IF someone close to you is missing, you should report it to the police as soon as you know they are missing. You do not need to wait for 24 hours.
In fact, the longer you take to file a case increases the chances of prolonging the find. As the issues of missing persons and human trafficking keep making headlines, crime activist and forensic consultant, Dawn Gounden addressed some frequently asked questions.
She said there are varied reasons for the increase in the number of missing persons, which seldom have anything to do with race, religion or gender. She said some people go missing for their own personal issues, but it does not discount its seriousness.
“When we’re dealing with old people, they might have Alzheimer’s or dementia. Whereas with young people, they sometimes run away, trafficked and other times they just want a way out. In the case of young adults, they’re dealing with financial issues and burdens. Some of them are faced with habits such as drugs or gambling and their only way out is to sometimes go missing,” she said.
In other times, she said, she comes across people who go missing without a trace just to see if people will go looking for them. As weird as it may sound, Dawn said these people often find it hard to breathe with the pressures of life that leaving is the only way they can survive.
“Families are unaware that they can go to the police station to file a missing persons case. There is no waiting period any longer, the reason being human trafficking. This involves both minors and adults who can be taken very far, whereas if they are reported missing they can be contained and found quicker.”
The reporting process is often easy. SAPS fill out the 55A missing persons form and give an occurrence book (OB) number. If you wish to get missing persons organisations to make a flier, you then submit the OB number, which assists in creating a flier with relevant information.
“There is crucial information such as where the person was last seen and if they have a cellphone, we try and locate them. Finding the locality helps us to physically look for them. The flier is created and distributed. In recent times with my cases, whenever I bring closure to a family, I then ask them to assist me and post fliers of the new missing person. People tend to appreciate the fact that I go out of my way to help them, free of charge, yet we are practically strangers,” she added.
Dawn works pro bono and derives great pleasure in assisting families in distress to locate their missing loved ones. “Bringing closure, seeing the people and hearing their words, gives me a sense of peace because I brought that comfort to them. When I close a missing person’s case, especially with a minor, I believe that I have actually saved a generation because that minor will one day have a family.”
Following recent posts on social media, SAPS National Commissioner, General Khehla John Sithole, highlighted the seriousness with which human trafficking and other closely related crimes are being dealt with by the SAPS as well as the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation.
“Even though human trafficking is not prevalent in South Africa as it is in other parts of the world, we must adopt a collective approach, ensuring that not a single person, man, woman or child becomes a victim of this crime. We have had sporadic reports in the past of young people, especially women, who were allegedly lured away from their homes on the promise of lucrative jobs only to find themselves being trafficked for sex,” he said.
The seriousness at which these crimes are being attended to is also highlighted by the fact that they are either investigated by specialised units like the Directorate for Priority Crimes Investigation (Hawks) or the Family Violence Child Protection and Sexual Offences Unit (FCS).
If you may have information on these crime categories, preferably before they are committed, contact SAPS on the Crime Stop line on 086-001-0111 or via the MySAPS App, which can be downloaded on any iPhone or Android device. Alternatively, call or WhatsApp the Montclair-based crime activist and forensic consultant, Dawn Gounden, on 074-712-5855.
FOR YOUR INFORMATION
As your local news provider, we have the duty of keeping you factually informed on Covid-19 developments. As you may have noticed, mis- and disinformation (also known as “fake news”) is circulating online. Caxton Local Media is determined to filter through the masses of information doing the rounds and to separate truth from untruth in order to keep you adequately informed. Local newsrooms follow a strict pre-publication fact-checking protocol. A national task team has been established to assist in bringing you credible news reports on Covid-19. For any comments or queries, contact the National Group Editor, Irma Green at irma@caxton.co.za or the Legal Adviser, Helene Eloff at helene@caxton.co.za.
DID YOU KNOW?
Click on the words highlighted in red to read more on this and related topics. To receive news links via WhatsApp or Telegram, send an invite to 061 876 3179 The Southlands Sun is also on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest – why not join us there?
Do you have more information pertaining to this story?
Feel free to let us know by commenting on our Facebook page or you can contact our newsroom on 031 903 2341 and speak to a journalist.
