Current problems of operational-search support for finding missing children in Ukraine (after the survey of criminal police officers)
Authors: Litun Oleh 
Published: April 2021

The author has studied the main problems of operational-search support for the finding missing children. Achieving the article’s objective (to identify the current problems of operational search support for finding missing children) required the use of a sociological method of research (interrogation). To collect empirical data, 228 criminal police officers were questioned as the main investigators for missing children. The analysis and generalization of the respondents' answers enabled the author to come to the following conclusions: 1. The effectiveness of the search for missing children is considered sufficient. The level of operational search support for missing children is estimated to be average. 2. The main common reasons (factors) that affect the effectiveness of the operational-search support for missing children include: the quality of the organization of operational-search support for missing children; logistics. Specific reasons (factors) that affect the effectiveness of the operational-search support of finding missing children are: the quality of regulatory support; the quality of information and analytical support; officer’s experience; timely conduct of search operations; correct assessment of available information; correct presentation of versions; ignoring one or separate versions; the number of officers involved. 3. The timely establishment of the whereabouts of missing children is mainly carried out within 24 hours during criminal proceedings (prior to the initiation of the operational-search case) or without the initiation of an operational-search Case and the opening of criminal proceedings, ie before registration of the notification in a single register of pre-trial investigations, with subsequent registration in the single record. 4. Instruction on the organization of the search of accused, defendants, persons evading criminal punishment, missing persons and identification of an unidentified corpse (order of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine dated 05.01.2005 No. 3 "for use only by staff") needs updating and bringing in compliance with practical requirements. 5. Current accounting capabilities for the search for missing children imply a limited choice of information and have the disadvantage of lacking a unified information search system. 6. The most significant problems of operational search support of missing children include: complicated legal and organizational mechanisms of urgent conduct of operational search activities (operational and technical measures) to determine the location of the child; insufficient level of technical support for conducting operational-search measures (operational-technical measures). In this regard, it is advisable to simplify the procedure for deciding whether to conduct an operational-technical (covered investigative (search) action. Less decisive problems are the following: imperfection of agent security; unskilled juvenile prevention officers and poor quality of operational records. 7. The interaction of criminal police units with the public in the search for missing children is insufficient.