The Editor, Sir:

The call by Betty Ann Blaine, the convener of the advocacy group Hear the Children's Cry, for a missing-children's unit to be established in the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) is quite welcome at this time and deserves serious consideration and for good reasons.

If we are to go by the recent statistics disclosed in The Gleaner that up to September a total of 1,206 children have been missing and out of that lot only 676 have returned while three have died, those in authority should seriously consider the suggestion made by Ms Blaine.

We need not go far to substantiate her claim, but to look at the structured procedure and protocol that the force has implemented to deal with missing children.

Recently, I called the police station in my area and asked the police what was the required procedure to report a child missing. I was told that I would have to visit the police station with a photograph of the child; I would be interviewed and a statement would then be taken from me. The information gathered would be circulated via internal police radio and other relevant areas of the JCF and the news media. When I asked who would actually be doing the investigation, I was told that the officer taking the report would do so.

The question is: what type of investigation would an officer, assigned to normal duties be able to perform and how effective would that person be?

Not sufficient

While I commend the JCF for the effort it has made and is making, you get the sense that the procedures implemented are superficial and cosmetic as merely taking a report and pushing paper is not sufficient to produce results and, therefore, this is where the relevance of a missing-child investigative unit takes its place.

A unit allotted the necessary resources to do in-depth investigations, interview suspects, with a data base on potential suspects and on those who committed such acts and will be able to move at a moment's notice to effectively deal with criminal elements that seek to wreak havoc on our children.This is what is required and not solutions that are merely cosmetic and ineffective, and is only implemented for political expediency. Ms Blaine, in my view, is right on the money on this one and those in authority should take serious note of her suggestion.

I am, etc.,

ERROL McLeish

ermarlii16@hotmail.com

Daytona, Greater Portmore

St Catherine