3.3 Investigative Techniques for Missing Children

This unit focuses on the investigative techniques used in missing children cases. Effective investigation starts with a prompt initial response and assessment, followed by detailed initial assessments and immediate actions and strategies. This unit will cover these aspects in detail to equip investigators with the necessary skills and knowledge to handle missing children cases efficiently.

Initial Response and Assessment

Step 1: Overview of Initial Response

• Definition: The initial response involves the immediate actions taken upon receiving a report of a missing child.
  Example: First responders quickly gather critical information and begin a preliminary search.
• Importance: A prompt and efficient initial response is crucial for increasing the chances of locating the missing child quickly.
  Example: Rapid response can prevent further harm and increase the likelihood of a safe recovery. 

Step 2: Key Components of Initial Response

• Receiving the Report: Collecting and documenting all relevant details from the person reporting the missing child.
  Example: Information such as the child’s description, last known location, and circumstances of disappearance.
• Initial Assessment: Assessing the urgency and potential risk factors based on the information provided.
  Example: Determining whether the case involves potential abduction or a runaway scenario.
• Notification and Coordination: Alerting relevant authorities and coordinating initial search efforts.
  Example: Notifying local law enforcement, issuing an Amber Alert, and coordinating with search and rescue teams. 

Step 3: Tools and Resources for Initial Response

• Checklists and Protocols: Using standardized checklists to ensure all critical information is gathered and appropriate actions are taken.
  Example: A checklist for first responders detailing steps to follow when a child is reported missing.
• Communication Systems: Utilizing communication systems for rapid information sharing among agencies.
  Example: Radio communication, mobile apps, and centralized databases for real-time updates.

Conducting Initial Assessments

Step 1: Importance of Initial Assessments

• Definition: Initial assessments involve a thorough examination of all available information to understand the circumstances and potential risks, as explained in topic 1.
  Example: Evaluating the child’s routine, recent activities, and any changes in behavior.
• Purpose: To develop a clear picture of the situation and guide subsequent investigative actions.
  Example: Identifying high-risk factors that necessitate immediate intervention.

Step 2: Steps in Conducting Initial Assessments

• Gathering Information: Collecting detailed information from family members, friends, and witnesses.
  Example: Interviewing parents about recent changes in the child’s behavior or potential conflicts.
• Reviewing Digital Footprints: Analyzing the child’s online activities and communications.
  Example: Checking social media profiles, chat logs, and email communications for clues.
• Environmental Analysis: Assessing the safety and characteristics of the child’s last known location.
  Example: Examining CCTV in a shopping mall

Immediate Actions and Strategie

This sub theme focuses on the immediate actions and strategies that investigators should employ upon confirmation of a missing child case. Effective immediate actions can significantly impact the likelihood of a positive outcome. This section will guide you through the essential steps and strategic planning necessary for a swift and efficient response.

Step 1: Immediate Actions upon Confirmation

a) Search and Rescue Operations

• Initiation of Search Efforts: Begin search efforts immediately, prioritizing the last known location and areas the child is familiar with.
  Example: Deploying search teams to the child’s home, school, and favorite places.
• Resource Mobilization: Mobilize all available resources, including law enforcement, volunteers, and specialized search units.
  Example: Utilizing police officers, K-9 units, and community volunteers for ground searches.
• Use of Technology: Employ technology such as drones, thermal imaging cameras, and GPS tracking to enhance search capabilities.
  Example: Drones can cover large areas quickly, providing aerial views that ground teams might miss.

b) Public Alerts and Appeals

• Issuing Amber Alerts: Activate Amber Alerts to quickly disseminate information to the public and solicit their help.
  Example: Broadcasting the child’s description, last known location, and any suspect information across media channels.
• Media Engagement: Use television, radio, newspapers, and social media to reach a wide audience.
  Example: Holding press conferences to provide updates and keep the public informed.
• Community Outreach: Engage local communities through neighborhood watch groups, schools, and local businesses to assist in the search.
  Example: Distributing flyers and posters in high-traffic areas to increase visibility.

In Portugal we have an Amber Alert System which is called “Alerta Rapto de Menores”. It was approved by “Resolução da Assembleia da República n.º 39/2008 of the 11th July and it is activated by the General Prosecutor of the Republic in major crime cases where the missing child is in physical or life danger. It is not activated in cases of parental or family abduction, runaways or lost and injured or otherwise disappeared.

c) Coordination with Agencies

• Inter-Agency Collaboration: Coordinate efforts with other law enforcement agencies, child protection services, and non-governmental organizations.
  Example: Working with child protection agencies to provide support to the family while the search is ongoing.
• International Cooperation: If there is a possibility of cross-border movement, engage with international organizations such as Interpol and Europol.
  Example: Issuing a Yellow Notice through Interpol to alert international law enforcement agencies about the missing child.
• Legal and Administrative Support: Ensure that all necessary legal actions, such as obtaining search warrants or court orders, are taken promptly.
  Example: Securing warrants for searching suspect properties or accessing digital records.

Step 2: Strategic Planning for Continued Investigation

In Portugal an investigation with a view to locating a missing person, contains, like any investigation, characteristics, specificities and guiding principles that are its own, as well as others, adopted in any investigation, some of a reserved nature, under the terms of the law, even in those that their purpose is to discover the material truth, in the commission of a criminal offense.

However, it is essential that some unique procedures are applied when we are dealing with a missing person investigation.

Therefore, it is important to take note, without intending to be exhaustive, of a set of steps to be taken, always documented in the respective process, with a view to locating missing persons:

1. Dissemination of communication with a photograph of the missing person (to other OPC and Judicial Authorities).
2. Insertion of the disappearance into the Schengen Information System.
3. Collection of all information that allows us to understand the personal characteristics and lifestyle of the missing person.
4. Interviews, to be carried out in accordance with the methodology and techniques approved and in use in the Judiciary Police, with family members, friends, neighbors, witnesses, work or school colleagues, etc.
5. Publication of the disappearance on the Intranet and Internet (P.J. website).
6. Publication of the missing person’s photograph in the media and on the Internet (P.J. website).
7. Search police computer records and all those you have access to.
8. Precise determination of the place where the missing person was last seen (checking the existence of surveillance cameras).
9. Consultations and/or contacts with Hospital Establishments and other Health Services.
10. Consultations with the Institutes of Legal Medicine and the General Directorate of Prison Services.
11. Research with Embassies, Local Authorities, Finance, Social Security, Banking Entities, Telephone Operators, and Municipal Services.
12. Consultations with entities with personal records (e.g. Brisa, EDP, Águas, etc.).
13. Location, preservation and collection of traces related to the disappearance, always aiming to locate the missing person.
14. Collection and preservation of written records, photographs, images and personal objects.
15. Analysis of cell phone records and banking transactions.
16. Access to a desktop computer or laptop used by the missing person (in the case of minors, written authorization from the parents or guardian is required).
17. Contacts with official and private Social Protection institutions (Child Support Institute, etc.).
18. Contacts with security companies in commercial spaces and communication routes.
19. Viewing video recordings – surveillance.
20. Surveillance actions in large commercial areas, boarding and disembarking piers of public transport.
21. Development of search and rescue actions, using mixed teams, made up of elements from other OPCs (PSP, GNR, Maritime Police), Firefighters and Civil Protection, and may also include tracking dogs.
22. Other due initiatives or legal diligences.