THUNDER BAY - Police are hoping a new awareness campaign will help dispel some myths when it comes to how police handle missing person’s reports.
The Am I Missing campaign was launched on Tuesday and includes a video that provides information on risk factors, how to help, and who to contact when someone has gone missing.
“One of the big myths is police will not do a missing person report immediately,” said Thunder Bay Police Det. Inspt. Ryan Hughes. “It doesn’t take 24 hours. That is not true. If the factors are met or someone has a concern, the Thunder Bay Police will do a missing report right away.”
The campaign is part of Recommendation 91 from the Seven Youth Inquest and saw several organizations partnering on the project, including Thunder Bay Police, the city of Thunder Bay, Dennis Franklin Cromarty High School, Independent First Nations Alliance, Keewaytinook Okimakanak, Matawa Learning Centre, Nishnawbe Aski Nation, Nishnawbe-Aski Police Service, Northern Nishnawbe Education Council, Shibogama First Nations Council, and Windigo First Nations Council.
“For us it’s a safety factor,” said Brad Battiston, principal of Matawa Learning Centre. “We do appreciate what the Crime Prevention Council, NAPS, and Thunder Bay Police Services have done in the work with Recommendation 91 and supporting us in development of that process.”
“What this committee has done to move forward with the quicker response from the community, the educational agencies and the police service to locate missing people before a death occurs or something bad happens,” Hughes added.
According to the campaign, some of the risk factors for a missing person include the individual having a disability, is elderly or young, dependent on prescription medications, unfamiliar with the city, is an Alzheimer’s patient, or is associated with violent behaviour.
There are also three steps to remember when reporting someone missing: 'try to find me, assess the risk, and call the police.'
“Parents or guardians know when something is not right with a youth or a child or a friend,” Hughes said. “If they are not around or think are missing, they should call the police.”
When a person is reported missing, police take it very seriously, Hughes said, and no case is ignored. The process investigating a missing person case can also be very extensive and require a lot of resources.
“The searches can be very small, which is a couple phone calls and we locate a person, or it can be very intense where there are numerous officers and multi-agencies searching for someone,” Hughes said.
Battison said the new campaign will be very valuable in helping to protect all missing persons, while also educating the public on how to make a report.
“But it’s also for us, from our perspective, it will help educate our students and community to go about the process and how to work with the police,” he said.
Recommendation 91 from the Seven Youth Inquest called for actions to “ensure timely reporting of missing students and consistent practice among institutions when students are reported missing or during sudden death investigations.”
For more information visit thunderbaypolice.ca/amimissing.
