If someone goes missing, here is everything you need to know
There is no waiting period to report someone missing to the police.
When a person is reported missing, it activates a behind-the-scenes chain of events to locate the individual soonest.
Fairland CPF’s Mahmood Cassim works with their victim support unit to search or alert the public and law enforcement of missing people. “Time is of the essence when someone cannot be located, especially if the person is a minor, has been kidnapped, is unwell or elderly.”
Recently, through this network of community groups, police, security companies and others, a missing Fairland man was found within minutes of being reported missing.
The Vulnerable Citizens Support Initiative (VCSI), better known as Civilian Crime Intelligence Network (CCIN), is a nationwide NGO that assists to search and share information on missing people.
CCIN head Dr Reza Patel and his team are unpaid and claim no expenses for fuel, airtime and other costs. They are committed and determined individuals who work tirelessly to reunite missing adults and children with their families.
“We have a network of 30 million people to whom missing posters and information is shared to quickly alert and react to ensure a positive outcome. This includes law enforcement, ports of entry, neighbourhood groups like CPFs and neighbourhood watches and so on.”
Patel urges communities and neighbours to get to know each other and for parents to engage in meaningful conversations with their children. The group finds when talking to parents of older children they often have no idea who their friends are, where they like to ‘hang out’ and therefore have limited ideas of who they might be with or where they may be.
Clive Patterson from the Benoni CPF said, “Especially when children go missing, it is often because they feel they have nobody to talk to. They feel isolated and alone and feel the need to escape and distance themselves from their problems. We need to get more people engaging and talking with youngsters and help them with guidance, love and to be less judgemental of them because the world is a very stressful place right now.”
Two recent cases stand out and show the scale of activations launched when a person is reported missing. One was a successful reunification with the other ending in tragedy.
The first was a 16-year-old girl from Benoni. The group moved swiftly to gather intelligence and launched a manhunt with the cities of Ekurhuleni and Johannesburg’s operational command centres, police, private securities and other role players.
INFO BOX: The operation which led to the location of the girl used 167 personnel, 92 vehicles, 7 drones, 1 police K9 unit, 4 mounted police (equestrian), 8 night vision scopes and 1 armoured vehicle. On standby were 2 medical teams and 1 extraction helicopter;
22-man hours were spent on the search with 143 square miles covered.
The other, covered widely in national news was of the missing Bokabo Poo, a four-year-old girl whose mutilated body was discovered in a shallow grave after an intensive search.
What you need to know if you think someone is missing
- Don’t panic, but act swiftly – search methodically around the house or area before you raise the alarm (many people are discovered close to where they last were seen)
- Check with family, friends, school or colleagues
- If no result, immediately raise the alarm and report to police
- Once identified as missing – there are no waiting times to open a case at the police.
ALSO READ: No word on missing Bosmont woman
What you need to open a missing persons file with police
- To report a case, you must be an immediate family member or someone with a provable close relationship to the individual.
- A recent photograph. Make it a habit in your family to keep up to date photos on mobile phones, especially if there has been a drastic change in appearance like a new haircut or hair colour.
- A Form 55 will be opened to capture all personal details. This will generate an OB number which is needed for groups like VCIS to create a missing persons poster and activate themselves to search for the individual.
- Be open with all information asked, even if it may be uncomfortable or embarrassing. Information is treated confidentially and may be critical to locate the individual.
ALSO READ: Parkview Police finally locate missing woman
Tips to easily know where a loved one is
*These can save valuable resources and manpower searching for an individual if a case of missing persons is opened prematurely
- If a missing person’s vehicle has a tracking device it can locate the car easily and immediately.
- Install tracking software on phones, especially those of children. If you as the parent or guardian own the phone or pay for the contract, you have a right to know where it is.
- Keep lines of communication open, especially with teenagers, so families generally know where they are on a particular day.
- Ensure cellphones are always charged to avoid panic by next of kin if someone is unreachable for some time.
To contact the CCIN for more information or to make a much-needed donation, please email ccincomms@gmail.com
ALSO READ: What to do when your child goes missing
