Does anybody know where they are?

A mother whose daughter went missing seven years ago wants a dedicated garda unit to be established to lead investigations into disappeared people, writes John Breslin.

JUSTICE Minister Michael McDowell has ruled out establishing a dedicated garda unit to lead missing person investigations, despite pressure from relatives of those who have disappeared.

Mr McDowell said the present system where local gardaí are the lead investigators remains the most sensible response when someone goes missing.

But Bernadette Breen, from Dundalk, Co Louth, whose daughter Ciara went missing seven years ago, said: "I don't think he's right."

Mrs Breen advocates a central rapid response unit made up of members skilled in missing persons investigations and able to quickly assess the level of risk.

"When a child or adult goes missing, the first 24 hours are crucial," said Mrs Breen, as she argued that too often in the early stages the response is that the person will turn up. Mrs Breen praised the gardaí for setting up the www.missingkids.ie website. "It's a step forward. There's only a few at the moment, but when it's really up and running, unfortunately, there will be a lot more." The site features eight missing children and includes age-enhanced photographs of four who disappeared Mrs Breen's daughter, Mary Boyle, Rory Aherne and Phillip Cairns.

Mary was just six years when she went missing from her grandmother's home in Ballyshannon, Co Donegal, on March 18, 1977. She would now be 34. Phillip Cairns went missing from his home in Rathfarnham, Dublin, on October 14, 1986. It is hoped the image of Phillip as a grown man will prick the conscience of those who know about his disappearance. He would now be 31. This is Mrs Breen's hope as well, that some spark of decency will be aroused within someone who knows what happened to her daughter.

All she wants is maybe a note through the door, a phone call or a letter to a newspaper. Of the four others featured, all are non-nationals. Coincidentally, one of them, Madalina Rosu, who went missing from her accommodation in April, was found as she arrived in Dublin Port yesterday morning. It is understood she was not entirely happy about being found, but gardaí said it was proof that good photographs of missing people as well as the vigilance of the public can be of huge benefit.

The website is linked to a global network featuring children who have gone missing or have been abducted in 15 countries. The network was pioneered by the US-based National Centre for Missing and Exploited Children.

Among those featured on the US site are at least two children believed to be in Ireland, Dylan Benwell, who is living with his grandparents in Cork, and Shelby Nicole Cannon, who was abducted from her California home by her Irish mother.

Mr McDowell said: "Children go missing for a wide variety of reasons and unfortunately, one of the most common in our increasingly complicated society is abduction by one or other of their parents."

The Garda Missing Persons' Bureau lends support to local gardaí when a person goes missing.

Its head, Superintendent Kieran Kenny, said: "We are acutely aware of the effects that a missing child incident can have and, therefore, the investigation of and search for missing children is given the highest priority.

While the majority of children return safely and of their own accord, inquiries at the early stages of an investigation involve spreading information as widely and as quickly as possible.

"Extending the missing children's website to Ireland will greatly assist An Garda Síochána in locating some of the most vulnerable young people in our communities and returning them home safely," added Supt Kenny.