Thousands of Birmingham children reported missing to West Midlands Police - as cases rise 250% in five years

The number of children under the age of 16 who went missing has increased by more than 250% in the last five years in Birmingham.

A Freedom of Information request to West Midlands Police by BirminghamWorld has shown that the number went up from 906 to 3,241 from September 14 2017 to September 14 2022 in Birmingham.

The sad caseload includes the disappearance of Rahmatullah Esakail who was 15 when he went missing in 2020 from Birmingham. His details are kept on the Missing People charity as the search for his return continues. Another boy, Nam Nguyen, was 14 when he disappeared in 2019 from the city.

No other details have been given about these cases. However the charity has issued a personal message to both teenagers to let them know that they are there, ready to speak with them whenever they are ready. They have also offered to pass on any message that the missing boys would like to send to their family and friends.

In better news, the number of children who were found in Birmingham also increased over the last five years. It went up from 1344 to 3375 indicating an increase of more than 150%.

With family events like Christmas, Halloween and bonfire night on the way the pain of not having a loved one nearby or knowing of their whereabouts can be made all the more painful.

How do the numbers of missing children in Birmingham compare in different areas across the city over the five year period?

The FOI response from West Midlands Police showed how the numbers of missing children in the east and west of Birmingham has increased across both the east and west areas of the city. No information on the north and south areas was released by West Midlands Police.

In Birmingham West, during 2017/18 there were 679 children reported missing. This increased to 1,894 in 2021/22. Meanwhile in Birmingham East there were 227 missing children in 2017/8. This increased to 1,347 in 2021/22.

Missing children in Sandwell

The number of children under 16 who went missing in Sandwell in 2017/18 were almost 1.5 times less than in 2021/22. The number of children under 16 who went missing in 2017/18 was 655 and that increased to 982 five years later. The number of children found in 2017/18 were 462 in Sandwell compared to 908 five years later.

One of the oldest cases of missing persons is of Phillip Harris - who was 15 when he went missing in 1999 from Sandwell. He was last seen in St Eleanors Close, West Bromwich on the morning of 28 July 1999.

He had left home to visit a friend in Northfield. He called his foster parents later that night that he would be staying overnight at his friend’s but was never seen or heard from again. A property was searched in Smethwick earlier this year as well but there has been no “proof of life” in all these years.

Missing children in Solihull

Children under 16 who went missing in Solihull in 2017/18 were 141 and that number increased to 328 five years later. The number of found children were 66 and 282, respectively.

Missing children in other areas

In Walsall and Dudley, the number of children under 16 who went missing were 430 and 388 in 2017/18 and 900 and 755 in 2021/22. In Walsall, 471 children under 16 were found in 2017/18 while 891 were found five years later. In Dudley, 303 children were found in 2017/18 and 613 children were found in 2021/22.

Why do children go missing?

Charity Missing People said on its website that looked after children are more likely to go missing. One in 10 looked after children versus one in 200 children are reported missing. The charity also added that the looked after children who go missing are going to be reported so on average six times.

A Birmingham Children’s Trust spokesperson told BirminghamWorld: “The way we report on missing episodes is now more accurate and more detailed than previously, and as a result this affects our reported numbers. This also accounts for a portion of the increase we see internally, when we look at our own data.

“The pandemic and the lockdown may have also impacted on the increase in missing numbers. We know that our children are more vulnerable, through adverse childhood experiences within the home, coupled with poverty, and poor mental health, which we have seen rise during the pandemic.

“All these factors combine to contribute to why children are going missing. We know we also have a growing number of children exploited, which leads to children going missing, such as those who are being trafficked.

“In addition to exploitation, when we look at the reasons why children are going missing many are wanting to be with family and friends. Some children living away from home are reported missing for skipping their curfew.

“At times this is maybe only an hour after their curfew, but homes are required by regulatory bodies to report this. We also have children that have multiple missing episodes, so it may be that particular children are going missing multiple times rather than more children going missing.

“As a Trust we are committed to ensure that all of those children are seen by an independent person to make sure that they have the opportunity to discuss their missing episode and to receive any support that we may be able to offer.”

Missing seniors over the age of 60

The FOI also revealed the number of missing adults over the age of 60 between 2017/18 to 2021/22.

In Birmingham, the total number of seniors who went missing from 2017/18 to 2021/22 were 76. In Sandwell, 16 seniors above 60 went missing in the last five years while the total was eight in Solihull and Walsall and 18 in Dudley.

In a recent incident, a 60-year-old man from Solihull, Stephen Morse, has been missing since 1 October 2022, according to Missing People Charity.