Northern Territory Police Force, in partnership with MedicAlert, have officially launched the new missing person initiative Safe & Found 
The Safe & Found program is designed to support people living with dementia, autism or other cognitive impairment who might be at risk of becoming lost or reported as missing, by ensuring Police have immediate access to critical information to assist when undertaking search operations.
Originally an initiative of the Western Australia Police and MedicAlert Australia, its success has resulted in the Northern Territory adopting the program.
Safe & Found is based on three key components:
Lost Person Behaviour profile (LPB) – The LPB profile provides information about the individual such as physical description, medical history, places of significance, mobility and communication issues among many more. With the LPB, police have access to the information immediately making for quicker, targeted searches and lessening the burden on family and friends in the first instanceA recent photograph of the member – updated every 12 monthsThe bracelet – includes the carers number, 131 444, and Safe & Found membership numberThe Safe & Found database records pertinent information and a photo about a person, that can be provided immediately to police to assist in search efforts to locate the person.
Detective Senior Constable Joanne Linklater of the Missing Persons Unit said “Last year NT Police conducted over 60 searches for people with dementia or other cognitive impairment who had been reported as missing. This number is expected to increase significantly over the coming years and Safe & Found is one way to assist in ensuring a more targeted and efficient approach to searches.
“Territorians are always eager to assist when police are searching for a loved one and this initiative will allow us to have an up to date photo and information quickly broadcasted to the community while police will have specific details relevant to the missing person, especially what they might be drawn to.
“We encourage family and friends of those with a heightened risk of going missing to consider joining Safe & Found. The faster police have accurate information on a missing person, the faster we can find them.”