Key Points
- Police are investigating reports that missing teenagers from outside the county may have passed through Cambridgeshire as part of wider cross‑county movements by vulnerable young people.
- Cambridgeshire Constabulary follows a dedicated Missing Children Protocol with Peterborough City Council, which sets out how forces should respond when children from other areas are believed to have travelled into or through Cambridgeshire.
- National guidance requires that the police force where a child is reported missing leads initial inquiries, even if the child is thought to have travelled into another county such as Cambridgeshire.
- The protocol stresses that any police force receiving a missing person report must record an incident and carry out initial inquiries if the person is believed to be in its area, meaning Cambridgeshire officers can be drawn into cases originating elsewhere.
- Children who travel between counties while missing can be at heightened risk of exploitation, county lines involvement, serious youth violence, and other forms of harm, according to local safeguarding partners.
- Cambridgeshire Police use a risk‑based framework, classifying missing children as low, medium or high risk, which shapes the urgency and scale of their response when a teenager is thought to have crossed into or through the county.
- Multi‑agency strategy meetings are convened for children who go missing repeatedly, including those who may be travelling across county borders, to coordinate efforts between police, social care and other services.
- The protocol emphasises that when a child from Peterborough or Cambridgeshire goes missing while in another county, the local force there should take the initial report, but information will then be shared back with Cambridgeshire Constabulary.
- Police and local authorities are encouraged to plan in advance how a missing teenager will be safely transported home if they are found some distance away, including when they have travelled beyond the Cambridgeshire border.
- Cambridgeshire Constabulary undertakes Prevention (formerly Safe and Well) Interviews within 24 hours of locating a missing child, to understand why they went missing, where they travelled, and how to prevent further episodes.
- Media appeals are used in higher‑risk cases when there are serious concerns for a missing child’s safety, with decisions on publicity led by police but made, where possible, in consultation with parents and children’s services.
- Local guidance highlights that missing episodes lasting over 48 hours must be escalated to senior managers, with further strategy meetings at 72‑hour intervals if a child remains missing and may be travelling across counties.
Cambridgeshire (Cambridge Tribune) February 6, 2026 –Police and safeguarding leaders have highlighted how missing teenagers from outside the area can travel through Cambridgeshire, triggering cross‑border investigations and coordinated efforts to trace and protect vulnerable young people.
How are missing teenagers linked to travel through Cambridgeshire?
As outlined in the Peterborough Children Missing from Home Protocol, drawn up by Peterborough City Council, Cambridgeshire Constabulary and local safeguarding partners, children and teenagers who go missing can and do travel between counties, including through Cambridgeshire, while they are unaccounted for. The protocol makes clear that a child normally resident in Peterborough may go missing while in another county, and that similarly, young people reported missing elsewhere can be believed to be in or travelling through the Cambridgeshire area.
According to the protocol, if a child who normally lives in Peterborough “has gone missing whilst in another county, this should be reported to that Police force so that initial enquiries can be made in the immediate area”. It goes on to state that “the case may at a later time be transferred to Peterborough but that will be a decision for the relevant force to make”, reflecting how investigations can move between forces as information emerges about a teenager’s movements.
The same guidance stresses national police practice that
“any force receiving a missing person report should record an incident and, if the person is missing in their area, carry out the initial enquiries”,
underlining that Cambridgeshire Constabulary becomes directly involved when there is reason to believe a missing teenager is within, or travelling through, its jurisdiction. This framework is designed to avoid gaps where responsibility for a missing child might otherwise fall between forces when cross‑county travel is suspected.
What risks do cross‑county journeys pose for missing teenagers?
The protocol adopted by Cambridgeshire Constabulary and Peterborough City Council lists a series of risks associated with children who go missing, many of which are heightened when teenagers travel outside their local area. These include involvement in crime, disengagement from education, being trafficked and drawn into county lines drug activity, child criminal or sexual exploitation, radicalisation, serious youth violence, and deteriorating physical or mental health.
Local safeguarding partners warn that children who move between areas while missing can be more vulnerable because they may be isolated from usual support networks and more exposed to exploiters operating across county borders. The guidance highlights that missing episodes can be linked to family breakdown and homelessness, further increasing the likelihood that a teenager might travel significant distances, including through Cambridgeshire, while adults are trying to locate them.
By emphasising these risks, the protocol underpins the rationale for rapid risk assessments and cross‑border cooperation whenever there is information that a missing teenager could have travelled beyond their home county. Cambridgeshire Constabulary is expected to factor these concerns into its response when teenagers are believed to be moving through the region, whether they originally went missing locally or elsewhere.
How do Cambridgeshire Police assess risk when teenagers go missing?
The Peterborough Missing Children Protocol explains that “all reports of missing people sit within a continuum of risk from low with minimal enquiries through to medium and then high‑risk cases that require immediate, intensive action”. When Cambridgeshire Police receive a report, they conduct their own risk assessment to determine the appropriate level on this continuum, taking account of the young person’s age, circumstances, known vulnerabilities, and any suggestion that they may have travelled across county lines.
The document states that “the outcomes of the risk assessment will be the guide for the police response and the level of enquiries undertaken”, and confirms that investigations will be conducted in line with Cambridgeshire Constabulary’s Missing Persons Policy. This can range from lower‑level checks to urgent, large‑scale operations if there are fears that a missing teenager on the move is at immediate risk of harm.
As part of this process, information is shared through the Peterborough City Council Multi‑Agency Safeguarding Hub (MASH) and the Emergency Duty Team (EDT), ensuring that social workers and other professionals are aware when a teenager’s disappearance may involve travel into or through Cambridgeshire. Where a child has three missing episodes in 90 days, strategy discussions are convened, recognising that repeated disappearances may involve recurring patterns of movement between areas.
How do forces coordinate when teenagers move between counties?
The protocol for Peterborough and Cambridgeshire reiterates national guidance that missing person reports should be made to the police force responsible for the area where the child was last seen, and that this force should start initial inquiries. However, it also clarifies that if the child is believed to be missing in another area, that local force must still record an incident and undertake inquiries, meaning Cambridgeshire Constabulary will have an active role if a teenager is thought to have travelled into its territory.
The document sets out that
“when a child is missing for 48 hours the relevant Head of Service should be notified and a ‘Need to Know’ should be completed”.
If the child remains missing, a second strategy meeting must be held within 72 hours and chaired by a Service Manager, and a third strategy meeting at a further 72 hours, chaired by a Head of Service. These meetings can involve professionals from more than one local authority where cross‑county movement is suspected, including cases where teenagers might have passed through Cambridgeshire while missing from elsewhere.
All incidents of children reported missing to Cambridgeshire Constabulary are reported by police to Peterborough Children’s Services MASH, which then notifies the relevant local authority if the child has been placed by another council from outside the area. According to the protocol, the responsible local authority must ensure
“appropriate forward communication”,
including with the Exploitation and Missing Team, the allocated social worker, managers and independent reviewing officers, helping to coordinate a response that may span multiple counties.
What does the protocol say about transporting missing teenagers who have travelled?
The Peterborough Missing Children Protocol notes that those reporting a child missing and partner agencies
“should consider the means by which the child or young person will be transported home if located by Cambridgeshire Constabulary”,
particularly when the young person is believed to have travelled outside their local area. This includes situations where a teenager may be located some distance away, after travelling through or into Cambridgeshire while missing from another county.
The guidance states that Cambridgeshire Constabulary
“will not provide transport unless the officers involved deem that there is a safeguarding need for police to transport rather than another agency”.
It adds that
“there may be occasions when police deem that the speediest way to resolve police involvement in an incident will be for police to provide transport”,
and urges agencies to work together to prevent further missing episodes, including by thinking about how to manage the journey home safely.
The protocol also explains that response plans for children who go missing should be shared by Cambridgeshire Police with forces in other areas when a child is placed outside the city, reflecting the expectation that teenagers may move between local authority areas and counties. This sharing of plans is designed to ensure that if a child travels into or through Cambridgeshire while missing, local officers have the information they need to respond quickly and appropriately.
What follow‑up happens when a missing teenager is found?
Once a missing teenager is located, Cambridgeshire Constabulary is required to conduct a Prevention (WIRI) Interview “as soon as practicable” and within 24 hours of the child being found. The protocol explains that these interviews, formerly called Safe and Well checks, aim to obtain information that may help locate the child more quickly if they go missing again and to put in place support and preventative measures.
The guidance says the interviews seek to establish which school or education setting the young person attends and to inform them, and their parents or carers, that the relevant local authority children’s service has been notified of the missing episode. It also confirms that the family
“will be contacted by the Local Authority and offered an Independent Return Home Interview”,
which can explore in more depth why the child went missing, including any reasons for travelling through places such as Cambridgeshire.
These interviews can reveal whether a teenager was coerced into travelling, whether they were exploited while away from home, and whether certain routes or locations pose particular risks. Information gathered feeds back into multi‑agency planning and risk assessments, with the aim of reducing the likelihood of repeat disappearances involving cross‑county journeys.
When do Cambridgeshire Police use media appeals about missing teenagers?
The protocol includes a section on media strategy, noting that public appeals are
“not routine”
but may be used in response to
“very serious concerns for the child’s safety”.
In such circumstances, carers, Cambridgeshire Constabulary and Peterborough Local Authority may together propose an appeal, for example if a missing teenager is thought to be travelling across county borders and there is a need to alert the public and potential witnesses.
The guidance states that decisions to publicise a case will “normally” be made jointly and, wherever possible, “in full consultation with parents/carers and Children’s Services”, although it stresses that “for operational reasons primacy over such decisions must lie with the Police”. Authorisation should be given by the Senior Investigating Officer or divisional officers, who must weigh the potential benefits of publicity against privacy considerations and investigative needs.
By setting out when and how media appeals may be used, the protocol provides a framework for raising awareness when missing teenagers may have travelled into or through Cambridgeshire and there is an urgent need for information from the public. It underlines that such appeals are part of a wider risk‑led approach rather than a default response to every disappearance.
