Data on Reported Missing Persons Found Within a Month and Feasibility of SG Alert Location-Based Notifications for Search and Recovery
Ministry of Home AffairsSpeakers
Summary
This question concerns Mr Fadli Fawzi’s inquiry regarding missing person statistics since 2021 and the feasibility of using SG Alert for location-based search notifications. Minister K Shanmugam reported that approximately 1,300 missing persons were reported annually from 2021 to 2025, with vulnerable individuals prioritized and typically located within a day. He explained that SG Alert is reserved for life-threatening emergencies to prevent public desensitisation and ensure the system's effectiveness as a national communication tool. The Minister noted that the Police already use established procedures and social media appeals to seek public information for missing person cases when appropriate. This approach ensures SG Alert remains a trigger for urgent action while maintaining effective search and recovery operations through existing investigative channels.
Transcript
19 Mr Fadli Fawzi asked the Coordinating Minister for National Security and Minister for Home Affairs (a) since 2021, how many missing persons have been reported and how many have been found within a month; and (b) whether the Government has assessed the feasibility of using the new SG Alert system to send location-based notifications of missing persons to mobile phone users in the vicinity of the missing person report, and if not, why not.
Mr K Shanmugam: From 2021 to 2025, there were around 1,300 missing persons reported annually. The Police do not track the time taken to locate a missing person. This can vary significantly from case to case. When the Police receive a missing person report, investigations will be launched to locate the person. The Police will accord priority to vulnerable missing persons, including young children, elderly persons and persons with intellectual disabilities. The large majority of vulnerable missing persons are found within the day.
SG Alert is designed to expeditiously alert the public to time-sensitive and life-threatening emergencies. When the public receives a SG Alert, it is a trigger to them to immediately take protective and life-preserving actions. Frequent and overuse of the SG Alert for a wide variety of scenarios, including to achieve objectives for which it is not designed, like notifications of missing persons, would desensitise the public to its alerts and the sense of urgency associated with it and reduce its effectiveness as a national emergency communication capability.
The Police have well-established procedures to locate missing persons, including appealing for information from the public where appropriate. Such appeals are published through various channels, including social media.