If you know any of your neighbour's friends or family then make a few enquiries with them to see if they have seen him/her. If no one has seen the person for a few days and no one has a spare key then the police can break into the property to check on the welfare of the person.
There is no rule that states that you have to wait 24 hours to report a missing person. It depends on the person who is missing, their age, mental state and vulnerability.
If the missing person is a child, elderly or a person in a very depressed state then you need to alert the police straight away.
If the person is late home or late for an appointment, then it is sensible to try and contact the person or the last place they were, then wait a reasonable amount of time prior to contacting the police.
For more information and help please see below and the websites in related information.
Missing People (registered charity No. 1020419) is the UK's only charity dedicated to finding missing people and supporting those left behind. It supports the work of police, Social Services and works in partnership with other agencies in the field.
Missing People - for sightings and to report someone missing:
Runaway Helpline - for young people under 18, to call who are away from home or care:
Message Home - for missing adults, allowing them to pass a message home:
There are several organisations that will be able to help you trace missing relatives. The main one is the Salvation Army who have contacts in over 90 countries.
If the separation is due to some form of conflict (political, natural disaster or armed) then the Red Cross may be able to help. If it is due to children being abducted by an estranged parent, Reunite will be the appropriate organisation.
Perhaps 192.com may help if you have enough details about the person.
See links in related information for more details.
The prison service has a prisoner location service that may be able to assist you. Your details will be passed to the prisoner and if they consent then their whereabouts will be disclosed to you. See the link in related information for more details on how to do this.
