Local teenagers help police to ‘look beyond the surface’ to safeguard children and young people

Several young actors and actresses from a community drama group have assisted the Force in improving our response to missing people.

In Cleveland, between 10 and 12 children and adults are reported missing from home every day.

Missing people tend to be very vulnerable and can be in crisis when they go missing and can abscond for a number of reasons; including neglect issues, exploitation and mental ill health.

From a Cleveland Police perspective, the aim of the missing person inquiry is to swiftly and safely locate the person and prevent them coming to harm.

As part of the Force’s renewed focus on safeguarding and protecting vulnerable people, new Missing from Home guidance has been published – which sets out what protocols all officers and staff involved in the missing person incident must follow.

Look beyond the surface

Helping to embed the guidance, eight young people took on the challenge to feature in a short educational film – explaining ‘through the eyes of a child’ what signs to look out for; what steps to take; and what to take into consideration when dealing with a missing from home incident.

Willow Bishop, 16, Briony Flintoff, 14, Phoebe Hall, 20, Florence Hannaway,13, Aura Mitchell,19, James Oxburgh, 15, Scarlett Storey,14, and Samuel Watson, 12, who attend Saltburn 53 Drama Group, shared their views and provided key advice to officers, which will help to safeguard other young people in the future.

Taking a lead from our very own Police Staff Investigator (PSI), Sarah Hamilton, who is also part of the drama group as a Youth Liaison Officer, PSI Hamilton approached the youth cohort members, who were more than happy to help the Force communicate and embed such an integral aspect of policing to keep people safe.

“When we come home and say we’re fine; we might not be fine.”

The film highlights the importance of probing further when locating missing young people; not to ask questions in front of parents and to look beyond the surface as to reasons why the child or young person went missing in the first place.

Going missing might be a cry for help or they may be being exploited, bullied or neglected.

“We might have secrets that we don’t want to tell our parents about.”

The film delves further into Child Sexual Exploitation (CSE) and reminds officers to have an investigative mindset when responding to missing from home incidents, to safeguard and save lives.

Safeguarding Detective Chief Inspector Shaun Page said: “Our renewed approach to responding to missing from home incidents focuses on four key areas: the initial contact, investigate to find, investigate to prevent and problem solving.

“The new Missing from Home guidance helps officers and staff to understand the reasons why we need to follow an agreed step of instructions to safely locate the missing person.

“Crucially, the educational film helps to embed our protocols and thanks to the help of local teenagers, who understand the reasons why young people go missing and what they could be dealing with at their age, the film is a fundamental part in how we communicate our processes internally.”

Assistant Chief Constable (ACC) Lisa Theaker said: “Safeguarding is a key priority for Cleveland Police and protecting and preventing people from going missing is vital in helping children, young people and adults to prosper and lead fulfilling lives – safe from exploitation, neglect or harm.

“Thanks go to the youth cohort from Saltburn 53 Drama Group for taking part in our educational film. This helps officers and staff understand the necessity of looking beyond the surface, through the eyes of a child, to safeguard others in future.

“I am really impressed with their dedication to helping Cleveland Police safeguard others and look forward to seeing the results of their acting endeavours in the future.

“Well done to you all.”

The teenagers and their parents/carers were invited to a special screening of the film at Cleveland Police Headquarters in Hemlington and received certificates of appreciation from ACC Lisa Theaker and DCI Shaun Page.