Every day in this city, at least a dozen people are reported to the police as missing.
It could be an Alzheimer鈥檚 patient who wandered away from their home, a teenager who didn鈥檛 come home last night or a drug-addicted resident of a single-room-occupancy hotel who vanished a couple of days ago.
Chances are police will find them.
In the past six years, the 麻豆传媒映画police鈥檚 missing persons unit has located 鈥�99.9 per cent鈥� of people who were reported missing, according to Det. Const. Raymond Payette of the six-person team.
鈥淚t doesn鈥檛 mean we always find them alive,鈥� Payette said in a recent presentation to the 麻豆传媒映画Police Board. 鈥淪ometimes, it鈥檚 a sad ending.鈥�
To avoid those tragedies, the missing persons unit created a top 10 list of people who have a history of going missing. As Payette explained, the more times a person disappears, the more likely he or she will experience harm.
The 10 people identified by police are all female, ranging from teenagers to women in their 20s. All have been or are in some form of government care, all have substance abuse issues and the majority are mentally ill. So far this year, the top 10 list has generated 225 missing person reports.
鈥淒oing the math, it looks like it will be 250 to 260 by the end of the year,鈥� said Payette, who emphasized the importance of officers reaching out to community organizations, including mental health agencies and sex trade advocacy groups, to find those who go missing. Solidifying strong relationships with low-income hotels, group homes and other housing providers are also keys to their success, he added.
But what worries Payette is those relationships with their community partners could sour as a result of new regulations the provincial government will implement in September 2016. The 鈥渟afe and well check鈥� regulation will require police to check on every person gone missing who is found. That means no more confirmations over the phone.
With 4,380 missing person files projected this year and 4,600 next year, Payette told the police board that checking on every person they locate is 鈥渋n some ways, the largest challenge we鈥檙e going to face in the next year.鈥�
Although police routinely check on found people 鈥� particularly those considered high-risk like those on the top 10 list 鈥� officers will rely on a check over the phone to cancel a missing person鈥檚 report.
Even with high-risk missing persons, police don鈥檛 always attend a residence. That鈥檚 because a person could have a warrant for their arrest on a minor charge such as shoplifting. That warrant would require police to take that person into custody when, really, officers are more concerned about a person鈥檚 safety.
鈥淲e, in the unit, have developed a system where if she鈥檚 wanted on a theft under warrant 鈥� which is not a big-time warrant 鈥� and she comes back, we will get called,鈥� Payette said. 鈥淏ut we don鈥檛 go there because if we go there and meet her, we鈥檙e put in a position of we know there鈥檚 a warrant, we鈥檙e going to have to arrest her, which puts that supportive housing unit in a situation of 鈥榶ou got me arrested.鈥欌��
Payette warned that situation could lead to housing providers failing to contact police when a person is found, meaning police would continue to work the case as if the person were still missing.
鈥淏ut this is my biggest fear 鈥� they won鈥檛 call her in at all [when she goes missing]. And in the Downtown Eastside, if we get back into a situation where supportive housing units aren鈥檛 calling them in as missing because they鈥檙e worried we鈥檙e going to arrest them when they come back, that鈥檚 something we don鈥檛 want to go back to.鈥�
Janice Abbott, the CEO of Atira Women鈥檚 Resource Society, manages a variety of low-income housing in the Downtown Eastside, including a women鈥檚-only building near Oppenheimer Park that generates a half-dozen missing person鈥檚 reports per week.
Abbott said Atira鈥檚 policy dictates that staff search for the person 24 hours after reported missing. That search includes calling emergency contacts, checking with hospitals, determining whether the person was arrested and talking to other agencies in the neighbourhood.
鈥淲e try very hard to find them before we file a missing person鈥檚 report, and when we do, it鈥檚 obviously because we鈥檙e afraid for their safety 鈥� and a warrant for a theft under [$1,000] isn鈥檛 going to prevent us from making a missing person鈥檚 report,鈥� Abbott said.
She said the government鈥檚 new regulation to have police check on every missing person found, particularly at a supportive housing site, seems unnecessary unless police have reason to visit. A supportive housing site is a building where tenants can access health care and other needs related to addiction and mental health.
鈥淭he staff has no interest in lying about a woman coming back,鈥� Abbott said. 鈥淥ur paramount concern is a woman鈥檚 safety and that鈥檚 what will drive us 鈥� not worrying about anything else.鈥�
The Courier requested an interview with Attorney-General Suzanne Anton to discuss the new regulation but was instead emailed statements attributed to the Ministry of Justice and the government鈥檚 director of police services, Clayton Pecknold.
Pecknold pointed out the regulation was developed in response to recommendations from the Missing Women Commission of Inquiry. Face-to-face confirmation of identity is also recommended by the National Centre for Missing Persons and Unidentified Remains, he said.
鈥淯ltimately, missing person investigations, particularly ones involving vulnerable people, are a high risk area of policing and it was determined that face-to-face confirmation of identity and well-being will be standard,鈥� Pecknold wrote.
The statement from the Ministry of Justice said police, including the VPD, were thoroughly consulted in the creation of the standards. The 鈥渟afe and well check鈥� can be performed by any member of a police force, the statement said.
When the Courier asked via email whose job it is to ensure police will check on every found missing person, the ministry said its staff will 鈥渕onitor through an inspection process and make recommendations to address compliance as required. It is the expectation of the ministry that police and police boards will adhere to binding policing standards.鈥�
Although Payette understands the intent of the regulation, he offered this scenario: A 15-year-old boy is reported missing by his parents, only to show up much later at home. His parents give the kid a talking to, call police and they cancel the missing person鈥檚 report.
鈥淲e trusted them enough to make the missing person report,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e have no information that there鈥檚 any problems in the family. He comes back, we cancel the missing person report. With the legislative change, we鈥檙e going to have to attend there to make sure that he鈥檚 back home. I鈥檒l be honest, a 15-year-old youth coming back like that, that is not going to be a priority one call for us.鈥�
Meanwhile, as the city鈥檚 population continues to grow, Payette predicts an increase of missing persons next year and the year after that. People will go missing across the city for a variety of reasons. Vancouver鈥檚 aging population and the associated brain impairments that come with age will continue to be a factor.
鈥淚鈥檓 not complaining and I鈥檓 not upset by the fact that we鈥檙e having more people reported as missing,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 think, in the end, that鈥檚 good. More people are aware and they should report. But I don鈥檛 think [the statistics] are going to drop.鈥�
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