A national police database containing information on vulnerable missing and absent people from every force will ensure a co-ordinated police response, it is hoped.

The national register, which will contain vital intelligence as well as any previous history of individuals reported missing or absent, has been welcomed by senior officers across the country and it is hoped it will be established by the end of the year.

Work is underway to establish a secure IT platform for the database as well as to deal with other technical challenges.

Currently any information about a missing person is only contained on databases within the force they were reported missing from.

It is hoped that access to information will accelerate the police's initial response to a report of a missing or absent person, particularly if data suggests that they are vulnerable or have a history of previous incidents.

Wiltshire Police Inspector Roger Bull, the staff officer for national missing persons lead Chief Constable Patrick Geenty, hopes the database will be a "reservoir of information" about the national picture.

He told PoliceOracle.com: "There is wide support for this database because it is seen as a model for other policing areas such as domestic abuse, female genital mutilation and modern slavery.

"We want it to be a reservoir of information about what is happening currently and what has happened previously so that the frontline officers have as much information as they can to help keep people safe.

"We want a system that can call on organisational memory and ensure that there are no gaps."

Work in progress

Development of a national database follows the creation of a new definition to distinguish between people who are absent and those who are missing.

New guidance was circulated by the Association of Chief Police Officers last year to help forces identify those who are at most risk of harm and deploy resources appropriately.

It followed a trial of the definition in three forces during 2011.

Insp Bull added: "It is a work in progress but there is a commitment at the highest level to progress this.

"We are looking at several options around this, and one option is linking it to the Police National Database."

A statement from CC Geenty said: "While we know that in a relatively small number of cases 'going missing' can be a lifestyle choice, we also know that missing episodes are often symptoms of other factors in their lives including psychological and physical abuse, sexual exploitation and mental health challenges.

"It is incumbent upon us all to maximise our efforts to keep vulnerable people safe and support those who are also affected by missing events."