How long do I need to wait to report a missing person?
That’s a question we got for the latest edition of ‘Ask a Cop’ with Halton Police Constable Ryan Anderson. He says that despite what movies and television will have you believe, you don’t need to wait 24 hours to report a missing person.
He says police officers aren’t waiting by a clock waiting for the 24 hour mark to be up before searching for a missing person. You should always call immediately. That way the police officers have the most amount of time to find the person.
The process of filing a missing persons report is immediate. If you call to file the report, you can expect a nearby officer to visit you in-person as well. You will also be asked to provide a picture of the missing person which may be used on social media and in a media release.
Again, if you believe the matter to be an emergency, call 911. If you consider it to be a non-emergency, the number to call is 905-825-4777. Constable Anderson says that while some cases are serious and could be a life or death situation, there are other cases where people have chosen to ignore family members and that has led to the report. In either case, the same process will be carried out.
‘Ask a Cop’ will return next week with more of your questions being answered. Reach out if you have any questions that you’d like answered by a local police officer.
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