Call for a specialist unit to investigate

MARY PHELAN, the sister of one of the six missing women, has called for the establishment of a specialised missing persons investigation unit.

Ms Phelan, whose sister Jo Jo Dullard disappeared in 1995, has travelled to the United States and Britain as part of her campaign for a dedicated unit.

Some 3,000 people go missing here every year. At the end of 2003, the number who remained untraced was 76, similar to the previous year. A large number of those who have gone missing in recent years are non-nationals.