Using Psychics for Missing Person Search
Some of my more fun-loving colleagues have often commented that I should set up a Psychic Search and Rescue Team – PsychSAR(?). They joke about this, not because they believe in my ability to predict where the misper is [although you can seem pretty damn psychic with a good knowledge of misper behaviour stats!] – but they suggest it because they want to see how many others follow, setting up their own “teams”.
I am not a “believer”; you might pick up the subtle clues like the “evidence-based” tagline on this website, or the way I refer to such claims as total “bollocks”. So why am I writing a piece on using psychics for searching for missing people when I think that they are all thoughtless, heartless sods who are at best  a waste of everyone’s time and resource and at worst charlatans and con-artists?
The BBC was ran a radio programme this week on the police using psychics. I didn’t listen to it so I’ve no idea what was said – you can find the news report on it at http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/8369369.stm but it did get me thinking about them again. On my previous blog I wrote about using them for misper search after someone e-mailed me saying they could help!
The police guidance actually refers to psychics;
Information from psychics will also be received and can create pressures for searches to be made of those areas. Such information must be treated with extreme caution and evaluated against the prevailing situation.
and
Parapsychology is the study of mental phenomena, such as telepathy, which is beyond the scope of normal physical explanation. Psychic is defined as ‘outside the possibilities defined by natural laws, a person sensitive to forces not recognised by natural laws, mental as opposed to physical.’
High-profile search operations will nearly always attract the interest of psychics and others, such as witches and clairvoyants, stating that they possess Extra Sensory Perception. Large-scale missing person investigations have been known to receive contacts in treble figures, and it is possible that small search operations may also attract attention. These contacts generally come from well-intentioned people and deserve attention. The motive of the individual should always be ascertained, especially where financial gain is included. Their methodology should be asked for including the circumstances in which they received the information and any accredited successes. Previous police search operations show little or no evidence of a successful psychic involvement, despite the huge number of claims.
The affect of psychic influences on a search operation should never be underestimated, particularly where there are emotive issues. This is evident in investigations where the search for vulnerable missing persons has not been successfully concluded and relatives and close friends seek a solution, particularly as time passes. It is essential that, wherever possible, any meeting between a psychic and the family concerned with the search should have a Family Liaison Officer present to observe the interview.
Linear features or non-specific structures are often mentioned which require time to be spent on search planning and the subsequent search. Although these claims require attention, each should be assessed accordingly and they should never become a distraction to the overall search strategy unless they can be verified.
A psychic should never be allowed to enter the search area without a suitable escort to observe their actions. Where this entry is permitted and does not show a positive outcome, future use should be discouraged. Contacts should always be recorded as success or failure and will be used to support future decisions within the search operation.
There is a sympathetic attitude from a high percentage of the general public and the influence of a psychic on a search should never be underestimated. The well-meaning nature of the majority of them does deserve consideration, and only through careful analysis and previous contacts can their contribution be assessed as credible or whether it is to be dismissed. The identification of a potential search area from a psychic report alone should never be allowed to detract valuable search resources from their original task and search objective.
To better understand this though you need to understand the police mentality. If they refuse to use a resource, which might have helped [or who will later claim they could have helped] they will be slated in the media. So they will rarely refuse point blank to use a resource – any resource. That doesn’t mean that they will actually use them – they just won’t NOT use them. They will take details, promise to look into things etc. etc. then do what they do.
Some ALSAR teams come across this, the police’s attitude to volunteers can sometimes be like this until they have an opportunity to prove themselves [and not by finding someone or anything like that, but for being there WHEN the police cock up, doing the job quietly and without hassle and then not talking about it to the media etc.]
And this attitude towards psychics can be found in the guidance above.
I have just noted the bit about recording success and analysing previous contacts – maybe I should put in a FOI request on this? See how many are doing this and what I can find out…More on this soon then.
November 26, 2009
· 
Robert Bradley · 
2 Comments
Tags: ALSAR, FOI, missing person behaviour, Missing Person Search, Police, Police Search, Psychic, Psychic Search and Rescue, Psychics and Missing Person Search, PsychSAR · Posted in: Search Thoughts
2 Responses
Not admitting that some of my posts to this blog are pre-written but I have amazingly had a reply from a police force about their use of psychics for searching for missing persons.
“In response to your email below we have no recorded requests but from personal knowledge I know of two in the Force in recent years and both were unsuccessful in locating the person.
These were when familys had sought out Psychic advice and fed back to Investigating officers their thoughts.
Hope this helps,”
from West Mercia Police
I’ll await that one case that proves they are useful by providing the exact place where the misper was found!
Is it bad that this one made me laugh a lot?
I agree that the police would be slated for turning down a potential source of information but you can’t base a whole search on something so unproven – need to take any advice given and see how it fits with the rest of the information available ie stats and investigation.
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