Anno 2019, missing person investigations hardly ever remain a national matter. UK’s Missing Persons Unit therefore provides a comprehensive service for all missing person investigations, supporting law enforcement and other agencies, even across the border. Head of the unit and member of AMBER Alert Europe’s Police Expert Network, Joe Apps: ‘’The Network has made cross-border police cooperation much easier’’.
The Missing Persons Unit, part of the National Crime Agency’s Investigations Command, is UK’s only agency focused exclusively on missing people and is experienced in dealing with missing persons cases. Moreover, the unit utilises a unique national database to enabling the cross-matching of outstanding missing individuals with unidentified people, bodies and remains across Europe.
Cross-border cooperation
Apps: ‘’Police cooperation between neighbouring countries is essential. With the help of the Police Expert Network, members know exactly who to call when a child goes missing and is feared to cross borders. A police expert on the other side of Europe is only one phone call away, which makes it easier to start an investigation while directly talking to the right person in the corresponding country.’’
Expanding the Police Expert Network on Missing Children
‘’In the past, the Network has been of great help in multiple investigations the Missing Persons Unit have worked on. I hope to see many other police experts join the network to share best practices and improve police cooperation ever further, since we all aim for zero missing children in Europe’’, concludes Apps.
