Information about the role of a missing persons specialist, including the role purpose, key responsibilities and the skills required.
About the role
A missing persons specialist is a public protection position within the investigation sector of policing. It's a service deliverer role in the policing professional profiles.
Role purpose
The missing persons specialist provides specialist advice for missing person cases within own field of knowledge and experience to support operational police officers and partner organisations, including escalating incidents where appropriate.
The role supports problem solving activities in the police and partnerships to support the location of missing persons and the safeguarding of vulnerable individuals.
Key responsibilities
Key responsibility statements show the accountabilities for someone in this role. They focus on what is done, not how it is done.
- Attending operational meetings, including professional and strategy meetings with partner agencies, to share information, identify opportunities to reduce and prevent missing episodes, identify safeguarding opportunities, and improve and consolidate best practices.
- Reviewing open reports of missing persons to initiate partnership interventions.
- Supporting and initiating police and partnership problem solving activities regarding missing persons to support the location of missing persons and the safeguarding of vulnerable individuals.
- Identifying and evaluating repeat missing person reports, working in collaboration with partner agencies to identify interventions that would reduce the frequency of these.
- Reviewing all return interview notes, to identify new information or intelligence and any disclosures made, ensuring appropriate, timely action and completing relevant referrals as necessary.
- Delivering training (where required by force) and advising training programme designers on national guidance and best practice, systems and policy to ensure training programmes are delivered in accordance with national policy and guidelines.
- Providing specialist advice to ensure police officers, police staff and external partners are working in accordance with national policy and guidelines.
- Developing strong working relationships with care providers, to build a timely and accurate picture of residents placed within the care setting, to share intelligence (including that gathered from other forces), and to support providers in developing safeguarding strategies.
- Developing and maintaining strong subject matter knowledge, to provide expert advice in relation to missing persons issues and to liaise with relevant internal departments and external organisations.
Competencies, values and core skills
The competency and values framework (CVF) provides clear expectations for everyone working in policing. It describes the behaviours required by police officers and staff to be effective in their roles and uphold the Code of Ethics for policing.
Competencies
The CVF has six competencies, which are split into levels. These levels can be used flexibly to allow for a better fit with frontline and non-frontline policing roles, and at different levels of seniority. This ensures that there is consistency throughout all the policing professional profiles. Some roles may contain different CVF levels due to the specialist nature of the role. Those working at higher levels should also fulfil the requirements of the lower levels.
This role should be operating at or working towards the following competencies.
- We are emotionally aware – Level 1: practitioner
- We take ownership – Level 1: practitioner
- We collaborate – Level 2: practitioner
- We support and inspire – Level 1: practitioner
- We analyse critically – Level 1: practitioner
- We are innovative and open-minded – Level 1: practitioner
Values
The CVF has three values that apply to everyone in policing, regardless of their role or seniority.
Core skills
All roles in policing have nine core skills in common. These are split into levels that represent the different levels of policing. This role should be operating at or working towards the following core skills.
- Communicating and influencing – Level 1
- Problem solving – Level 1
- Performance management – Level 1
- Relationship management – Level 1
- Change management – Level 1
- Managing people – Level 1
- Managing resources – Level 1
- Planning – Level 1
- Use of IT – Level 1
Education, qualifications and experience
To achieve effective performance in the role, the following training and learning should be met.
Previous education, qualifications and experience
The first two qualifications below can be gained in-role if not previously obtained:
- Successfully completed partnership problem solving training or equivalent experience.
- Successfully completed public protection foundation e-learning introduction to public protection module and missing persons module or previous equivalent training.
- Awareness and experience of the national missing person policy, current force policy and local protocols and procedures.
- Awareness and experience of child protection procedures.
- Awareness and experience of protection of adults at risk.
- Understanding of confidentiality, data protection and freedom of information issues.
- Understanding of the national intelligence model regarding the collation and dissemination of relevant information and management of police information.
- Experience of working in a multi-agency environment.
In-role education, qualifications and experience
The following qualifications can be gained in-role if not already obtained:
- successfully completed partnership problem solving training or equivalent experience
- successfully completed public protection foundation e-learning introduction to public protection module and missing persons module or previous equivalent training
Continuing professional development
Continuing professional development (CPD) enables everyone in policing to develop and gain recognition for their professional skills, knowledge and competence.
CPD ensures that we continue to provide high-quality policing to keep the public safe and help to drive career aspirations. Discussion of CPD is usually included as part of professional development review (PDR) conversations.
Learning and accreditation
- Complete all core training and learning as required by the force.
- Any exemptions to learning and accreditation requirements are at chief constable discretion, in line with the local force policy.
Professional development
This role should consider the following CPD:
- maintaining strong subject matter knowledge, to provide expert advice in relation to missing persons issues and to liaise with relevant internal departments and external organisations
- keeping up to date with changing legislation and current national priorities relating to all key areas within public protection and how these might affect missing person cases
- keeping up to date with social media and other online technological advances that might facilitate offenders in committing crimes against missing persons, for example, online grooming
- maintaining knowledge of College of Policing and NPCC guidance on missing persons
- analysing the impact of the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) Learning the Lessons reports relating to missing person cases
- familiarising self with His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services (HMICFRS) reports on missing person issues and associated inspections
- maintaining a working knowledge of local, regional and national specialist support agencies for referrals
- developing a working knowledge of multi-agency responsibilities
Related roles
ou can find other service deliverer roles in the: