Message to families of missing people
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May 25, 2009 International Missing Children's Day
I wanted to say a huge thank you to everyone involved in organizing all the events surrounding
International Missing Children's day in London last Monday, especially the NPIA for including
my son Damien Nettles in this event. Thanks to ForeverSearching who organized the second
March for the Missing and events in Leicester and to all of you for remembering that there are
too many people of all ages gender and race that go missing each year.....every day, every
hour someone goes missing somewhere. We all know that there are various reasons
children and adults go missing and a large percentage are recovered. Some are somewhat
explained e.g. when it is a known parental abduction, 'we know what happened' to an extent.
If it is abuse and someone leaves, it is understood that there was a reason. But in many
cases such as mine and Nicki's our sons were out in town with friends one minute and
vanished the next for no apparent reason. The 'not knowing' 'not having a clue' is the hardest
part of trying to cope for the family left behind. You know nothing and so you think of everything
that could have happened, was he murdered, did he cry for us, is he buried in a shallow
grave, did he suffer. Every gruesome thought plagues our minds because we have nothing,
nothing. These are not lost puppies, but flesh and blood, our babies who we watched grow
into fine young men.....gone, just gone. The faces you see on the posters are real people who
have family who grieve for them. So here we are, yet another year rolls around and we are still
fighting to get our missing loved ones faces out there, hoping that one day, someone will
come forward with that vital information and bring us some closure. All I want is to find my
son, whatever the circumstance may be. We need closure and to know what happened to
him...we are prepared for the worst and pray for the best outcome. Thanks again to everyone
who organized and participated in the events for this special day. Valx
May 2009
I recently learned that the attempt, by a concerned citizen on the Isle of Wight, for a reward to
be set up for information about what happened to Damien has been thwarted. The large ferry
operators between Cowes and the Isle of Wight were approached but declined to help.......see
article in Isle of Wight County Press January 2008.
5/10/2009 To Damien...today is Mother's Day and I miss you.....
Forever Searching a group of dedicated people who give time to help raise
awareness for missing people are organising a March for the Missing in
Leicester on Sunday 24th May, all are welcome to attend please go to their
website
foreversearching.com for further details.
Note: Due to circumstances beyond our control, we are canceling the March
for the Missing in London in March 2009. We apologize to anyone who would
have come out to support us. Nicki and I are aware of the toll it took on us
both last year, and the financial toll, we both agree that we cannot undertake
that project again on our own. If anyone out there wants to take over this
project please contact us at themissing@hotmail.co.uk
Thank you for your continued interest in our missing boys and the issue of
missing people in general. Niki and I continue to plan other ideas that will
result in better services for the families and those left behind to cope when a
loved one goes missing.........
MISSING PEOPLE ARE NOT A NEW ISSUE
Parent’s and families of missing people are coming together with a “voice in
unison” regarding the phenomenon of missing people.
Whatever the circumstances are that a person may go missing, it is a living
nightmare for those left behind. For all families, who have a family member
that has gone missing, we are asking for the government to help and support
us in this dilemma.
It can no longer be left to the family and the local authorities to handle these
cases.
We would like the government to address this problem by passing of a bill for
the ‘Missing’ and to make available funds to support and counsel and advise
the families left behind to deal with this dilemma.
themissing@hotmail.co.uk
October 5, 2010 Letter to MP's
Do we really want to go back there? Please take a moment to read this and if you can cut
and paste this letter and forward this to your MP as a matter of urgency, please do so.
We will be taking a huge step backwards with the closure of this organization and put
power back to local levels where cases like my son's will be swept under the carpet until it
is too late to follow a trail.....
Dear {your MP}
The National Police Improvement Agency (NPIA) Missing Persons Bureau faces closure or having its services
re-structured, according to a leaked Government document listing 129 public bodies, which will be consolidated
down to something in the region of 57, by the end of 2012.
The NPIA Missing Persons Bureau is the national and international point of contact in the UK for all missing
and unidentified cases and is the centre for information exchange, knowledge and expertise on the missing. It
provides an integrated service for missing adults and children. People who go missing can travel extensively,
crossing borders on a regional, national and international level. There is a real need for a national operational
unit to manage both missing children and adults.
Currently, outside of the smaller NGO’s, there is no support for parents of children abducted into the UK and
little available to parents of children missing abroad, having the NPIA Missing Person’s Bureau has enabled
smaller NGO’s to get additional governmental department services so rightly deserved in these cases.
The Bureau also has strong productive links with related groups and charities, including Forever Searching. It
has provided a platform to bring these smaller NGO’s together to share and exchange information and advice,
and more importantly to give the families and friends of missing loved ones a voice through these
organisations.
Let us highlight for you the risk and the impact that closing of the NPIA Bureau would have on the issue of
missing people.
· patterns of missing indicating crime and harm going unnoticed
· long term unresolved cases
· unresolved suspicious and murder cases
· duplication of effort trying to resolve these cases and safeguard individuals
· inconsistent and impeded response to cross-border cases
· inability to improve and disseminate good practice
· failure to resolve cases using other national services such as the national Missing Persons DNA
Database, Missing Persons Dental Records file and the National Fingerprint Database
· lack of oversight of joined up multi-agency services
Again, let us highlight for you the risks of splitting the services offered by NPIA into other agencies:
There will be confusion around responsibilities in various cases involving adults and children who go missing
together and children who turn 18 whilst missing.
There will be significant difficulties regarding those aged 16-25 years. This age group is vulnerable as they are
in a transition period between childhood and adulthood, i.e. Information and advice drop in service Check-Point
provide services for young people up to the age of 22. http://www.torbay.gov.uk/checkpoint Young people who
are cared for in the care system are eligible for support until they are 25.
Separating missing children and adult police co-ordination will have a negative impact on the police response.
We believe that the Missing Persons Bureau is essential to link missing persons cases and link victims of
murder who have been reported missing.
Missing people are known to travel large distances; this is especially true in cases of parental abduction. Our
charity has much experience in this area from its support to families and friends. A national service like the
NPIA is needed to resolve these cases.
Without a national Bureau working to resolve both missing adult and child cases we have great concerns that
the impetus of the recent Taskforce may be lost. Some of the issues identified by the Missing Persons
Taskforce include:
· Lack of public understanding on the issue of missing people.
· Data collection is poor.
· Responses from multi-agencies are not co-ordinated.
· Roles and responsibilities of all agencies are not clear
· Levels of support to families of the missing is not sufficient
Further details on these recommendations to improve the multi-agency response to missing incidents are set
out in The Missing Persons Taskforce report. http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/+/http://www.
homeoffice.gov.uk/documents/Missing-persons-taskforce.html
Supported by smaller NGO’s such as ourselves and Missing Abroad, the group Family and Friends of the
Missing have been calling for additional support to people caught up in this nightmare situation. This resulted
in EDM1119 which subsequently came to nothing. We urge you to continue the work of the NPIA Missing
Person’s Bureau within the new National Crime Agency. Strong links to the charitable sector are also needed
to provide the necessary support and comfort to the families left behind.
The most important issue for families and friends is to have a unified, structured and supportive Governmental
body working to in this field to help find those who are missing.
We would respectfully request that the services provided for missing people are not compromised by the re-
structure of police services and the phasing out of the NPIA.
Yours sincerely
...sign here..
Do we really want to go back there? Please take a moment to read this and if you can cut
and paste this letter and forward this to your MP as a matter of urgency, please do so.
We will be taking a huge step backwards with the closure of this organization and put
power back to local levels where cases like my son's will be swept under the carpet until it
is too late to follow a trail.....
Dear {your MP}
The National Police Improvement Agency (NPIA) Missing Persons Bureau faces closure or having its services
re-structured, according to a leaked Government document listing 129 public bodies, which will be consolidated
down to something in the region of 57, by the end of 2012.
The NPIA Missing Persons Bureau is the national and international point of contact in the UK for all missing
and unidentified cases and is the centre for information exchange, knowledge and expertise on the missing. It
provides an integrated service for missing adults and children. People who go missing can travel extensively,
crossing borders on a regional, national and international level. There is a real need for a national operational
unit to manage both missing children and adults.
Currently, outside of the smaller NGO’s, there is no support for parents of children abducted into the UK and
little available to parents of children missing abroad, having the NPIA Missing Person’s Bureau has enabled
smaller NGO’s to get additional governmental department services so rightly deserved in these cases.
The Bureau also has strong productive links with related groups and charities, including Forever Searching. It
has provided a platform to bring these smaller NGO’s together to share and exchange information and advice,
and more importantly to give the families and friends of missing loved ones a voice through these
organisations.
Let us highlight for you the risk and the impact that closing of the NPIA Bureau would have on the issue of
missing people.
· patterns of missing indicating crime and harm going unnoticed
· long term unresolved cases
· unresolved suspicious and murder cases
· duplication of effort trying to resolve these cases and safeguard individuals
· inconsistent and impeded response to cross-border cases
· inability to improve and disseminate good practice
· failure to resolve cases using other national services such as the national Missing Persons DNA
Database, Missing Persons Dental Records file and the National Fingerprint Database
· lack of oversight of joined up multi-agency services
Again, let us highlight for you the risks of splitting the services offered by NPIA into other agencies:
There will be confusion around responsibilities in various cases involving adults and children who go missing
together and children who turn 18 whilst missing.
There will be significant difficulties regarding those aged 16-25 years. This age group is vulnerable as they are
in a transition period between childhood and adulthood, i.e. Information and advice drop in service Check-Point
provide services for young people up to the age of 22. http://www.torbay.gov.uk/checkpoint Young people who
are cared for in the care system are eligible for support until they are 25.
Separating missing children and adult police co-ordination will have a negative impact on the police response.
We believe that the Missing Persons Bureau is essential to link missing persons cases and link victims of
murder who have been reported missing.
Missing people are known to travel large distances; this is especially true in cases of parental abduction. Our
charity has much experience in this area from its support to families and friends. A national service like the
NPIA is needed to resolve these cases.
Without a national Bureau working to resolve both missing adult and child cases we have great concerns that
the impetus of the recent Taskforce may be lost. Some of the issues identified by the Missing Persons
Taskforce include:
· Lack of public understanding on the issue of missing people.
· Data collection is poor.
· Responses from multi-agencies are not co-ordinated.
· Roles and responsibilities of all agencies are not clear
· Levels of support to families of the missing is not sufficient
Further details on these recommendations to improve the multi-agency response to missing incidents are set
out in The Missing Persons Taskforce report. http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/+/http://www.
homeoffice.gov.uk/documents/Missing-persons-taskforce.html
Supported by smaller NGO’s such as ourselves and Missing Abroad, the group Family and Friends of the
Missing have been calling for additional support to people caught up in this nightmare situation. This resulted
in EDM1119 which subsequently came to nothing. We urge you to continue the work of the NPIA Missing
Person’s Bureau within the new National Crime Agency. Strong links to the charitable sector are also needed
to provide the necessary support and comfort to the families left behind.
The most important issue for families and friends is to have a unified, structured and supportive Governmental
body working to in this field to help find those who are missing.
We would respectfully request that the services provided for missing people are not compromised by the re-
structure of police services and the phasing out of the NPIA.
Yours sincerely
...sign here..
If you are not in the UK, maybe write directly
to Theresa May, who oversea’s the NPIA,
mayt@parliament.uk, addressed as Mrs May.
to Theresa May, who oversea’s the NPIA,
mayt@parliament.uk, addressed as Mrs May.
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Also please click link below to
see how you can support the
UK Missing People Charity
see how you can support the
UK Missing People Charity