Sergei Kovgan, founder of the "Angel" search and rescue squad, spoke about this in an interview with Onliner.by.
Photo: Onliner.by
Previously, information about missing persons more often appeared on official resources. But, as Sergei notes, an ordinary person doesn't check operational reports every day with a cup of coffee. Social networks, however, managed to change the very visibility of the misfortune. Questions even began to arise: why are there so many missing persons?
In fact, their number has not changed — it's just that searches have become more public. According to the head of the squad, about 10-11 thousand reports of missing persons are received by the police each year.
Sometimes in Minsk, a person can be found in literally a few minutes if the information spreads quickly. This is especially important when emergency help is needed, as the missing person can indeed be in a dangerous situation. Often these are elderly people with dementia and children with developmental disabilities.
Sergei separately spoke about a myth that searchers have been trying to eradicate since the very founding of the squad: there's no need to wait three days to start a search!
— We try to convey almost daily: there are no three days. There is no such law, and in principle, there never was. If you have reason for concern — whether after half an hour or five minutes — you have the right to contact law enforcement with a request for assistance in finding a person.
There is an important rule: PSO "Angel" can participate in the search for a missing person only after relatives have filed a report with the police — at the very least, personal data of a person cannot be disseminated without reason.
— We cannot tell anyone: you rushed, you have no grounds for a report. If people call and ask for help, it means they have reasons to sound the alarm: this has not happened before, the phone has become unavailable, the missing person has health problems, is a child or elderly, has existing agreements, or special circumstances.
"When a child goes missing, the public immediately rallies. The media picks up the information, people repost it. But when a grandmother with memory loss goes missing, it's a regular daily alert that doesn't get such a reaction. I believe this is fundamentally unfair. For us, any report about a missing person is important," noted Sergei Kovgan.
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