Eyes on the street

Since November 2014, we have played a key role in the search for vulnerable missing children and adults across the UK.

Our partnership with Missing People, the UK’s only charity dedicated to bringing missing children and adults back together with their families, was the idea of postman, Vincent Micallef.

Vincent was asked to help search for a child who had gone missing in London while out on his round. He immediately saw how postmen and women could help in the search for missing people, by keeping a look out while they were out and about on delivery.

Over the past few months, while lockdown and the effects of Covid-19 have meant fewer people have been reported missing, calls, texts and emails to Missing People’s helpline for support have skyrocketed. 

Hundreds of people, who have found themselves in challenging or unsafe environments during lockdown, have contacted Missing People asking the charity to support them during the early stages while they’re thinking of leaving.

During this time, Missing People have taken the opportunity to update their system to improve the location accuracy of the alert we send out to our postmen and women via our PDAs. This could not have happened at a more vital moment as Missing People believe that when lockdown measures start to ease, more people than ever will go missing.

Mental health problems are a key driver for adults going missing and, perhaps, considering suicide. We are concerned that there will be a significant increase in the numbers of people going missing, and thinking about taking their own life, perhaps at a scale not seen before.

What can you do to help?

Please be our eyes on the street. If you receive a Missing People alert for someone missing in your area, please keep an eye out for them. We only raise an alert for very vulnerable missing people, at risk of harm. They may be a child away from home, an elderly person with dementia, or a vulnerable adult.

You do not need to do anything other than call the Missing People helpline on 116 000 to give them your sighting. Missing People will then pass the information straight to the police, so that they can reach that person and ensure they are safe and well.

Be a Royal Mail search hero!