Missing young men 'No evidence to suggest a link between cases'

THE chief constable of Avon and Somerset Police has denied a link between a spate of young men going missing in Bristol.

- Alex SEABROOK Local democracy reporter

Sarah Crew said the police had no evidence to suggest a link between recent missing person cases, but were “keeping an open mind”.

Last year over 4,700 people went missing in Avon and Somerset, on average 13 a day. Most people who go missing are later found, and 85 per cent in the area are found within 48 hours. In Avon and Somerset, there are 48 outstanding missing person cases, dating back to 1965.

The chief constable faced questions on how the police investigate people who go missing, during the monthly Police Question Time session. Clare Moody, the police and crime commissioner, told her that the police have more to do to improve public trust in the area.

Ms Crew said: “There's no information, intelligence or evidence to suggest a link between these cases. But we keep an open mind and an objective mindset. So if any information came forward that suggested there was a link, we would absolutely make it. But at the moment we're satisfied that we can’t make a link between those cases.