New research casts light on adults who choose to go missing

Researchers from a project which aims to deepen understanding of adults who choose to go missing are presenting their results for the first time today (Wednesday 19 June). Around 327,000 incidences of people reported as missing are reported to authorities each year in the UK, but little research exists which could provide practical insights to benefit those with responsibility for and to missing adults. The Geographies of Missing People project is the first study to perform in-depth s with people who have been reported as missing and make recommendations on how the support they receive after they return can be improved. The project is a partnership between the Universities of Glasgow and Dundee, the Scottish Institute for Policing Research, London Metropolitan Police, Police Scotland and supported with expert advice from the charity Missing People. At the first International Conference on Missing Children and Adults at the University of Portsmouth, the team will present the outcomes of conversations with 45 people aged between 18 and 79 who were reported missing between 2009 and 2011 in the Grampian region and the London Metropolitan area. Dr Hester Parr, from the University of Glasgow's School of Geographical and Earth Sciences, is the primary investigator on the project. Dr Parr said: "Our research aims to identify not just why a person gets reported as missing, but to provide a deeper exploration of wherethey go, howthey make decisions in relation to their geographies and the emotions they experience while they are away.