UPDATE: In a statement late on Thursday police said she had been located safe and well and asked that images of the teenager be removed.
Police have taken the extraordinary step of releasing a photo of teenage girl ten months after she vanished.
Saidatu Jalloh who was 14 years old at the time and is now 15, was reported missing to police by staff at her school in Lambeth on March 9, 2022.
Local police only posted an image of Saidatu last month on December 8 on Twitter saying she could be “anywhere in the UK.”
A Met spokesperson said: “Releasing images of children is not a decision that is taken lightly. Public appeals can leave a lasting digital trail and can have a significant impact on those whose image and information is put into the public domain.
“It is a step that is used only when there is an imminent risk of harm or when other lines of enquiry have been exhausted.
“This remains a live investigation. We are keen to trace Saidatu to confirm she is safe and well and that she is in the care of appropriate adults.”
Southwark Review of the Year 2022: The Most Shocking Stories
Police say Saidatu, who had recently come to the UK, had not been long registered at the school and teachers notified police after she was not seen in classes for a week.
They say little is known about her after she registered at the school on January 24 2022.
Police say the school was informed that she had left the area and would not be returning, so raised their concerns and officers visited the address provided on her school registration.
They were told she had been picked up by her mother days earlier and that she was no longer staying there. At that time the police say there was no evidence to disprove this account, but further enquiries to locate Saidatu’s mother could not be found.
And further checks also found no record of anyone matching Saidatu’s name and details entering the UK.
A Met spokesperson said that there are a number of reasons why this could be, and while it is a cause for concern, it is not necessarily an indication that she is at risk.
Since she was reported missing in March Saidatu’s details and photo have been circulated to Met, City of London and British Transport Police officers and she continues to be marked as a missing person on the Police National Computer.
In April, her information was shared with all Met schools officers to ensure that were she to register at a different school, even under another name, there would be a good chance of her being recognised.
In December, a routine review of the case determined that having exhausted most realistic lines of enquiry, Saidatu’s image should be published to seek the public’s assistance.
The Met Police have received a massive 45,240 missing person reports in the twelve months to November 2022 relating to 21,806 individuals. But 42,862 or 95 per cent were found or returned within seven days. Locally 2,200 of those reports were for individuals missing from the Central South Command Unit which includes Lambeth and Southwark. That is an average of six reports a day.
2,210 or five per cent of missing people across London during this period were found or returned after seven days and 168, which is less than one per cent are still missing including Saidatu Jalloh.
The police want to hear from anyone who recognises the photo that has been shared on social media, or anyone who has other information about Saidatu’s whereabouts.
Please call 101, providing the reference 22MIS008040.
Information can also be provided to Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.