Every two-and-a-half minutes, a child is reported missing in Britain. The circumstances are varied but in every case, there is the potential for danger and harm.
There have been many high-profile cases that have caught the public imagination, and this can give the impression that the phenomenon is rare. However, it is not. The reality is that around 70,000 children and young people disappear each year. Most do return in due course, but too many do not, and for their families, guardians and friends, the agony of not knowing whether they are even alive is unbearable.
