Full Project Report

Geographies of Missing People: full report


This research report contains research materials which draws on 45 in-depth interviews with people reported as missing and who have returned. The report is structured around a series of questions that people often ask as they experience being missing or absent. The report builds more analysis and detail which elaborates the missing stories. 

Download the full Geographies of Missing People report now (3mb)

Research Dissemination

We have been involved in variety of dissemination activities and partnership work such as knowledge exchange/capacity building around the project. The following list is indicative of our activities so far:

Fyfe, N., Parr, H., Woolnough, P. and Stevenson, O. (2010) 'Geographies of Missing People: processes, experiences and responses' - Introductory Knowledge Exchange Meeting with Grampian Police Force – 11th November 2010

Fyfe, N., Parr, H., Woolnough, P. and Stevenson, O. (2010) 'Geographies of Missing People: processes, experiences and responses' - Introductory Knowledge Exchange Meeting at the Home Office (London) with Missing People, MPS and NPIA representatives – 12th November 2010

Fyfe, N., Parr, H., Woolnough, P. and Stevenson, O. (2010) 'Geographies of Missing People: processes, experiences and responses' – Capacity building Event organised by Lucy Holmes (Missing People) as part of the ACPO Strategic Oversight Groups’ Research sub-group (along with Llian Alys (NPIA) and Zoe Hilton (CEOP)) – 12th November 2010

Fyfe, N., Parr, H., Woolnough, P. and Stevenson, O. (2011) 'Geographies of Missing People: processes, experiences, responses'. MISSING PEOPLE conference, The Court Room, Scottish Police College, Tulliallan, 6th June 2011

Parr, H. and Stevenson, O. (2011) ‘The Missing’. EXCURSIONS – TELLING STORIES and JOURNEYS: An Interdisciplinary Symposium, University of Glasgow 8-9th December.

Parr, H. (2012) Geographies of missing people: processes, experiences, responses. Missing geographies: UCL Seminar series, University College London 26th January.

Fyfe, N., Stevenson, O., Parr, H and Woolnough, P. (2012) 'Geographies of Missing People: processes, experiences, responses'. NATIONAL COMPACT (MISPER) USER GROUP MEETING, Hull, 8th February

Stevenson, O., Parr, H., Fyfe, N. and Woolnough, P. (2012) 'The misper: police case files and writing geographies of missingness and search'. AAG Annual Meeting, New York, 24th - 28th February

Parr, H. and Stevenson, O. (2012) Geographies of missing people: processes, experiences, responses. Missing People Charity, London 23rd March

Fife, N. and Woolnough, P. (2012) 'Geographies of Missing People: processes, experiences and responses'. Joint Annual Missing Persons Conference, Ryton-on-Dunsmore, Coventry, 16 - 18th April.

Parr, H., Fife, N., Stevenson, O. and Woolnough, P. (2012) 'Geographies of Missing People: processes, experiences and responses', Dundee University, 24th May.

Stevenson, O., Parr, H., Fife, N. and Woolnough, P. (2012) 'The misper' and policing geographies of missingness, RGS-IBG Conference, Edinburgh, 3-5th July.

Parr, H. (2012) Geographies of absence-making: Sophie's story, RGS-IBG Conference, Edinburgh, 3-5th July.

Fife, N., Stevenson, O., Parr, H. and Woolnough, P. The Police response to reports of Missing Persons - research on current practice, FBINAA European Chapter Personal Development session, Brussels, 5-6th September, 2012.

Stevenson, O., Woolnough, P., Parr, H and Fife, N. Police Responses to Missing Persons, Society of Evidence based Policing, University of Edinburgh, 13th February, 2013.

Fife, N., Stevenson, O., Parr, H and Woolnough, P. The Police Response to Missing Persons, UK FBINAA seminar, Lancashire Police HQ Hutton Hall, 12-13 March 2013.

Woolnough, P., Fife, N., Parr, H and Stevenson, O. Spatial and social profiling for missing persons investigations, Centre for Evidence-Based Crime Policy (CEBCP) - Scottish Institute for Policing Research (SIPR) joint symposium and congressional briefing on evidence-based policing, Washington DC, 8-10 April 2013.

Stevenson, O., Fife, N., Parr, H and Woolnough, P. Missing People: Narratives of missing experience, Centre for Evidence-Based Crime Policy (CEBCP) - Scottish Institute for Policing Research (SIPR) joint symposium and congressional briefing on evidence-based policing, Washington DC, 8-10 April 2013.

Parr, H ‘No news today: the use of ambiguous emotion and the absent presence of missing people’, Human Geography and Counselling studies Seminar, University of Edinburgh, 17th April, 2013.

Parr, H., Stevenson, O, Fife, N and Woolnough, P. Misper experience and family search knowledge, Missing Persons in a European context: research, practitioner and policy perspectives, Scotland House, Brussels, 17h May 2013.

Text-based dissemination includes:

Wednesday, 27th July 2011, The Missing Blog, A new research project about missing adults, Missing People website, http://www.themissingblog.com/2011/07/new-research-project-about-missing.html

‘Researchers seek to understand experiences of missing people’ (04/02/11), SIPR News, http://www.sipr.ac.uk/news/index.php

Geographies of missing people: processes, experiences and responses, SIPR Annual Report, 2011 (printed Jan 2012)

Economic and Social Research Council University of Glasgow University of Dundee Scottish Institute for Policing Research