Missing people project receives Scottish Policing Award
Published: 13 March 2013
A research project which aims to deepen understanding of why adults choose to go missing has won a major national award.
A research project which aims to deepen understanding of why adults choose to go missing has won a major national award.
The Geographies of Missing People project picked up the Applied Policing Research prize from presenters Kenny MacAskill MSP and Dougie Vipond at the Scottish Policing Awards in Tulliallan Castle on Monday 11 March. The annual awards recognise the achievements of police officers and support staff who have provided outstanding service.
The project is a a partnership between the Universities of Glasgow and Dundee, the Scottish Institute for Policing Research, London Metropolitan Police and the Grampian Police and the charity Missing People.
The partnership is working to better understand the reasons adults go missing by collecting first-hand accounts from those who have gone missing for any length of time, their families, and the police officers who work to find them.
This project is unique as to date no UK or international study has incorporated the views of people reported as missing in quite this way. The result will be a subtle understanding of how people use and perceive the environments they move through during these ‘crisis mobilities’.
Dr Hester Parr of the University of Glasgow’s School of Geographical and Earth Sciences is leading the project, assisted by Dr Olivia Stevenson.
Dr Parr said: “We’re delighted to have been presented with a Scottish Policing Award. It was a very competitive field so it’s a real honour to have received this level of recognition.
“We’re looking forward to continuing to work closely with our partners to deliver research which will be of real value to organisations such as the police services which lead investigations when people go missing.”
The Geographies of Missing People project is funded by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) and involves the University of Glasgow, the University of Dundee, the Scottish Institute for Policing Research, and Grampian Police.
For more information on Geographies of Missing People, visit www.geographiesofmissingpeople.org.uk
First published: 13 March 2013
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