If you need to report someone missing, please call your local police on 101 or visit your nearest police station. If there are immediate welfare concerns, call 999.
This page describes the Privacy Policy for the UK Missing Persons Unit website. It does not cover websites we link to which may have their own privacy policies.
Visitors to our website
When someone visits the website we collect standard internet log information and details of visitor behaviour patterns. We do this to find out things such as the number of visitors to the various parts of the site. We collect this information in a way which does not identify anyone. We do not make any attempt to find out the identity of those visiting our site. We will not associate any data gathered from this site with any personally identifying information from any source. If we do want to collect personally identifiable information we will be up front about this. We will make it clear when we collect personal information and will explain what we intend to do with it. Any personal information provided will only be used for the stated purpose.
Any personal information will be retained in a secure environment and access to it will be restricted according to the ‘need to know’ principle.
Cookies are small text files that are placed on your computer by websites that you visit. They are widely used in order to make websites work, or work more efficiently, as well as to provide information to the owners of the site. Please see the table below for a list of the cookies used on our website:
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Cookie |
Purpose |
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PHPSESSID |
This is the standard PHP session cookie which is used to help store session data. It will delete itself once the browser is closed. |
|
hideCookieBar |
This keeps a record when someone clicks to hide the Cookie Information Bar |
|
Google Analytics |
These cookies are used to collect information about how visitors use the site, which we use to help improve it. The cookies collect information in an anonymous form and, including the number of visitors to the site and they have visited. For more information please visit https://developers.google.com/analytics/resources/concepts/gaConceptsCookies |
|
PREF ; NID: Googtrans |
Google set three more cookies for use with the translation facilities featured on the website. |
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hideFirstWarning |
This indicates you have clicked the warning screen on first visit to the website. |
|
showSensitive |
This cookie is set when you agree to view sensitive images. It expires after 10 days. |
Most web browsers allow some control of most cookies through the browser settings. To find out more about cookies, including how to see what cookies have been set and how to manage and delete them, visit www.allaboutcookies.org.
To opt out of being tracked by Google Analytics across all websites visit http://tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout.
Provision of information via our website
Any information provided to the Missing Persons Unit by users through use of this site may be disclosed to law enforcement or partner agencies, if considered appropriate and relevant to do so.
When providing information related to cases featured on this site, you will have the option of providing personally identifiable details or to provide the information anonymously. We will not associate any information provided via the site with any personally identifying information from any other source. We will only use the personal information provided to process the details supplied and determine the appropriate course of action, and to check on the level of service we provide.
People who use the Missing Persons Unit services
The Unit offers various services via this website. For example, we allow individuals to register an interest in upcoming events and distribute an electronic newsletter. We have to hold the details of people who have requested the service in order to provide it. However, we only use these details to provide the service the person has requested and for other closely related purposes. For example, we might use information about people who have registered an interest in a conference to carry out a survey to find out if they are happy with the level of service they received. When people do subscribe to our services, they can cancel their subscription at any time and are given an easy way of doing this.
This privacy notice was drafted with brevity and clarity in mind. It does not provide exhaustive detail of all aspects of ICO’s collection and use of personal information. However, we are happy to provide any additional information or explanation needed. Any requests for this should be sent to the Unit.
Any changes to our privacy policy will be posted on this page. Regardless of later updates, we will never use the information you submit in a new way without first providing you with an opportunity to prevent that use.