By Gemma Fraser
Head of content
A scheme to trace some of the most vulnerable people when they go missing could help hundreds more by giving officers crucial information at the touch of a button.
Around 400 people living with dementia were reported missing in Scotland last year.
Forty per cent of these were traced with the help of the ‘Herbert Protocol’ – a form completed by family members detailing key information including previous addresses, daily routines and physical descriptions.
Police Scotland is now hoping to expand the scheme, which was first introduced five years ago, by digitalising the information provided so police officers can have details at their fingertips wherever they may be.
“It gets the enquiry off on the right foot,” explained Inspector Alasdair Paterson, from Police Scotland’s National Missing Persons Unit.
“We’ve got all that information we need around what the vulnerabilities of the person are, what their interests are, what their associations are, where they used to work.
“The ‘golden hour’ following on from a person being reported missing is a vitally important period of time, and any information or tool that can be used by the police to get a response, prioritise where we’re looking and the checks we’re undertaking, is to be valued.”
The initiative is named after George Herbert, a war veteran who had dementia. George went missing while looking for his childhood home, but died before he could be found.
Following his death, the scheme was developed to help prevent similar situations.
“You print the form off, complete it and put it on a prominent place in the house, [such as] the front of the fridge,” explained Paterson.
“At a time of crisis, it’s perhaps not as easy to lay our hands on it readily, and depending on the living arrangements of the person who’s reported missing, the reporter might not necessarily be able to do that, so that’s a consideration of having a digital form readily available.
“The example I often use is I live up in Aberdeenshire and my mum, who’s 90, is in Argyll.
“She’s very fit and well and doesn’t need the Herbert Protocol form, but if she did, and she went missing, me being in Aberdeen, I wouldn’t necessarily be able to guide attending officers to where the form would be held.”
Police Scotland has launched a consultation to seek views on the digitalisation of the protocol, which would take pressure off families who currently have responsibility for owning, updating and providing the document to police.
“It’s being able to share that information more readily, more widely,” said Paterson.
“The form carries an opportunity to have a photograph of the person as well, and the more widely that can be shared then the more quickly they can be traced.”
Around 400 people living with dementia were reported missing in 2025/26, and the form was used in 160 of these cases.
“That probably sits at around three per cent of our total missing person reports that we dealt with in that time,” Paterson said.
“That may seem like quite a small amount, but that three per cent are probably our most vulnerable people who are reported missing. The majority of these cases will always be managed as a high-risk missing person inquiry, simply because of these vulnerabilities.
“We need to increase the number of people using the form, so that’s why we’re carrying out this consultation, to gather opinions and views to see how we can promote it better and how we can maximise it.
“I do think that digital future is the way ahead, and I think that’s the view of many.
“There’s also a view that there’s an absolute place to retain the paper format as well for families who choose to have that method of storing information.
“But certainly within the next year, I would anticipate us having a product available for Scotland.”
Age Scotland warned moving to a fully digital system risks “alienating” some people.
Chief executive Katherine Crawford said: “The Herbert Protocol is a proven and crucial tool in aiding the statutory services to find people living with dementia who have gone missing and help bring them home safely.
“That first hour or so is critical in the search effort, so police need to have the right information at their fingertips as fast as possible.
“But while speed is of the essence, there needs to be a little caution in moving straight to a fully digitised record system.
“Without some consistent level of added support, it risks missing or alienating people who are not digitally connected or confident online.
“Many older people do not have others in their lives who could help, so institutional flexibility and a willingness to support people who need it is necessary.”
Photo posed by model.