The number of people vanishing is at record levels, with the recession a key factor. Many soon return, but who helps the agonised families of those who stay away?
Odd place, Britain. Every day, 13 million CCTV cameras track our movements. We’re PIN-numbered, databased, credit-rated, nannied, Neighbourhood Watched, Facebooked, emailed and GPS-ed. You wouldn’t think any of us could slip away unnoticed. But we do, in ever-increasing quantities. An Independent on Sunday investigation has established that the numbers of Britons who disappear each year is now at record levels.
Missing People, the charity that helps both the disappeared and those left behind, told us that 250,000 missing persons reports each year – more than 30,000 higher than any previous total – is “probably an underestimate”; others put the total nearer 275,000. This, the equivalent of the entire population of Plymouth being spirited away, means that, across the country, one person goes missing every two minutes. The vast majority are swiftly found, or return of their own volition, but many don’t. Some disappear for decades, and sources, including some inside the police, say the number of people in Britain who have been missing from family, friends and usual haunts for more than a year is at least 16,000 and could be as many as 20,000.
I blame Derren for at least 50%… Expect them to turn up in Marakesh dressed as clowns.
so let me guess, you’re gonna predict where they all are and return them safely
the entire population of plymouth being spirited away? call me biased ( i am from exeter) but thats no harm, is full of chavs.
no seriously though, its knid of sad. but i guess some people want to get away and can see no way out.
‘I am not a number I am a free man’ PRISONER xx
Evidence for alien abduction?
I think they’re trying what Mayor Giuliani did with his tramps! I mean where did the New York bums go all of a sudden?!
13 million CCTV cameras? One for every 4-5 people in the country? May I ask where on earth you got this figure?
Even the oft-quoted figure of 4.5 million cameras (or the “a CCTV camera for every 14 citizens” statement) is extremely questionable thanks to the rather dodgy extrapolations the only researchers to study this in recent time did.
I appreciate the sentiment, but using figures such as this to bolster a point of view is not helping anyone.
Of course, if there’s a recent study showing exactly this I’m as shocked as the next person.
Damn magicians. I wonder how many get sawn in half.
Yes Alien abduction! There’s no other explanation
I’m from Exeter as well and can corroborate Helen’s comments regarding Plymouth.
I’m a serving police officer in the Met, and whilst I don’t doubt the figure is close enough to 275,000; that doesn’t take into account the ‘frequent fliers’ or regular mispers (Horrible police jargon for missing people.) There are a few semi secure childrens’ homes on my grounds which account for a healthy percentage of that terrifying figure atop your article
For that matter, hospital and childrens’ homes, care homes and those professional carers that still draw a wage are all expected by employers to call the police as soon as the person in question walks out. So you can face a situation whereby a home is reporting a child missing to the police by phone whilst watching them play in the street. I have had this happen.
And I wouldn’t worry about CCTV. I can never find it when I need it
yeah it is sad
its not just adults it is also children a little two year old girl was missing from NZ home ;but y’day the police found her body down a drain i know so sad:(on twitter you can help find children and adults by following @HelpFindMyChild the more people know the more chance of them being found or of someone who may of seen them who follows you report that sighting…So please if you have a heart follow i understand how upsettting it can but that nothing to what parents and familys go threw ! but do your best..ok i have said all i need all takecare sorry for going have a bright day:),em
They’re not missing they’re just in Australia on vacation…. trust me there’s thousands of you lot here! =)
evidence for aliens maybe, but more likely Vampires I recon
sorry for being so serious in last message ! ,em
I reckon they’ve all come to Bristol. The population here seems to increase every time I go out on the town! Not that I mind though, gives me plenty of hypno-victims… erm I mean subjects.
Just a bit more on CCTV.
After being assaulted, a police officer confided in me that they move the camera’s around to follow crime-trends. Just because you see a pole with CCTV written on it and an authentic looking optical device on top doesn’t mean it’s actually got anything in it; or if there is that it’s recording the scene.
The 13 million is probably referring to the poles…they should addd them to google Earth so we can count them
I think it would be a good idea to put out frequent newsflashes before programmes like East Enders etc to ask for help to find people and to offer caring words from families to help attract home depressed relatives who feel they have let their families down.
We live in an age of disgusting consumerism and it’s making us very ill – both mentally and physically. It’s only good for those big bastards making the money out of us, given the back-slapping go-ahead by our various ‘Faustian’ governments. Good diet and exercise are no longer part of our daily routines and we are bombarded by fast-edit commercials which programme us to want, even though we already have. And then to feel we have failed when we do not achieve their twisted version of ‘the perfect life’. TV is now our religion… CTND
… And we need to know what’s being done to us via the television. This whole country is depressed, but that’s the way they want it; fat, sluggish, disinterested, ill-educated, docile sheep. No wonder people are running away – greed engulfs us and we haven’t really realised that we can switch it off and go do something else; something that involves others and social communion; something that involves breathing and moving; something that involves maybe doing something to help others – that’s one of the best ways to get our own lives into perspective. We have to notice what’s happening to those around us, stop relying on drugs which bugger up the body’s ability to make the good chemicals and we have to stop and look around us and opt out of the crap. It’ll be hard, but we do have a choice.
Ranty rant rant, I know. But those figures are pretty shocking and we should be ashamed.
Can’t find a number for holland. only that 16.000 are being reported missing per year but that 90% is back within a week. We only get to read/see about a few now and then in the media. With/without good/bad ending.
Sad for those who have someone missing ofcourse. Must be hell at times.
Some probably get lost on purpose (financial trouble e.g.).
However, depressing stuff, especially the serious cases.
Oh, and I therefor consider myself lucky I don’t have someone missing. I miss someone, but I don’t have someone missing. I’m not in heaven now either, but when your child or partner or a friend or relatieve or such is missing .. I don’t need to be in there to have a ‘vague’ idea of what that will feel like, be like.
Probably too late by now but anyway, but @Lloyd Morgan – they aren’t DB’s figures, they are the Independent’s, the text is from the Independent article as linked from the end of the post. So you might want to ask them.
Hmm…same day Andy went missing. Curiouser and curiouser…