Missing persons Helpline funding is crucial

THE Government should move immediately to dispel lingering doubts over its long-term commitment to funding a vital helpline in the search for Irish people who go missing.

Equally, the Garda Síochána should heed demands from the families of those who disappeared for a dedicated unit to help them find their loved ones.

Given the success rate of specialised British and American police squads in tracking down people who have gone missing, it is hard to blame Irish families for questioning the policy of the Garda Síochána, which tends to concentrate mainly on local resources rather than creating a specialised team to spearhead the search for missing persons on a national basis.

Regrettably, other than providing interim funding, the Government has so far failed to guarantee its long-term support for a helpline.

Few ordeals cause more heartbreak than the endless search for relatives who go missing without trace. More needs to be done to alleviate the plight of people who spend every waking moment wondering where a beloved son or daughter, a husband or wife, or a brother or sister, might be.

Were it not for the media and the information contained on two websites, they would be left in a void.

Visually, the quality of the garda website is excellent. However, it is more limited than the file established by Fr Aquinas Duffy of Tallaght when his cousin Aengus Shanahan went missing.

It contains names and pictures of people who disappeared as recently as last month while others go back to the 60s.

It is a superb reference source, offering more data than is available on the garda site, which goes back to 1991.

Arguably, funding should be made available for the creation of a single umbrella website with a capacity to host relevant details of all people who have gone missing in this country.

Even the most cursory examination of the information available makes for depressing reading.

Included on the voluntary site are high profile names such as Annie McCarrick and Jo Jo Dullard, names that bring tragic stories to mind.

In the search for the many thousands of people on the missing list, the generation of publicity is seen as vital. There is general agreement that the chances of finding a person are greatly enhanced by the public focus on information about their disappearance.

Controversy has erupted in cases where the gardaí were perceived as not doing enough to find a particular person. Generally speaking, however, garda appeals for information are only issued if relatives agree to going public.

Every year almost 2,000 people go missing in this country. While the vast majority of these return home within days, the whereabouts of some can remain a mystery for decades.

Were it not for the dedication of Fr Duffy, who deserves every possible support for his worthwhile project, the issue would not be in the forefront of public awareness.

There is an overwhelming case for devoting greater resources to this cause.

In particular, there is an onus on the gardaí to revisit the question of setting up a dedicated unit to give a lead in this vital and humane work.