primary schools from Batemans Bay to Pambula should register (under the ‘Register your school’ tab) at: www.dayfordaniel.com.auMore information on the ThinkUKnow online safety message can be found at: www.thinkUknow.org.au

The Australian Federal Police and NSW Police Force have launched the 2015 National Missing Persons Week campaign to raise awareness of the issues and impacts surrounding missing persons.Acting Australian Federal Police Commissioner Michael Phelan and NSW Police Force Assistant Commissioner Peter Barrie officially launched the week-long campaign in Sydney today (Monday 3 August 2015), where they reminded Australians you don’t have to wait 24 hours before reporting someone missing.In 2015, the National Missing Persons Coordination Centre (NMPCC) is urging people to ‘Follow Your Instincts’ if you suspect someone you know is missing.“There is no minimum timeframe associated with reporting someone missing. The very definition of a missing person is where there are ‘concerns for the safety and welfare of a person’, and ‘their whereabouts are unknown’,” acting Commissioner Phelan said.“A colleague that fails to turn up to work without notice; a parent that doesn’t return from a walk; a son that misses a birthday dinner... If a person’s disappearance is out of character and you have concerns for their safety and welfare, follow your instincts and report to police immediately.”Long-term missing persons from each State and Territory are being profiled as part of the campaign, including NSW missing person Ursula Barwick, who was last seen in Kings Cross in December 1987. Her father Peter Barwick, and cousin, Melissa Pouliot, spoke at the launch, together with Assistant Commissioner Barrie.“Our hope is that today’s appeal will help bring closure to Ursula’s family after nearly 30 years of not knowing what’s happened,” Assistant Commissioner Barrie said.“In 2014, almost 12,000 people were reported missing in NSW, and while the majority were located safe and well, 57 still remain missing.“National Missing Persons Week therefore gives us an opportunity to remember those who are still lost, and garner new leads that could help bring them home,” Assistant Commissioner Barrie said.“Kings Cross police have formed Strike Force Hemingway as they continue inquiries to establish the exact circumstances surrounding Ursula’s disappearance, and they’re keen to hear from anyone who may be able to shed new light on the investigation.”An age-progressed image of Ursula, which was created by the AFP NMPCC, has been released to media to illustrate what she may look like today.“Someone knows something about Ursula’s disappearance, so no matter how insignificant it may seem, I urge them to contact police immediately,” Assistant Commissioner Barrie said.As part of this year’s campaign, the AFP has also launched a partnership with the Outdoor Media Association (OMA) to profile long-term missing persons on billboards, taxi backs, bus shelters and digital out-of-home channels Australian wide.The out-of-home advertising will complement media and social media efforts, along with community service announcements on free-to-air television and long-time partners, Foxtel’s Criminal Investigations network.“We thank all our corporate supporters—Chemist Warehouse, McDonalds, the OMA, and Foxtel—who continue to profile missing persons cases in support of our coordinated efforts,” acting Commissioner Phelan said.“This combined exposure of missing persons may trigger someone to provide information to police, bringing resolution to families and friends who long await news.”The OMA have also been working in partnership with the NSW Police Force to help promote the profiles of missing persons around the state.OMA CEO, Charmaine Moldrich, said the Out-of-Home industry is committed to contributing to, and supporting, the community.“We are proud to continue our longstanding relationship with the New South Wales Police Force – our support of their National Missing Persons Week campaign now spans seven consecutive years – and taking the campaign to a national audience in partnership with the AFP is a natural progression,” Ms Moldrich said.Our audiences keep growing and our digital reach is increasing – using this unique position to broadcast critical information that could bring solace to people in need is very important to us.”National Missing Persons Week runs from Sunday 2 August to Saturday 8 August 2015.Profiles of missing persons can be viewed at www.missingpersons.gov.au.

Research shows there are several myths about missing persons commonly held within the community. One of the NMPCC's awareness objectives is to dispel these myths in the hope that awareness of the facts will reduce the incidence of missing persons. In 2015 the National Missing Persons Coordination Centre will focus on raising awareness within the community of the common myths and facts surrounding missing persons.The central messaging and branding designed to help communicate the theme is 'follow your instincts’. Merchandise and advertising has been produced and distributed across Australia to form a national educational strategy in support of this campaign.Follow your instinctsOne of the most common myths surrounding missing persons is that you have to wait before reporting someone as missing. It’s common for people think they need to wait 24 hours, 48 hours, or sometimes even longer before they can make a missing persons report to police.In Australia, a missing person is defined as anyone whose whereabouts are unknown, and there are immediate concerns for their safety and welfare. If someone you know is missing follow your instincts and report immediately.More InformationFor more information on some of the other common myths surrounding missing persons, please view the following NMPCC publications:Missing Persons Myths and Facts FactsheetFor more information on missing persons contact the NMPCC.

Minister for Justice the Hon. Michael Keenan and AFP Commissioner Andrew Colvin encouraged Australians to continue their efforts to locate those still missing at the launch of International Missing Children’s Day 2015 today.The day will be recognised globally on Monday 25 May, with this year’s focus being on the safe location and recovery of children who have been abducted by a parent.Commissioner Colvin said the location and recovery of missing children, including those taken by a parent, is often a collaborative law enforcement and community effort.“The AFP has now listed children who have been abducted by a parent in a dedicated ‘Family Court’ tab on our missingpersons.gov.au website. I strongly encourage everyone to visit the page and provide information anonymously to Crime Stoppers if you are aware of a child’s location”International Missing Children’s Day commemorates missing children who have found their way home, remember those who have been victims of crime, and continue efforts to find those who are unfortunately still missing.“The AFP Facebook page will be encouraging the community to replace their profile picture with a ‘Help bring them home’ white balloon to raise awareness of missing children on the day. I encourage the community to support this and release a balloon of a missing child” said Commissioner Colvin.The AFP receives around 400 recovery orders from the Family Court of Australia each year. On average, 142 new Hague Convention applications are recorded by the Attorney-General’s Department, of which around half relate to children taken out of the country. “The issue of parental abductions is a sensitive one, and one that causes great emotional and psychological strain,” Commissioner Colvin said.“I congratulate all those involved—police, government agencies and non-for-profit organisations—for their tireless efforts in trying to locate all missing children around Australia and to help bring them home to their families. The AFP is committed to working with all our national and international partner agencies to ensure the safety of all Australian children.”Anyone with information relating to a missing child is urged to contact their local police or Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.

In 2014 the National Missing Persons Coordination Centre's focus was on raising awareness within the community of the links between dementia and missing persons. Each year the we build awareness messaging around one of the key groups in the community most at risk of going missing.What can I do to help?If you are a carer of person suffering from dementia who may be at risk of wandering and going missing, consider whether registration in a safe return program, an ID bracelet or other means of identification may be suited to your situation.The NMPCC also encourages the carers of people with Dementia to consider ways to help those suffering from this illness. This year, the NMPCC has developed a range of merchandise specifically targeted at carers and dementia sufferers, with the theme of "Remembering".More informationFor more information on Dementia and Missing Persons, please view the following NMPCC fact sheets:Missing persons and dementia fact sheetMissing persons and dementia: Safer WalkingMissing persons and dementia: WanderingFor more information on Alzheimer's and Dementia contact Dementia Australia or call the dementia helpline on 1800 100 500