Mum's 'renewed hope' of finding missing Leah Croucher from Milton Keynes thanks to 3D posters
Jo Youle, Chief Executive of Missing People, talks about the new campaign
A mother whose teenage daughter went missing three years ago says she has "renewed hope" she will be found thanks to giant new 3D posters and billboards.
The new-look missing persons posters have used the latest science and technology to make them more memorable.
Leah Croucher is one of the missing people to feature on the new posters.
She was 19 when she went missing from Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, on February 15, 2019.
Her mother, Claire Croucher said: "One of the many challenges as a parent of a missing person is trying to communicate who you've lost.
"We feel that if the public were to understand who our daughter is, they are more likely to remember seeing or meeting her.
"Seeing Leah's face move and smile on these amazing new posters is wonderful and gives us renewed hope that Leah - and other missing people like her - will be reunited with their families."
The charity Missing People hopes the changes will maximise the chance of the public taking notice of the images.
The new-look posters include less information - which researchers suggest can sometimes bombard people - and feature 3D images and smiling faces, which are considered to be more memorable and more likely to make an instant connection with passers-by.
After a decade of the old format, the most noticeable difference is the absence of the word "MISSING".
This has been replaced with a more active phrase, "HELP FIND".
According to new research, people are more likely to respond when they are presented with a clear call to action.
The new posters, which feature details of current missing people, will appear on billboards across London on May 25 to mark Missing Children's Day and the new format will be used by the charity for all posters in the future.
They also include a QR code to encourage passers-by to tap into social media and spread the word and background maps of where the person was last seen.
This is because people local to the area are more likely to respond to the call to action.
About 70,000 children and young people are reported missing every year in the UK, and many more go unreported, according to Missing People.
Jo Youle, Chief Executive of Missing People, said: "When it is appropriate to publicise someone's disappearance, our appeals are a hugely important way to reach the public, to help find children.
"By embracing innovation, we hope the new appeals will have an even greater impact and lead to those featured being found safely."
The other two children featured on the posters are Finn Layland-Stratfield and Alexander Sloley.
Finn was 17 when he went missing from Tintagel, Cornwall on July 8, 2017 while Alexander has been missing from Islington, London, since August 2, 2008, when he was just 16.
The photos used on the posters were initially enhanced by Engine Creative in collaboration with Untold Studios using machine learning software, then animated using pioneering AI technology developed by D-ID.
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