Who we are

We are the UK national and international point of contact for all missing person and unidentified body cases.  We are also the only UK agency focused exclusively on missing people.

How we Help

We provide a unique service that not only assists police forces with missing person investigations, but also assists with the identification of bodies and remains.  These cases may otherwise incur substantial investigative cost, perhaps remaining unidentified.

The figures

Each month we record hundreds of missing person cases and around 15 unidentified body records. We conduct around 1,000 searches a year and regularly assist police forces with identifying and locating missing and unidentified people.

How we support the police

We are a hub for the exchange of information and provision of expertise on the subject of missing persons. We provide an holistic service for all missing person investigations, including children, supporting law enforcement and other agencies.

What we do

• Tactical advice and support to suspicious cases such as suspected homicide and no-body murders, by deploying field officers and analysts
• Specialist advice from experts in a range of fields
• National and international cross-matching of outstanding missing individuals with people (who are alive but unidentified), bodies and remains
• Co-ordination of the UK's Child Rescue Alert service and interoperable EU schemes in conjunction with CEOP
• Co-ordination of the UK Missing Kids website in conjunction with CEOP
• Specialist overseas services through Interpol, the North Sea Group (a network of maritime police forces) and our international network
• Access to specialists within other critical national services such as the:
• National DNA Database
• National Missing Persons DNA Database
• Police National Computer
• Automatic Number Plate Recognition
  

Worldwide partners

The NPIA Missing Persons Bureau is the UK member of the Global Missing Children's Network (GMCN) and supports International Missing Children's Day in co-ordination with GMCN partners including the Australian Federal Police (AFP), the International Centre for Missing and Exploited Children (ICMEC) . 

What is International Missing Children's Day?

On 25th May 1979, a six-year-old boy, Etan Patz, went missing in New York.  He was never seen again.  As a result of this, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) was established in the United States. In 1983, the President of the United States declared 25th May 'Missing Children's Day' and this has been recognised in the U.S ever since and is now also supported across the world.