POLICE in North Yorkshire have adopted a new scheme designed to help find people with dementia who go missing.

The Herbert Protocol is a national initiative which aims to provide quick, detailed information about a person’s background and history to help speed up the time taken to find them.

When someone is reported missing, police need to gather information about the person such as their daily routine, medication, mobility, and places that are significant to them.

Extracting the information takes time and the person providing it may be in a heightened state of anxiety and they may not know everything the police need.

The Herbert Protocol is a risk reduction tool designed to collect most of the information the police need in slow time. A form is completed by the person at risk, their carers or their family, and kept in a safe place but where it can be quickly found if the person goes missing.

The information provided under the protocol will inform the police’s searches, saving time and therefore reducing the risk to the missing person.

The scheme is part of wider project that has seen North Yorkshire Police and local Safeguarding Adults Boards work more closely with local care providers to manage the risks around vulnerable people who go missing.

Deputy Chief Constable Tim Madgwick of North Yorkshire Police said: “The Herbert Protocol is designed to provide the police with access to accurate information as soon as possible, meaning officers can ensure that their actions and searches are targeted on the basis of specific information. In such situations, it can often mean the difference between life and death.”

Visit northyorkshire.police.uk/herbertprotocol