KUALA LUMPUR: Time is of the essence when it comes to locating a missing person, say police.
As such, Kuala Lumpur police chief Comm Datuk Rusdi Mohd Isa said a police report must be lodged as soon as possible to ensure quick action. He said the public should lodge a report if their family members or friends go missing or when there are suspicious elements in their disappearance.
“There is no standard operating procedure that states a missing person report can only be lodged after 24 hours of a disappearance.
“We in Kuala Lumpur accept every report as time is of the essence when it comes to finding missing persons.
“Learning a lesson from the Nur Farah Kartini Abdullah case, after the report was lodged, her body was discovered five days later. This made it harder for the forensic unit to do its duty.
“Perhaps the body could only be intact enough to be inspected when found within 24 hours,” he told a press conference after witnessing the handing over ceremony for the Dang Wangi OCPD post yesterday.
Asst Comm Noor Dellhan Yahaya handed over the OCPD post to Supt Nuzulan Mohd Din, who had held the position in an acting capacity.
Comm Rusdi said an intact body is important to determine the cause of death.
“Furthermore, prompt reporting of missing persons will assist the police in speeding up efforts to track them down. We must be fast as a person could reach the border within a short time,” he said.
Comm Rusdi also said he had instructed all police stations and district police headquarters to accept reports on missing persons without waiting for 24 hours to lapse.
Previously, Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Razarudin Husain also said all officers and personnel must accept missing persons’ reports without waiting for 24 hours.
Separately, childcare centre employee Nur Shafila Suaib, who was reported missing, had contacted her family members, Comm Rusdi said. He said, however, he had instructed investigators to track her down and find her in person to ensure that she is safe.
“She had contacted her family. However, a message or a call to the family is not enough for the police.
“We have to track her down and ensure that she is safe,” he said.Initial investigations revealed there was some disagreement between the victim and family, he added.
A circular by the Kuala Lumpur police showed that the 20-year-old, who works in Desa Petaling, had been missing since July 15 when family members failed to contact her.
A report was lodged on her disappearance on July 16.
