CriminaLess CriminaLess Magazine IRENA RASHEVA FINAL | Page 6

CriminaLess Magazine | May 2019
Every year nearly 200 000 people disappear. Some of them never have been found
GONE IN 90 SECONDS
By the time you finish reading this article one
more person will have gone missing. In the
United Kingdom every 90 seconds someone
is reported missing. Every year nearly 200 000
people disappear. Some of them are never
found.
Plamen Velchovsky works as a police officer in
London for more than 20 years and often needs
to deal with cases of missing people. He is ex-
plaining that behind every missing perosn there
is a reason and
many different
problems could
lead to running
away from home.
Often the people
don’t chose this
route but they
suffering from a
serious mental
illness.
Children are more
likely to go miss-
ing than adults and they are in a significantly
higher risk of kidnapped compared to adults be-
cause of their naivety and vulnerability. Almost
two- thirds of the missing people are kids under
18s.
Velchovksy advises the parents of these chil-
dren not to panic initialy as in most of the cases
the kids are found within 24 hours. “We have
at least several reports about missing teenag-
ers every week. It is really delicate moment and
you need to be very considered with the par-
Page no. 6
ents and at the same time to learn if there is a
family problem which could motivate them to
run away.” He also advise the parents to never
leave their children without a sight and to report
immediately if they notice suspicious people
around their kids. “The adults are not exposed
to such risk but they are more likely not come
back after they have disappeared. Across the
world is common that the children’s kidnap-
pings are often due to a ransom, while the adults
sometimes even become a victim of
organ trade”Often the perpetrators
are preparing for weeks or months
by fowolling the victim and find out
about his or her habits and daily life.
If you notice random people who you
see every day on different places you
need to raise your attention and be
careful that you are not followed.
Not surprisingly, most of the cases are
reported in London. Lincolnshire has
the smallest number of victims- only 7
for the previous
year. If you are having a late night walk and you
are worried that someone could follow you, it’s
better to find a shop and get inside it instead of
trying to go home as soon as possible in your
panic to avoid showing your exact address to
the criminal. Immediately after you are in a safe
place, call the police or ask someone for help.
Very often the family and relatives of the missing
person also need some help and special support.
In the United Kingdom a charity called Missing
People helps the relatives of a missing person.