Do I have to wait 24 hours to report a missing person?
No. If there are genuine concerns for the safety and welfare of a person and their location is unknow, you can report to NSW Police right away. There is no need to wait any amount of time before reporting. It is often better to report a person missing as soon as possible so that Police can work to ensure their welfare. Attend you closest police station to make a report.
Can I donate my DNA to assist the NSW Police in solving Unidentified Bodies and Human Remains (UBHR) investigations?
No. In order to abide by the legislation surrounding the collection of DNA, you must be a relation to a current Missing Person.
Will my DNA be checked against the criminal DNA index?
No. It is the current legislation that, if you give DNA in a Missing Persons investigation, that DNA is never checked against any criminal investigations. These ‘Volunteer samples’ are placed on a separate DNA index and will only ever be checked against Missing Persons and UBHR cases.
Does NSW check DNA against other states?
Yes. The DNA collected in a Missing Persons or UBHR investigation is uploaded the national DNA database. This ensures that if a person goes missing in NSW and is located deceased in another State, the match can be made quickly. Again, this DNA is not checked against any criminal indexes.