Kent and Sussex Police Launch Cross-Border Appeal to Find Two Missing Teenagers Linked to Tunbridge Wells and Tonbridge

Sussex Police is the lead force in the enquiry, according to the Kent Police post. Kent Police’s involvement appears to be limited to amplifying the appeal across its own social media channels, a practice forces use routinely when a missing person is believed to have travelled between or have connections to different force areas.

Cross-Border Collaboration

Kent and Sussex share a county border and are connected by numerous rail routes and major roads, meaning cross-border missing persons cases between the two forces are not uncommon. When a missing person is suspected to have links to more than one police area, forces share appeals across their respective channels to widen the reach of any public-facing search.

Teenagers are classed as children under UK law, and missing children cases typically trigger safeguarding protocols in line with guidance from the College of Policing and the National Police Chiefs’ Council. The precise risk assessment level assigned to this case — whether the teenagers are considered medium or high risk — could not be verified based on the information available.

The Broader Picture on Missing Children

According to the UK Missing Persons Unit, part of the National Crime Agency, police in England and Wales recorded around 75,918 incidents in which children under the age of 18 were reported missing in the year ending 31 March 2023. The same data indicate that the majority of missing persons are found safe within 24 to 48 hours, and that only a very small proportion of cases result in serious harm. Whether the teenagers at the centre of this appeal have since been located is not known at this stage.

Local Services and Safeguarding

In cases involving missing teenagers, local agencies in Kent that may become involved include Kent County Council’s children’s services, local schools and colleges, and health services commissioned through the NHS Kent and Medway Integrated Care Board, chiefly where safeguarding or welfare concerns are identified. The extent to which any of those agencies are involved in this specific case has not been confirmed by either force.

Any increase in police visibility or targeted patrols in Tunbridge Wells or Tonbridge as a result of this appeal has not been confirmed by Kent Police or Sussex Police.

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Key Takeaways

• Kent Police has shared a Sussex Police missing persons appeal on social media, stating that two teenagers have links to Tunbridge Wells and Tonbridge in west Kent.
• Sussex Police is leading the enquiry; the specific details of the case, including the teenagers’ identities and descriptions, could not be independently verified at the time of publication.
• Missing children cases in the UK are treated as high-priority safeguarding matters, with national data from the National Crime Agency indicating that most missing persons are found safe within 24 to 48 hours.

Information for Residents

Residents in Tunbridge Wells, Tonbridge and the surrounding areas of west Kent may be in a position to provide useful information to police. Anyone who believes they have seen the teenagers, or who has information relevant to the enquiry, is asked to contact Sussex Police directly — using 101 for non-emergency matters or 999 in an emergency — though the specific contact instructions set out in the Sussex Police appeal could not be confirmed at the time of writing. Updates, including any confirmation that the teenagers have been found safe, are expected to be posted to the official social media channels of both Kent Police and Sussex Police.