Missing person's ethnicity and nationality 798/2026

FOI Reference: 798/2026

Request:

1. What system or process do you use for classifying a missing person's ethnicity and nationality?
2. How is a missing person's ethnicity and nationality determined?
3. How many Vietnamese adults have been recorded as missing and not found since 2022? Calendar or financial years are acceptable.
4. How many missing people currently on your recording system have an unspecified nationality?
5. How many missing people currently on your recording system have an unspecified ethnicity?

Response 1:

I can confirm that Dyfed-Powys Police does hold the information requested, as outlined below.

There are several systems that are used to classify a person’s Ethnicity and Nationality.

In terms of missing persons we use a system called COMPACT.

COMPACT is a missing persons case management system. It manages and supports the many processes associated with missing people.

When a person is registered on COMPACT we can record both:

Nationality

Country of Birth

Vietnamese or Vietnam are available within both of these fields.

The main limitation is ethnicity. COMPACT uses the standard 18+1 ethnicity categories, so there is no specific “Vietnamese” ethnicity value that can be searched. Ethnic Appearance is recorded separately using the smaller list of seven categories:

Asian

Black

Chinese, Japanese or Southeast Asian

Middle Eastern

Unknown

White North European

White South European

Therefore, for the questions specifically relating to Vietnamese people, we would use Nationality and Country of Birth rather than ethnicity.

Response 2:

I can confirm that Dyfed-Powys Police does hold the information requested, as outlined below.

This can be determined by officers’ observations; it can also be self-defined.

Response 3:

I can confirm that Dyfed-Powys Police does hold the information requested, as outlined below.

Zero

Response 4:

I can confirm that Dyfed-Powys Police does hold the information requested, as outlined below.

20615 – This figure can be attributed to a data quality issue where officers are not inputting place of birth and nationality details.

Response 5:

I can confirm that Dyfed-Powys Police does hold the information requested, as outlined below.

9

(This is a response under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 and disclosed on 04/09/2026)