The Grief / Loss Impact Register (GLIR) – Where do you as a Government and your Police service sit?

Image of a pioneer’s tombstone in the Australian out-back, Valentine Smith © 2022

The Missed Foundation[i] calculates that for every person reported missing there are approximately twelve (12) family members and loved ones suffering the loss. 

Yet, they are not all grieving, in the long term it is an ‘ambiguous loss’ of not knowing where their loved is and not being able to start the grieving process that is the pain, with one Canadian mother explaining,

“Please know that it is the LOSS we are struggling with, not GRIEF… in our situation our grief is "frozen" because we don't know what we are grieving - they may be alive, they may be dead, we just don't know, hence the ambiguity.  Once we know, the grief can then kick in.  For me, I never really grieved, what I experienced was relief, like the black cloud had lifted; I knew Daniel (our son) would want us to be happy, not sad, and celebrate his life and the fond memories”. 

So, until the missing are found, there is this sense of incredibly unbearable loss that never goes away. Hopelessness often compounded by government agencies and others that fail to provide the familial support and investigative services needed, and commensurate with the probable death of a loved one.

For many, this Loss, this Grief, goes on for years often to the ends of their lives. It is a never-ending torture of sadness, emptiness and a forever battle with government agencies, the police, and the constant tears of dealing with the media, coronial hearings and endless investigative journalist reviews.

The Grief/Loss Impact Register (Calculations)

Let’s do the maths using the ‘Missed Foundation’s 12 to 1 formulae of grieving family members for each missing person.  We will stick with the Long Term Missing Persons (LTMP)

Australia =        2,600[ii] LTMP X 12 =       31200 grieving family members

Canada =         2,633[iii] LTMP X 12 =      31596 grieving family members

United Kingdom = 4,521[iv] LTMP X 12 =   54252 grieving family members

United States    = 70,000[v] LTMP X 12 =   840,000 grieving family members

NOTE:  

The LTMP figures quoted above (notably for Australia and Canada) are not believed to be accurate.

The number of 2633 for Canada represents the 2248 individual persons listed on the Canadian Government website ‘Search Canada’s Missing’ together with the 385 Unidentified Human Remains, (It is believed that there will be other missing Canadians not represented on this web site).

The 2600 Australian LTMP figure is that as quoted by the National Missing Person Coordination Centre of the Australian Federal Police, which relies on data provided by the eight Australian State Police Forces.  It is believed that this data is not accurate, and it is noted that the figure of 2600 never seems to change.

However the figures speak for themselves when we are talking about LTMP, let’s not forget that these are persons who are missing for three months or longer.  The annual figures for all missing persons are far greater.  For example, if we look at Australia and Canada there are approximately 55-60,000 persons reported missing each year, and for the United States a staggering 600,000 persons are reported missing. If we multiply those figures by 12 the numbers of our citizens who are stressed and anxious in worrying about their loved ones each year, the number is mind blowing.

We need to close the gaps in, first response, investigative response, how we communicate with victims (family) and witnesses, and most importantly how we manage our people and our responsibilities. 

PLEASE VISIT OUR WEBSITE AT www.missinginaustralia.com.au and read the blogs on MISSING PERSON RESPONSE.

To re-quote my last line of (Missing Person Response – Gaps uncovered – PART 4)[vi]

‘Management need to step up, wade into the fray, and recognise that the buck stops with them’.

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Written by Valentine Smith APM (Co-founder of Missing in Australia)

Missinginaustralia.com.au – January 2025

[i] The Missed Foundation www.missed.org.au

[ii] National Missing Person Coordination Centre – Australian Federal Police.

[iii] No specific totals for LTMP can be found in Canada. However, the Govt. Web site shows 2248 individuals plus 345 unidentified human remains.

[iv] National Crime Agency UK Missing Persons Unit Data Report 2021/22 P25

[v] NAMUS Fiscal report year 2023 P17 reference to US National Crime Information Center.

[vi] Missing Person Response – Gaps uncovered – PART 4 – Management Response www.missinginaustralia.com.au