Why We Set Up This Platform

For decades, law enforcement agencies across the United Kingdom have relied on traditional methods to engage the public in identifying and locating wanted individuals. From "Wanted" posters affixed to community noticeboards to brief segments on regional news broadcasts, these approaches — while valuable — have consistently fallen short of their potential.

The rise of social media brought some improvement, but platforms like Facebook and Twitter were never designed for structured, secure, and verifiable information exchange between the public and policing bodies. Leads submitted through social media are difficult to track, often lack context, and offer no guarantee of anonymity or encryption for the person reporting.

wanted people uk was conceived to fill this critical gap. Our platform provides a purpose-built, secure, and accessible environment where UK citizens can browse active wanted person cases, view approximate last-known locations on an interactive map, and submit leads or information directly to the relevant police force — all from the comfort and safety of their own device.

Unlike social media or traditional crime reporting channels, our platform is designed from the ground up to protect the identity of informants while ensuring that every piece of information reaches the right hands.

1. Security by Design — Every interaction on the platform is encrypted using 256-bit TLS encryption. User data is never shared publicly, and the platform supports reporting without requiring users to disclose their identity.

2. Accessibility — The platform is designed to be usable by people of all ages and technical abilities, across all devices including smartphones, tablets, and desktop computers.

3. Collaboration — We work directly with police forces across all 43 territorial policing areas in England and Wales, plus Police Scotland and the Police Service of Northern Ireland.

4. Transparency — Our processes, data handling policies, and partnerships are openly documented and available for public scrutiny.

wanted people uk operates in full compliance with the Data Protection Act 2018, the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR), and the Computer Misuse Act 1990. Our platform has been reviewed by independent legal counsel specialising in data protection and law enforcement cooperation.

All information submitted through our platform is handled in accordance with the Criminal Procedure and Investigations Act 1996, ensuring that leads and evidence can be lawfully used in criminal proceedings when appropriate.