French Police End Missing Persons Searches, Suggest Using Facebook

itwbennett writes "According to an announcement on a French government website, police have stopped current searches for missing adults and will not accept new search requests. 'Such 'searches in the interests of the family' were conducted under an administrative procedure almost a century old, introduced to help families separated during the upheavals of World War I to find missing relatives,' according to the French Ministry of the Interior. In a letter to police chiefs announcing the changes, the Ministry advised them to instead 'direct people towards social networks on the Internet, which offer interesting possibilities.'"

Re:HELP!!!

[spongebue]

As the description of this says, this applies to adults. I'll admit I didn't RTFA, but I assume that means nothing will change with regards to children.

Sensationalist summary

[200_success]

The summary is missing the important qualifier "... unless the person may be in danger". So, apparent abductions and unexplained disappearances would still get police assistance like you would expect.

Re:HELP!!!

[boylinux]

As per the article. Searches will continue for minors, and for those who disappear in worrying circumstances -- for example those with suicidal intent, or victims of a crime -- as they are conducted under a different procedure.

Re:So once again...

[Anonymous Coward]

Nothing to see here. The French procedure does not correspond to that used in the US. Searches for children or persons who are clearly in danger continue.

Re:Sensationalist summary

[advid.net]

Yes, translation is:

Allows you to search for a missing person, your family, to renew relations with her. Does not apply to missing persons in alarming conditions suspicious or criminal.

So this kind of search is no longer available with the state help.
Ok... Is it really worth a story on /. ?

Re:Sensationalist summary

[ColdCat]

It change almost nothing.
This law was to find your family members after long lost of contacts (years). It was to help family member reconnect after end of WW1 WW2 and after the end of colonisation in Asia and Africa. The administration do the research find the person, the ask him/her if he want to reconnect with you and if he/she wants give you the address. It's stopped because fewer and fewer people use it in the last decade.

If someone is missing, police still do the research.
If Someone need to be found to pay kids pension, to helps his/her parents, for fraud or taxes evasion, or even for some kind of family Inheritance there are others laws.