A missing person, it occurs about 40,000 times a year in the Netherlands. The majority of these traceless people reappear within a few days. That was also the case with 12-year-old Angelika from Drunen, who had been missing for a day since Tuesday evening. But how do the police estimate that a missing person is so serious that they have to take action?
Kirsten van Eijden is a specialist in missing persons cases at the East Brabant police. She is busy every day with people who have disappeared. Some have been missing for years, others are just out of sight. They are adults, young people and sometimes even children. Each with its own story.
Kirsten: “Every missing person case is different. The hardest part is that, based on the information you receive, you have to estimate what might be going on and what action you can take.”
“We don’t do someone with a name and surname on the internet quickly.”
In the case of Angelika, the police mentioned her by name on the internet and also distributed her photo. She spoke of an ‘urgent missing person’. But when is a missing person urgent and when is it not?
“An urgent missing means that we have indications that the missing person is in danger. Someone may be suicidal or unable to care for themselves or we suspect a crime has been committed.”
In such a case, the police may try to trace someone’s phone to find out where someone is. She can also check with the help of family whether money has been withdrawn from the bank.
Sometimes the public is asked for help by publishing a missing person on the internet. But the police prefer to use this tool as little as possible. “Usually we don’t do that quickly, because it affects someone’s privacy.”
“You want to be able to give the people who are left behind a story.”
In her daily work, Kirsten examines the ongoing missing persons cases. “You look again and again at what possibilities there are to find someone. You think about what could have happened.”
She herself does not have continuous contact with those left behind who are looking for someone. “But during major searches you often have contact with family. When people have been missing for years, you want to tell those left behind what happened. As horrible as that is sometimes. They live with so many questions, you want to do something about that.”
In addition to urgent missing persons, the police speak of ‘other missing persons’. That term gives the impression that the police find these matters less important, but that is not the case. “It does not mean that we do nothing in such a case. The difference is mainly how quickly we act.”
According to Kirsten, most people who go missing return home within a few days. “But a very small percentage of missing persons cases have a serious outcome.”
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