Report a missing person
If a family member or friend is missing and you hold serious fears for the safety and welfare of the person, and their whereabouts are unknown, you should contact your local police immediately and report them as missing.
You do not have to wait 24 hours to report someone as missing.
Filing the report
A full missing person report must be filed at a police station.
To assist police, you should provide the following information when filing your report:
- the missing person's full name and date of birth
- details of where and when the missing person was last seen or heard from.
- a full physical description of the missing person, including clothing worn when they were last seen, and any distinguishing features
- a recent photograph of the missing person
- names and contact details of friends and associates
- any places the missing person may visit
- any relevant medical information or medication required
- details of any bank accounts and credit cards the missing person may be using
- the missing person's telephone number, cell phone number, and email addresses, including social networking sites they access, eg. facebook, bebo
- any known travel plans or destinations
- details of any people in the company of the missing person
What happens next?
After filing the missing person report, the details will be entered into our Police National Missing Person database and the case will be assigned to an officer who will work with you and inform you of any progress being made.
Lost contact with a family member?
If you have lost contact with a family member (and the person is not reported as a missing person to police) you may wish to utilise the services of a family tracing agency.
New Zealand Police does not provide a tracing services. You can get in touch with Salvation Army who provide a tracing service.
