Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to address the disproportionate number of Black and Black mixed heritage young people who are reported missing in the UK.

The Government is committed to working to ensure that children and young people are kept safe from harm, including when they are reported missing. This includes working to ensure that police forces are equipped to respond appropriately and working effectively with other multiagency safeguarding partners.

I recognise the concerns previously raised about unconscious bias in the police response to missing persons from BAME communities. Following NPCC research to explore disproportionality and discrimination in police missing persons investigations, forces across England and Wales continue to improve practice and responses to address this. The report can be found here:

Disproportion and decision: Ethnic minority overrepresentation and police risk assessment in missing persons cases

We will continue to work across government and with partners to ensure an effective whole-system response when someone goes missing, while also working to address the underlying harms that lead to these complex situations.