WA Police Force and Australia Medic Alert Foundation thank the more than 270 families who have registered a family member on the Safe & Found database in its first 12 months of operation.
The Safe & Found database was developed by WA Police Force, in partnership with MedicAlert Foundation, to assist police to more rapidly locate vulnerable persons living with dementia, autism or a cognitive impairment that increases their chances of going missing.
Having access to information such as ‘lost person behaviour’ or a recent photo of the missing person can make a significant difference to the early stages of a land search operation and improves the chances of finding the missing person.
In 2017 WA Police Force conducted 46 searches for persons living with dementia who had become lost. By 2020 that number increased to 73 searches and in 2021 there were 170 searches. So far to date in 2022 there have already been more than 143 searches for lost persons living with dementia and anticipate this could reach as many as 200 searches by the end of the year.
In the first 12 months of Safe & Found’s operation, more than 29 searches for registered members have been conducted to date – equating to around one search per ten members – and police officers were able to immediately access the critical information needed to assist with the land search operation.
Outcomes from those searches include members of the public recognising a missing person from a ‘Safe & Found’ profile photo released by WA Police Force, and a member of the public identifying a confused person wearing a Safe & Found ID bracelet and alerting WA Police Force to their location.
Assistant Commissioner Paul Steel, Specialist and Support Services, said the Safe & Found WA initiative is a great example of a police officer thinking outside the box and pursuing a project they believed would make a real difference to the community.
“When Inspector Steve Scott first raised this as an idea there were several challenges he faced to turn an idea into a reality. Some of those challenges related to technology, some related to finding the right people who could share the same vision – but he persisted and what he has achieved with his team is testament to his dedication and commitment to policing and to the community.”
“The partnerships and relationships formed during this process, not just with the MedicAlert Foundation but with other great organisations such as Alzheimer’s WA, Dementia Australia, Autism Association of WA and many others, will have long lasting benefits for the most vulnerable members of our community.
“I thank the MedicAlert Foundation for partnering with us on with this initiative. They have the expertise and existing technology and infrastructure that has made this project possible, and by working with us they have shown what can be achieved when law enforcement and industries work together on what starts of as an idea or concept.”
The Hon Paul Papalia, Minister for Police, said WA Police Force is leading the nation in so many ways and is making its own successes by encouraging new ideas and supporting their development.
“The Safe & Found WA initiative is proving to be a success – a success that has been developed from the ground up and that has already helped more than 20 families.
“Finding new ways to solve long term challenges isn’t always easy, and I applaud all the officers who have contributed to this project for what they have been able to achieve with Safe & Found WA, and the police leadership team who are clearly listening to their people and valuing their input.
“I also encourage the community to continue to get behind this initiative and register a family member if they are at high-risk of going missing for any reason.”
In 2022 there are 487,500 people in Australia (46,000 in WA) living with all forms of dementia and without a medical breakthrough it is expected that number will increase to 1,076,000 people in Australia (108,000 in WA) by 2058*.
MedicAlert Foundation CEO Libby Day said “We are thrilled that Safe & Found WA is well and truly being established in WA to keep people at risk of going missing safe. The MedicAlert Foundation is proud of this partnership – keeping the health data of vulnerable Australians safe is what we’ve been doing for over 50 years and this program speaks to the importance of identifying and supporting people who may not be able to speak for themselves in a crisis.”
Carers or families of persons living with dementia, autism or cognitive impairments can find
