A COWDENBEATH councillor said he was "extremely concerned" after learning that, on average, 12 people were reported missing in Fife every day last year.

Darren Watt said there had been an "alarming" rise in the number of cases and that more should be done to tackle the issue.

He said: "Last year there was an increase of 57.8 per cent compared to the previous year.

"That's a total of 4,417 missing person enquires for 2016/17 – or 12 every day.

"I am extremely concerned with the alarming increase in the number of missing persons reported. "

The Conservative councillor continued: "What we must remember is that behind these figures are vulnerable people, including children, the elderly and those with illnesses such as mental health issues and dementia.

"I have made enquires to the Fife division of Police Scotland and hope they can break these statistics down so we can further assess where we need to prioritise our resources.

"We need to be sure the appropriate services are in place to help and ensure any partners organisations are working effectively together."

Police Scotland have admitted that the rising number of missing person cases in Fife had caused challenges, placing a significant demand on resources.

The charity Missing People said figures for the number of people who went missing last year went up across the UK.

One possible reason is linked to improvements in recording, and increases in reporting of vulnerable people who have gone missing.

But the charity said the rise may also be linked to more people being in crisis and feeling they have no option but to run away due to the reduction in support services, such as community mental health services.

Cllr Watt said: "It is apparent police resources are incredibly stretched, however we need to be sure we have support and services in place that can help discourage many people going missing in the first place.

"Unfortunately the statistics are for the number of enquires and not for the number of people.

"Included in these figures could be a one-off run-away or someone who has went missing several times.

"If it is the same person going missing, we need to understand why and we need to be sure we're in a position to offer them the assurances and vital support going forward."

Chief Superintendent Colin Gall, Divisional Commander for Fife, said: "We treat every report of missing people with the utmost seriousness and dedicate suitable resources to conduct a thorough investigation and trace that individual.

“Factors that impact on our assessment of risk and vulnerability include the age of the individual, their physical and mental health as well as the circumstances in which they have gone missing.

"The number of instances of missing persons being experienced in Fife has increased and demonstrates that the modern police service is about addressing community vulnerability as well as fighting crime.

“Our officers are dedicated to finding missing people in any circumstance and we have a variety of local and specialist resources at our disposal to assist with this, including search specialists, dog and helicopter resources and media and social media support.

"Importantly we often seek the public's help in finding those who are most vulnerable and on many occasions it is the valuable information we receive from members of the public that brings these enquiries to a successful conclusion.

"I am most grateful for the ongoing support we receive during these enquiries from the people of Fife."