Missing Persons Week - August 1-7

[FASTXR]

How many people do you think are reported missing each year in Australia?

1,000?

5,000?

Believe it or not, 35,000 people are reported missing each year - on average, that's one every 15 minutes.

National Missing Persons Week is August 1-7 and aims to educate people about the issue of missing persons as well as giving an insight into the pain and grief suffered by those left behind.

This year, the focus is on busting the myth that you need to wait a certain amount of time (commonly thought to be 24 hours) before you can report someone missing. In fact, you can make a report at any time. The longer it takes to get the police on the case, the harder it becomes to find a missing person, hence this year's campaign slogan - A day spent waiting is a day lost.

If at any time you have fears for the safety or whereabouts of a loved one, report it it to the police straight away.

For more information, check out the National Missing Persons website - http://www.missingpersons.gov.au