AROUND 600 children were reported missing in West Dunbartonshire last year, the Post can reveal.

Police Scotland investigated a total of 807 missing persons cases in the area 2017 – and in Clydebank alone, this equated to one person a day.

The figures were revealed by Police Scotland, following a Freedom of Information request by the Post.

Martin Docherty-Hughes, MP for West Dunbartonshire, branded the figures “alarming”.

Thirty-three of the missing were aged under nine, while 161 were aged between 10-12.

Young teenagers were the highest group of those missing, with 175 aged 13-14, 136 aged 15, and 88 aged 16-17.

At the other end of the age scale, two cases involved people aged between 90 and 99 and nine investigations involved people aged 80-89.

In response, a Police Scotland spokeswoman said: “Police Scotland deals with approximately 22,000 reports of missing people every year.

“Over 89 per cent will return or are found within 48 hours and 98 per cent within a week.

“Over 60 per cent of missing people in Scotland are children and more than half of them are reported missing from looked after accommodation settings.

“People go missing for a variety of reasons, and there are often a number of underlying issues involved.

“Working with our partners, we are focused on developing a collaborative approach that treats every missing person report in a way that addresses the long-term wellbeing of individuals involved as well as putting in place measures to reduce the likelihood of them going missing again.

“This shared approach not only benefits the person who goes missing, but also reduces the demand placed on the police service.”

Of the 212 adults who were subject to missing persons investigations, around a quarter (53) were recorded as having a mental health condition on the National Missing Persons Database.

Mr Docherty-Hughes added: “Discovering a loved one is missing can be a devastating experience.

“These figures are alarming and highlight the impact of the number of people going missing not just in West Dunbartonshire but across the country.

“The vast majority of cases thankfully see the missing person return home within a matter of days. However, a small number of families face the pain of being without a loved one for weeks, months or even years.

“Those who go missing are often vulnerable. It’s critical that local and national agencies ensure the best possible support for these individuals and their families.”

Of those who were reported missing, one child and three adults were “traced dead”. The remainder were traced alive or the investigation was re-classified as “other”, which means they were no longer considered missing.