Saskatoon Police Service may see more than 2,600 missing persons reports by the end of this year.
According to a police commissioner’s board report, if the pace of reports seen between Oct. 1, 2016, and March 31, 2017, continues, the year-end number could rank missing persons calls as the third-highest police service call for 2017.
In the police’s six-month report, 1,229 missing persons were reported. Slightly more than 575 reports involved girls under 18, while more than 390 calls involved boys under 18.
A majority involved habitual missing persons — people reported missing two or more times.
Habitual runaway cases often come from children in foster care or group homes, according to the report led by police Chief Clive Weighill.
Police said 11 girls from group or foster care homes were responsible for 175 missing persons calls within the six-month timeframe. Four girls were reported missing 18 times or more.
Five boys accounted for 99 of the 390 calls involving boys.
