5/12 in our series on police MISPER searches.
Maintaining an accurate and easily accessible audit trail of decisions and actions in missing person searches is critical.
The quality of this audit can impact all concerned: the family and those closest to the missing person; PolSAs, IMPSAs and others involved in planning and managing the search operation; and senior officers—Chief Constables, ACCs and DCCs for example—who may ultimately have to face the media spotlight, account for those decisions and report on progress.
Achieving a Level of Assurance
PolSAs are now asked to rank a Level Of Assurance: is the probability of locating the missing person High, Medium or Low after completion of the planned search tasks? That begs the question—how was that probability ranking arrived at?
Search operations are complex and don’t always go according to plan. As we explored in our previous article (Focus use of resources on priority locations in missing person search operations), PolSAs come under a great deal of pressure.
They have the professional pressure of planning and executing the search—typically having to rely on slow and inexact manual methods, and often without access to the resources they know are necessary. Added to which, there’s intense internal scrutiny from senior officers, themselves under pressure to get fast, positive results.
Keeping family and media informed
PolSAs can also find themselves answerable to the family of the missing person—talking directly, detailing what resources have been deployed and where, explaining what the next steps are in the search, and being supportive and caring, while always remaining realistic about the chances of the missing person being found alive.
Senior officers responsibilities go further, keeping the general public and the media in the picture, while also managing the effects of sometimes widespread commenting on social media. To perform these duties effectively, senior officers need concise and accurate briefings from the PolSAs.
The outcome of the search should also trigger a review of decisions and rationale. When the search outcome is not successful, it will be necessary to review decisions made and understand what lessons can be learned. Even for successful search operations, there will be opportunities to learn and improve by reviewing decisions and performance.
Audit trail obstacles
It’s clear that, in every instance, a comprehensive audit of decisions and rationale is critical—and that will likely fall to the PolSA. But a former PolSA we consulted with highlighted the many obstacles to this when a force is using traditional manual methods for search planning and management.
He recalled a high profile search case that he led in the early 2000s. The search operation relied on entirely manual methods and records: a crude search radius; photocopied task sheets and drawings on an OS map that his team had to purchase; decisions jotted down as notes; the rationale not always fully recorded; and, eventually, human remains found many miles away from the initial search area. Any requested audit of decision rationale—at any point during or after the search—was yet another arduous and time-consuming manual task.
But there is a better way.
The integrated digital solution
Thankfully, several years later, this particular PolSA’s force was an early adopter of our Search-PRAS software, the integrated digital solution for planning, executing, managing and analysing missing person search operations.
Search-PRAS automatically maintains a log of key decisions and actions taken during a search. This allows review of the operation timeline either as part of a briefing or handover during the operation, or for post-operation assessment.
In other words, a ready-made audit trail can be called off from Search-PRAS whenever needed. PolSAs and IMPSAs benefit. Family and those closest to the missing person benefit. Senior officers benefit. Media updates benefit.
In 2025, forces need no longer rely on manual methods and non-specialised mapping tools for missing person searches. Even so, awareness of alternatives available remains low. The irony is, when senior officers see Search-PRAS for themselves they first response is invariably, “Why are we not using this?!”
Digital, integrated, data-driven and accountable searches are, unequivocally, the way forward. A Search-PRAS demo is the next natural step…
Book that demo now
Call +44 (0)1794 834750 or email enquiries@cunningrunning.co.uk now to arrange a Search-PRAS demo via a Teams call with one of our search software specialists.
Stay on top of the developing search story…
The above article is one of an extended series of articles on search challenges and issues for police forces.
In our next article in the series we look at a closely related topic: the importance of an audit of decision rationale and the issue of accountability in missing person searches.
To receive notification when each article goes live, please follow the Cunning Running company page on LinkedIn, or the LinkedIn pages of Stephen Mallon or Phil Cowell.
Previous articles in this missing persons search series:
Missing persons search in the digital age: ready for your ‘Eureka moment’?
Article 1:
Ensure the excellence of your force’s search capability
Article 2:
Rapidly plan optimised searches in the office, then execute with maximum efficiency in the field
Article 3:
Compress critical timelines in missing person search operations
Article 4:
Focus use of resources on priority locations in missing person search operations
