Parents not reporting missing children due to low trust in police, report warns

Those who do report children missing ‘face frustrating delays and inaccurate information’, City Hall committee finds

Almost 3,000 child strip-searches took place by police in England and Wales between 2018 and mid 2022, the Children’s Commissioner said (David Jones/PA) (PA Wire)

Low trust and confidence in the Police means some parents may be reluctant to report their children missing, the force has been told.

Just weeks after Baroness Casey’s damning review – which found institutional racism, misogyny and homophobia at Scotland Yard – warned that the Met was “still not gripping child protection”, a new City Hall report highlights fears that these failings are hampering the search for missing children.

Following an investigation into the causes and handling of missing child cases, London Assembly’s police and crime committee found that distrust of the police could be forcing parents to search for their children themselves instead of asking the Met.