Reporting Missing Persons

What You Need to Know about Reporting a Missing Person

You’ve seen it time and time again in TV shows: someone goes missing, and their family, friends, or co-workers are trying to report them to the police. “How long have they been missing?” asks the officer. “About 10 hours,” responds the concerned relative. “Well, you need to wait 24 hours before reporting someone missing.”

The 24-hour waiting period before reporting a missing person seems to be a common belief in many parts of the world. However, it is a myth often reinforced by TV shows and movies. In reality, most countries do not impose a mandatory waiting period before someone can be reported missing, especially when there are signs of danger, vulnerability, or foul play. South Africa is no exception.

Naturally, there may be informal or procedural delays before a thorough investigation is launched. You may find that the police wait before initiating a full investigation for missing adults, especially if there is no immediate sign of danger. However, this is not a legal requirement but rather a practical guideline. After all, adults can be in a million places of their own volition, some of which may not be immediately apparent. That said, you should still report anyone missing to the police immediately if you become concerned, cannot reach them, and no one in their circle knows of their whereabouts.

Section 2.4 of the South African Police Service (SAPS) National Instruction 3 of 2011 on the Handling of Domestic Violence states the following:

“2.4 When a member of the public reports a person as missing, the following procedures must be followed:

2.4.1 The reporter must not be turned away and told there is a 24-hour waiting period before a person can be reported missing. There is no waiting period to report a person missing. In fact, it is imperative for the police to start investigations into missing persons as soon as possible after the person has gone missing, as this will help prevent any possible crime being committed against or involving the missing person.

2.4.2 The officer receiving the missing person’s report must immediately obtain a detailed statement from the reporter in a case docket (SAPS3M), just as they would for any criminal case. The front page of the docket cover (SAPS3M) must be marked as ‘MISSING PERSON’ in red ink.

2.4.3 The officer must complete all required information on the SAPS 55(A) form. Persons should not be turned away if they do not have a photograph of the missing person, nor if the person went missing outside of the reporting police station’s jurisdiction.”

On that note, below is a screenshot from the SAPS website:

Thus, when you believe a loved one is missing, please contact SAPS for assistance. Also, be sure to check the SAPS’ missing persons list where all missing persons’ details are posted.

Written by Theo Tembo