A cross-Border helpline should be set up to deal with cases of missing persons across the island of Ireland, a campaigner on the matter has said today.
Tom Brown, whose sister Eileen Coss has been missing since November 1999, was outside the Department of Justice on St Stephens Green in Dublin to call on the Government to help establish an all-island helpline and a dedicated missing persons Garda unit, which would be funded by the Cross Border Fund.
“Had there been a proper helpline, people, even if they were found dead, may have been found sooner,” he said.
Mr Brown was also critical of the Government’s lack of willingness to partake in the European Commission’s helpline for missing children. EU member states have been asked to implement the universal helpline number, 116 000, so that there is one dedicated number for reports on missing children throughout the union.
However, according to Mr Brown, the Government has refused to initiate the number since it was set up two years ago.
The Missing Person’s Helpline, which had been closed for four years as a result of lack of funding, was re-launched in April of this year. But according to Mr Brown it has received just €5,000 funding for the year which is “not much of a help.”
The helpline is operated by the charity Missing in Ireland Support Service in cooperation with the Garda Síochána and its number is 1890 442 552.
