Developing police search strategies for elderly missing persons in Croatia

Ksenija Butorac (Author), Marijan Šuperina (Author), Ljiljana Mikšaj-Todorović (Author)

Abstract

Purpose: This paper examines the distribution of elderly missing persons in the city of Zagreb per variables (age, sex of the missing person, social and marital status, employment, place and duration of disappearance, method of finding the missing person, its outcome, reasons for disappearance, etc.) needed for the design of the plan of the search for the missing person. Design/Methods/Approach: The paper uses data collected through a questionnaire with 417 variables and processed with certain basic statistical methods. The collected data are examined on a sample of 170 elderly missing persons in the city of Zagreb, and through characteristics of methods, measures and actions, together with the methods of search for elderly persons in cities, with special reference to Zagreb. Findings: The statistically established behavioural modes of certain groups of elderly people are analysed: persons with Alzheimer’s disease and persons with suicidal risk. The stated findings largely assist in planning and conducting the search for those persons, especially for missing person profiling and his/her possible movement since disappearance. The success of the search for the missing person presumes knowledge about the stated specifics by all searchers. It especially applies to the police in the formal, due to its sole duty and competence for the search for missing persons, as well as in the real sense where they conduct search measures and actions together with other participants adapted to real situations of disappearance of elderly persons. Research Limitations / Implications: The research has been limited by data available from the police bulletin of daily events, but this limitation was partially removed by a direct insight into the police files containing the case history. During the research, the legal and ethical regulations regarding personal data protection were strictly followed. Originality/Value: There is a number of researches on police search for the missing persons (UK, USA, Australia etc.), but few of them deal with elderly persons. This paper introduces a new offensive approach to the search for the missing person on a strategic level (missing person profiling with regard to specific variables, possible movement and routes, “wanderings”). New police procedures are suggested on a tactical level (e.g., stopping a person who disappeared in a certain area), but they include traditional police methods (car & regular patrols, police officers on bicycles, police search dogs, collecting information, conducting interviews, terrain search etc.). Introduction of the principle of partnership search for the missing person. Research results should be useful to police practice and their education.

Keywords

missing persons;police search;elderly persons;Alzheimer's disease;Croatia;

Data

Language:	English
Year of publishing:	2015
Typology:	1.01 - Original Scientific Article
Organization:	UM FVV - Faculty of Criminal Justice
UDC:	351.741+364.642.6-053.9(497.5)
COBISS:	2958570
ISSN:	1580-0253
Parent publication:	Varstvoslovje
Views:	466
Downloads:	33
Average score:	0 (0 votes)
Metadata:

Other data

Secondary language:	Slovenian
Secondary title:	Razvijanje policijskih strategij za iskanje starejših pogrešanih oseb na Hrvaškem
Secondary abstract:	Namen prispevka: Članek obravnava porazdelitev starejših pogrešanih oseb v Zagrebu po posameznih spremenljivkah (starost in spol pogrešane osebe, socialni in zakonski stan, zaposlitev, kraj in trajanje izginotja, način iskanja pogrešane osebe, izid le tega, razlogi za izginotje itd.), potrebnih za oblikovanje načrta iskanja pogrešane osebe. Metode: Podatke, predstavljene v članku, smo zbrali z vprašalnikom, ki ima 417 spremenljivk, in jih obdelali z nekaterimi osnovnimi statističnimi metodami. Podatki so zbrani na vzorcu 170 starejših pogrešanih oseb v Zagrebu s pomočjo metod in pripomočkov za iskanje starejših oseb v mestih, s posebnim poudarkom na mestu Zagreb. Ugotovitve: Analizirali smo statistično ugotovljene vedenjske oblike nekaterih skupin starejših ljudi: oseb z alzheimerjevo boleznijo in oseb s tveganjem za samomorilno vedenje. Ugotovitve so predvsem v pomoč pri načrtovanju in vodenju iskanja teh skupin ljudi, še posebej pri profiliranju pogrešanih oseb in ugotavljanju njihovih možnih premikov v času izginotja. Seznanjenost o posebnostih pogrešane osebe je en od dejavnikov, ki vplivajo na uspešnost iskanja. Še posebej to velja za policijo – tako v formalnem smislu, saj je iskanje pogrešanih njena dolžnost in so policisti za to tudi usposobljeni, kot tudi zato, ker policija vodi iskanje skupaj z drugimi ter ga prilagaja realnim okoliščinam izginotja starejših. Omejitve/uporabnost raziskave Omejitve raziskave so vezane na razpoložljive podatke policijskih poročil o vsakodnevnih dogodkih, kar smo delno odpravili z neposrednim vpogledom v policijske kartoteke, ki vsebujejo tudi zgodovino samih primerov. V raziskavi smo upoštevali pravne in etične predpise o varstvu osebnih podatkov. Izvirnost/pomembnost prispevka: O policijskem iskanju pogrešanih oseb obstaja veliko raziskav (Velika Britanija, ZDA, Avstralija itd.), vendar se jih le nekaj osredotoča na iskanje starostnikov. Članek predstavlja nov pristop k iskanju pogrešanih oseb na strateški ravni (profiliranje pogrešanih glede na specifične spremenljivke, morebitno gibanje pogrešanih, “potepanja”). Novi policijski postopki so predlagani na ravni taktike (npr. ustavljanje osebe, ki je izginila na določenem območju) in kot uporaba tradicionalnih policijskih metod (avtomobilske in redne patrulje, policisti na kolesih, uporaba policijskih psov, zbiranje podatkov, vodenje razgovorov, pregled terena itd.). Članek predstavlja načela sodelovanja pri iskanju pogrešanih oseb. Rezultati raziskave so lahko koristni za policijsko delo in izobraževanje policistov.
Secondary keywords:	pogrešane osebe;starostniki;alzheimerjeva bolezen;iskanje;policija;policijski postopki;Hrvaška;
Type (COBISS):	Scientific work
Pages:	str. 24-45
Volume:	ǂLetn. ǂ17
Issue:	ǂšt. ǂ1
Chronology:	2015
ID:	11544009