This data collection represents the empirical materials collected from the ESRC project 'Geographies of Missing People'. It comprises 45 interviews with people previously reported as missing, 9 charity workers, 23 police officers of various ranks and 25 families of missing people. We request that other researchers who wish to reuse our data get in touch to dialogue with the research team about how and why they want to reuse this data. The data is accessible with direct permission from the PI of the original ESRC award: Hester.parr@glasgow.ac.ukThis project seeks to understand the realities involved in 'going missing', and does so from multiple perspectives; using the voices and opinions of the police, families and returned missing people themselves. Qualitative data has been collected to shed light on this significant social (and spatial) problem and help us understand more about the nature of missing experiences for different groups. The purpose of the research project has been to understand more about how people go missing and how the police and families respond to such events (the geographies of searching). Such a focus holds value for both the police and families (the 'left behind') in that it updates and checks current knowledge about the likely spatial experiences of missing people. The project has recruited 45 people formally reported as missing to the project; 9 charity workers in the field of missing persons; 23 police officers of various ranks and 25 family members and these are held by the data archive service. Permission to access from Hester.parr@glasgow.ac.uk

Interviews and focus groups. Sampling methods are profiled in the main reports lodged on www.geographiesofmissingpeople.org.uk