Missing 16-year-old shows resistance: police called!

Missing 16-year-old shows resistance: police called!

A remarkable police operation caused a stir in the Erich-Weinert-Ring in Schwedt on Monday, July 14th. There the officers came across a 16-year-old girl who had been reported missing. The intervention force found itself in a tense situation: the young person vehemently resisted being returned to her usual environment. She kicked the police officers and uttered insulting words, which further inflamed the situation.

The emergency services reacted quickly and restrained the teenager to prevent further escalations. Even in the patrol car she was uncooperative, which didn't make the situation any easier. An emergency doctor who was called was ultimately able to intervene reassuringly and ordered temporary accommodation in the hospital. The police have now launched an investigation into assault and insults, which underlines the dimension of the incident. NNN reports.

Missing young people – a common phenomenon

The case of the 16-year-old is not isolated, because the issue of missing young people is a serious problem in Germany. Like that Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA) reports that minors who leave their circle of life and whose whereabouts are unknown are considered missing. In such cases, the police have the task of acting quickly. In Germany, around 9,420 missing person cases were entered into the police information system (INPOL) as of January 1, 2025. Around 200 to 300 new searches are recorded every day.

The situation of unaccompanied minor refugees (UMF) is particularly worrying. In 2024, around 4,300 UMF were registered as missing, with the most common cause of their disappearance being voluntary abandonment of shelters. The clearance rate for these cases was around 79% in 2024. Still, it is encouraging that more than 96% of missing children in 2024 were found by the end of the year. This shows that police work in these cases is very efficient.

Public search for missing persons

A current case from Berlin underlines the urgency of the problem. A 14-year-old girl who was reported missing on Saturday has since resurfaced. The parents reported to a police station on Friday morning that their daughter was back. The police had previously publicly searched for the two girls with pictures of the missing teenagers and their 15-year-old friend. The latter returned to her parents on her own on Wednesday evening, which increased the pressure on the authorities. The Tagesspiegel reports.

In summary, the issue of missing young people is of high social relevance and requires regular attention. Police work shows evidence, but the focus remains on people - regardless of whether they go into hiding because of family conflicts or are simply looking for more freedom. In this sense, every operation like the one at the Erich-Weinert-Ring is important to ensure the well-being of young people.