POLICE have issued guidance to the public on what to do if their child wanders off in public – after revealing that officers reunited a missing-five-year old with his family in North Yorkshire.

A spokesperson for North Yorkshire Police said there was an increased presence of police yesterday (February 27) shortly after 3.30pm in Scarborough, around Gladstone Road School and the near-by Sainsburys.

Officers were attending to a report of a missing five-year-old.

The spokesperson added: “We are happy to inform you, that following work between ourselves, the community and the school, the youngster was reunited with his family, unharmed a short time later.”

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Now, the force has issued advice on what people should do if they find themselves in a similar position.

What to do if you find yourself in this situation 

The spokesperson said: “We know that young ones can wander off and the panic sets in when you can't find them.

“Call police on 999. Our call takers will guide you through the questions that we need to know.

“Please understand that we need to ask the questions, but whilst we are taking your report, we are dispatching our teams.

“Once we have received the report, please only use your phone to message others. We understand the first response is to call others, but sometimes, we need to call you back. Please try to keep your phoneline free.

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“If you are in town, alert the shops, ask the staff to raise the alert on the shop link radios. By this point, our Force Control Room will have alerted the CCTV camera operators.

“If you find your missing one before we arrive, please give us a call back and let us know. We will still pop down to see you, but not in large numbers.”