Average of five missing person reports every day in Tayside

More than 3,750 people have been reported missing around Tayside in just two years, according to new figures.

The statistics show that, during 2013 and 2014, police dealt with an average of five new reports of missing people every day.

The number of incidents police dealt with rose by 38.7% from 1,573 cases in 2013 to 2,182 last year. But Tayside Division’s Superintendent Graeme Murdoch, who oversees all missing persons investigations in the region, said the rise is mostly down to a change in the way the force records the numbers.

He said the force now gets involved earlier in cases where youngsters in care do not return home when they are expected.