A plan to establish a dedicated missing persons unit is under consideration, Minister for Justice Dermot Ahern said today.
Mr Ahern said he had asked the Garda Inspectorate to undertake a study on whether such a dedicated unit is needed.
The proposed unit would include a response network similar to the 'Amber Alert' programme which currently operates in the US and is used to inform the public about abducted children who are believed to be in danger.
The Missing Persons Association, an organisation which supports the families and friends of missing people in Ireland, said that 8,000 individuals were reported missing to the Gardai last year, of which 2 per cent are still unaccounted for.
Mr Ahern said that current Garda procedures for locating missing people are in line with international practice. However, he added that a fresh examination of current procedures was of use.
"It is a traumatic event for anyone to have to report a loved one as missing. Having a missing loved one who is untraced causes unimaginable heartache for family and friends. We must do everything we can to locate missing persons and we must ensure that the systems in place are the best possible for dealing with such cases," said Mr Ahern.
In addition to reviewing current practices, Mr Ahern said that the review would also look at the use of existing international mechanisms to assist missing persons and would consider the effectiveness of alert systems such as Amber Alert.
"This Government has shown that it is committed to the protection of children and I welcome any initiatives that may help to keep our children safe. I am committed to making Ireland a safer place to live in and I am committed to improving the situation for victims of crime," said Mr Ahern.
"I look forward to the Inspectorate's report and I will consider any proposals which will help the Gardaí in their handling of missing persons reports and which will prevent people from becoming victims of crime," he added.
