Lost from the conversation: Missing people, and the role of Police media in shaping community awareness
| Author | Sarah Wayland,Aalia Siddiqui |
| DOI | 10.1177/0032258X20984502 |
| Published date | 01 June 2022 |
| Date | 01 June 2022 |
| Subject Matter | Articles |
2022, Vol. 95(2) 296 –313
Article
Lost from the conversation:
Missing people, and the role
of Police media in shaping
community awareness
Aalia Siddiqui and Sarah Wayland
The University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Abstract
Media as a public health messaging tool can shape community perception. In missing
persons’ investigations Police utilise media to assist in location and recovery of absent
people. This study, of Australian media in 2019, revealed that the statistical evidence of
who goes missing, and returns, revealed that is not replicated in news articles. Content
analysis of 2,400 media items highlighting a disconnect between statistical rate of return
from being missing (up to 98%) and the media profiling those who return (17% of media
articles including returned missing persons narratives). In addition, Police and family
dominate media conversations paying minimal attention to the reasons why people
vanish or including comment from those who return. Recommendations for Police
media strategies, that include an accurate portrayal of the experiences of returned
missing persons, as a public health tool, is required.
Keywords
Missing persons, Police, support services, media analysis, reintegration support, Austra-
lian media
Introduction
In Australia 38,000 people are reported missing to police each year (Bricknell and
Renshaw, 2016). While approximately 90%of individuals are located within the first
week of their disappearance, others may remain missing for extended periods of time
(James et al., 2008). The Australian Fe deral Police’s (AFP) definition of a missing
person is ‘Anyone who is reported missing to police, whose whereabouts are unknown,
Corresponding author:
Sarah Wayland, University of New England, Armidale NSW 2350, Australia.
Email: swaylan2@une.edu.au
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Theory, Practice and Principles
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Siddiqui and Wayland 297
and there are fears for the safety or concern for the welfare of that person’ (Bricknell and
Renshaw, 2016).
The international literature regarding missing persons is severely limited, especially
regarding adult populations. Previous literature focuses on children and youth, therefore
unintentionally creating a deficit within adult missing persons research (Stevenson et al.,
2013). Australian research predominantly focuses on the geographic location of missing
people and the Police effort and funding involved in the search. The reintegration of
missing individuals back into society is generally disregarded (Kiernan and Henderson,
2002). Existing literature also focuses on identification of vulnerable groups, such as
those with mental illness and exposure to violence, being more at risk of going missing
(Foy, 2016). Additional risk factors identified by Australian Police highlight ‘known
mental, cognitive and physical conditions’ in addition to ‘intent to self-harm or attempt
suicide’ (p. 14) used to emphasise ti mely searching to quickly locate a n individual
(Bricknell, 2017).
Identified factors highlight the potentially traumatic and challenging process of going
missing, further exposing the vulnerabilities of individuals while they are absent from
their support networks (Sowerby and Thomas, 2017). Societal stigmatisation is attached
to the label of ‘missing persons’ meaning that the term ‘missing’ may be seen as
attention-seeking or costly to emergency services. Missing persons can thus be seen to
represent societal perceptions, such as inconsiderateness to their family, and a trait
attached to mental health behaviours; creating a culture of shame due to the implied
labels impacting others perceptions of them (Kiepal et al., 2012; Parr and Stevenson,
2013; Stevenson and Woolnough, 2016).
Prior disappearance episodes present a key risk factor for missing individuals. In New
South Wales (NSW), 53 percent of cases relating to missing persons cite a prior dis-
appearance episode (Bricknell and Renshaw, 2016). The emotional journeys of returned
individuals referenced within international literature describe going missing as an expe-
rience that captures the physical aspects of missing as well as the psychological dis-
connection from their life (Wayland et al., 2016). This time period can be broad;
encompassing time spent missing, as well as the decisions made prior and the experience
following a disappearance (Biehal et al., 2003).
Why is going missing a public health concern and what is the role of media?
The World Health Organisation defines ‘public health’ as ‘the art and science of pre-
venting disease, prolonging life and promoting health through the organised efforts of
society’ (CIFDPH, 1988). The definition of a missing person varies from jurisdiction to
jurisdiction agreement on concerns for risk to safety and wellbeing are common. What
triggers an event, that results in the disappearance of an individual, aligns with the World
Health Organisation public health focus on the need for a concerted effort to bring about
prevention. In this context, being that people go missing due to complex mental health
conditions, to escape dysfunction, to seek out new ways of living, or (to a relatively small
extent) because they are victims of a crime. Public health strategies engage a prevention
focus which, within the missing persons sector (and the dominant role of Police in this
2The Police Journal: Theory, Practice and Principles XX(X)
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