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You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2012/nov/20/police-website-unidentified-peoples-bodies
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| Version 5 | Version 6 |
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| Police website shows images of unidentified people's bodies | Police website shows images of unidentified people's bodies |
| (4 months later) | |
| Pictures of unidentified bodies are being posted online to help families and friends searching for missing people find "closure". | Pictures of unidentified bodies are being posted online to help families and friends searching for missing people find "closure". |
| The website, missingpersons, is the first in the UK dedicated to unidentified people, and aims to improve the chances of identifying around 1,000 individuals, some of whose cases date back to the 1950s. | The website, missingpersons, is the first in the UK dedicated to unidentified people, and aims to improve the chances of identifying around 1,000 individuals, some of whose cases date back to the 1950s. |
| The site, operated by the Missing Persons Bureau, which is part of the Serious Organised Crime Agency, features pictures of bodies, but any images deemed to be distressing are marked with a warning and require confirmation before viewing. Clothing, property and other information from the files is also provided on the site, which crashed on Tuesday morning. | The site, operated by the Missing Persons Bureau, which is part of the Serious Organised Crime Agency, features pictures of bodies, but any images deemed to be distressing are marked with a warning and require confirmation before viewing. Clothing, property and other information from the files is also provided on the site, which crashed on Tuesday morning. |
| All the currently featured cases involve dead people, but the site will also be used to trace living people, such as those who have lost their memory. | All the currently featured cases involve dead people, but the site will also be used to trace living people, such as those who have lost their memory. |
| Among the images featured on the site are tattoos on the arm of a man found on a north London street in 2007 and the faces of a man hit by a train in Hertfordshire in 1995 and another found lying in a makeshift tent near the A1 in Bedfordshire in 1997. | Among the images featured on the site are tattoos on the arm of a man found on a north London street in 2007 and the faces of a man hit by a train in Hertfordshire in 1995 and another found lying in a makeshift tent near the A1 in Bedfordshire in 1997. |
| A shoe belonging to a man found floating near St Margaret's Island, off Wales, in 2003, and clothing belonging to a man found in the Thames near HMS Belfast in 1989 are also pictured. | A shoe belonging to a man found floating near St Margaret's Island, off Wales, in 2003, and clothing belonging to a man found in the Thames near HMS Belfast in 1989 are also pictured. |
| Joe Apps, bureau manager, said: "The aim of the new site is to bring closure to the families and friends of the people featured. With new unidentified person cases we rely on modern forensic techniques for identification but on older cases we look to use every tool available and believe that case publicity is the best chance of getting images recognised. | Joe Apps, bureau manager, said: "The aim of the new site is to bring closure to the families and friends of the people featured. With new unidentified person cases we rely on modern forensic techniques for identification but on older cases we look to use every tool available and believe that case publicity is the best chance of getting images recognised. |
| "This will be the first time families of missing people have been able to search through records for themselves and it will empower families to play an active part in the search for their loved ones." | "This will be the first time families of missing people have been able to search through records for themselves and it will empower families to play an active part in the search for their loved ones." |
| Members of the public will be able to search the cases and provide information online. Any relevant details will then be passed to the police or the coroner in charge of the case. Details of all unidentified cases, including bodies, remains and living people, will be posted on the website – apart from cases where remains are too partial to be of value. | Members of the public will be able to search the cases and provide information online. Any relevant details will then be passed to the police or the coroner in charge of the case. Details of all unidentified cases, including bodies, remains and living people, will be posted on the website – apart from cases where remains are too partial to be of value. |
| Similar websites have been set up in the US, Belgium and Switzerland. | Similar websites have been set up in the US, Belgium and Switzerland. |
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