A new partnership will help police locate Queenslanders with diminished capacity that become lost or are reported missing.
Queensland Police Service (QPS) Detective Senior Sergeant Duncan Gorrie said a new Safe and Found initiative would be launched with the help of the not-for-profit Australian MedicAlert Foundation.
Detective Senior Sergeant Gorrie said the partnership would significantly expand the QPS’ capability to assist with missing person investigations and search and rescue operations.
He said the initiative assisted people living with dementia, autism or a cognitive impairment who might be at risk of becoming lost or reported as missing, by having information from MedicAlert at hand about possible locations or specific behaviours if they wandered.
“Data from the Alzheimer’s Association and Dementia Australia, estimates that six out of 10 people living with dementia will wander at least once with an estimated 421,000 people in Australia with dementia.”
Detective Senior Sergeant Gorrie said approximately 80,000 people in Queensland were currently diagnosed with dementia and there were more than 150,000 children with autism.
“This equates to hundreds of Queenslanders being reported as lost or missing each year.”
He said the Western Australia Police Force first launched the initiative in 2021 and successfully located 28 vulnerable missing persons within the first year of the program’s operation.
“Since its inception, 95 percent of members who have wandered were found in under two hours.”
Detective Senior Sergeant Gorrie said, in the last financial year, the QPS were involved in 1059 search and rescue operations and 18 of those searches related to persons living with dementia or Alzheimer’s.
“By having access to more data and information about vulnerable persons, we’re able to quickly locate people if they are to go wandering,” he said.
“If a person goes missing, the search area is four square kilometres after the first 15 minutes but after two hours, the search area becomes 200 square kilometres.
“Time is critical in these situations and having access to vital information about these people in these circumstances will greatly assist in us in saving lives and reducing harm to the community.”
MedicAlert CEO Chris Radbone said the organisation was dedicated to assisting Police and Emergency Services in locating persons who may be at risk of becoming lost.
“Safe and Found supports people with autism, dementia, acquired brain injury, communication concerns and other cognitive impairments to stay safe and active in the community,” Mr Radbone said.
“We partner with families to ensure police have immediate access to critical information in an emergency.
“With Queensland on board with this initiative, Safe and Found now covers more than 70 percent of Australia’s land mass which will help reduce the anguish and concern faced by family members and carers when a person goes missing.”
For more information visit the Safe and Found website.
