Every day in West Yorkshire 45 people are reported missing.

And in the course of a year that figure reaches 5,000.

The shock figures were revealed by West Yorkshire’s Police and Crime Commissioner Mark Burns-Williamson at a missing persons workshop in Huddersfield to discuss ways of meeting the demands faced by the county’s police force.

The focus on missing people forms part of the new five-year Police and Crime Plan, and is a direct response to consultation with the public, partners and the police.

Mr Burns-Williamson stressed that it is just one of the new priorities within the latest plan. But he said that he was seeking to discuss how West Yorkshire Police could effectively deal with such high numbers, a fifth of which are considered to be high risk.

“Missing people is one of several focuses, but when we have had conversations with the Chief Constable and West Yorkshire Police I am aware of the demands being put on the police with the number of missing person calls. The police have to respond to that.

“The focus of the workshop is around having discussions with key partners, understanding why this is happening and what we can do collectively to address this. It cannot be left to the police to handle it exclusively.”

West Yorkshire Police and Crime Commissioner Mark Burns-Williamson.

Other additions to the plan include prioritising working together to prevent radicalisation and safeguard people that are being groomed. Other key features are increasing community cohesion by encouraging inclusivity and building relationships between communities.

Mr Burns-Williamson also renewed his commitment to neighbourhood policing and said his ambition was to add 600 more officers to the West Yorkshire force.

However he said the impact of such an increase could be diminished if missing person inquiries continued to place a significant demand on officers’ time and resources.

“I have listened to the people of West Yorkshire and I am acting on what they have told me. This missing people event is one of a series of partner events working towards the outcomes of the new plan.

“I am a great believer in neighbourhood policing. We are trying to recruit 600 new officers this year to rebuild our frontline visibility. When missing person enquiries come in those resources are then directed towards dealing with those incidents.

“If we can reduce that demand in the future that has to be a good thing.”