This week, the police shared two urgent missing persons in Limburg. The public is called upon to do this. But what exactly makes a missing person urgent for the police?
First it is important to know exactly what the police mean by an ‘urgent missing person’. “That, from a worrying character, investigation action must be taken immediately to find that person,” says a police spokesperson.
Also read: CDA councilor Armand Opreij from Mheer is missing
Criteria
In order to actually express a missing person as urgent, the police investigate whether certain criteria are met. In concrete terms, the police will then look at the following points: is the missing person younger than 13 years old? Is that person mentally handicapped? Does the missing person need medical care? Is he in the company of criminals? Are there indications of suicide or are there intentions to commit a crime? If any of the above questions can be answered with ‘yes’, the case will be treated with urgency by the police.
According to the police, other missing persons are cases in which there are no direct indications of danger, or the person has already indicated that he will take a ‘break’.
Notification
When the police receive a report of a missing person, they consult with the public prosecutor. “Is there (possibly) a crime or not? What are the circumstances? Based on that, we determine whether we class it as an urgent missing person or not,” explains the police spokesperson.
missing persons
The Limburg police are currently still busy with the investigation into two recent missing persons cases. For example, the search is on for 48-year-old Armand Opreij from Mheer and 19-year-old Xavier Durlinger from Sittard.
Also read: Police raise alarm for missing resident of Sittard (19)
Opreij is a CDA councilor at the municipality of Eijsden-Margraten and was previously an alderman here. He is also director of Monumentenwacht Limburg. Opreij was last seen on Monday evening, in the Boschstraat in Maastricht. Durlinger has been missing since May 11. He was last seen in the center of Sittard.
People who have tips about one of the missing cases can contact the police via 0900-8844.