The PEN-MP (Police Expert Network on Missing Persons) is the European police network where police experts from more than 34 EU and non-EU countries are connected and where expertise of investigation on missing persons is shared. The Dutch Police will held presidency for the next three years of this expertise network.
In every country, every day, police are confronted with missing person reports. Fortunately, many missing person cases are resolved within the first few hours. But there can also be a great deal of complication in the period immediately following the report; unclear or missing information, making it difficult to assess the situation properly, let alone know which investigative measures should be taken.
Searching for and rescuing the missing person always comes first. But, at the same time, we may be dealing with a very serious crime. Sometimes the attempt to rescue a missing person will run parallel to efforts to track down a suspect, and sometimes the two investigations and their interests will coincide. Missing person investigations can be very complex matters indeed for the police and other law enforcement agencies involved.
We, police services, are sometimes also confronted with missing person cases involving cross-border movements.
It is crucial in such cases that police services and experts in missing person investigations from different countries know where to find each other and can learn from each other what is legally permitted and possible in each country when trying to locate a missing person.
Now that’s exactly what the PEN-MP is for. The network consists of police representatives from EU member states and Schengen-affiliated countries and agencies, such as Europol and Interpol. But the PEN-MP also seeks advice from the many organizations that work in the field of tracing missing persons and consequently possess a great deal of knowledge and expertise.
The experts affiliated with the PEN-MP work together to draw up operational guidelines for cross-border cooperation. Best practices are also shared on a platform via Europol, and we look at how we can better share information about missing persons with the public across Europe.
The presiding country organizes the annual PEN-MP conference. This is the moment for police experts and involved organizations to meet each other, share knowledge and expertise and discuss how missing person investigations can be improved and speeded up.
Citizen participation in missing persons investigations is one of the many issues that have arisen and developed enormously in recent years. While a few years ago we as a police organization responded with restraint to the willingness of citizens to help in the search, the tide now seems to have turned and we are working together. And we want to talk about this with our international guests, share best practices with each other and, above all, learn from each other how we, the Police, can make even better use of the power of the public. Citizens want to help us in the search. And that is not a movement that we only see here in the Netherlands. This is also experienced in other countries. Together we search for missing persons, so we can bring them back to their families. Together we give unknown deceased persons back their names, so that the uncertainty of those left behind can come to an end. That is what we work for and that is why it is important that we, police and civilians, know how to find each other. Especially here in Europe.
The Core-group contains the following countries: Czech Republic, France, Germany, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and The Netherlands
The other participating members are: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia
Besides the participating members the Pen-MP also includes observers from various law enforcement agencies like: National Crime agency (UK), National Police Chiefs Council (UK), New South Wales Police Force ( Australia), Royal Canadian Mounted Police (Canada), Kosovo Police, Europol, Interpol and Frontex.
Izanne de Wit