Calls for special missing persons’ unit to trace disappeared

A SPECIAL missingpersons unit should be set up to trace the thousands of people who vanish each year, a TD has urged.

The task is currently undertaken by gardaí around the country and the information is recorded at Garda headquarters in Dublin.

Fianna Fáil TD Martin Brady said a dedicated unit should be established and should be manned by investigators who would travel across the country.

“We need to have a situation where investigators involved in these cases are experts and can harness the knowledge gained from other national agencies so there is as swift a response as possible,” he said.

The call came as a family in Co Derry expressed fear about their missing 15-year-old daughter, who is believed to be in Co Cork.

Louise Sheils, 15, disappeared from her home in Garvagh, near Derry city last week after visiting internet chatrooms.

Mr Brady said that, in many cases, the families of missing people received little counselling to cope with the emotional trauma involved.

“Many families feel they have nowhere they can go to for support andinformation, as in some cases communication falls between the cracks, betweenthe gardaí and the Department of Justice,” he said.

The Dublin North TD added that a missing persons register should be put inplace with the consent of families to raise awareness.

Garda statistics show 3,987 people went missing in 2003 and of these 76 remained untraced.