Missing people West Midlands: Almost 30,000 missing children in last 5 years and 171 adults over age of 60

Thousands of children under 16 and almost 200 adults over the age of 60 went missing in the West Midlands over the last five years, a Freedom of Information request revealed.

BirminghamWorld sent the request to the West Midlands Police, who shared the data.

There were 28,655 children under the age of 16 years reported missing from 14 September 2017 to 14 September 2022. During the same time period, 28,280 children under the age of 16 were found as well. Only 1.3% were unsolved during this period but that does not ensure that the same children were found who went missing in those five years.

Meanwhile, 171 adults over the age of 60 went missing during the same period and 167 were found. This means that less than 2% of these cases were unsolved. However, the people found during this period are not necessarily the same ones who went missing during the same time.

What did the West Midlands police say?

The West Midlands Police also added that every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. “However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from a number of data sources used by forces for police purposes. The detail collected to respond specifically to your request is subject to the inaccuracies inherent in any large scale recording system,” they said.

“The figures provided therefore are our best interpretation of relevance of data to your request,” they added.

Who is a missing person?

The West Midlands Police website says that a missing person is one whose whereabouts are unknown and the circumstances are uncharacteristic “or the person may be subject of crime or at risk of harm to themselves or someone else.”

Also, if a person is absent from where they are expcted to be or required to be and there is no apparent risk, they are still classed as absent.

How to report a missing person?

You can contact the Live Chat facility or call 101.

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