'Alice Byrne and others like her remain our highest priority' says SPA board

A Scottish Police Authority Board has said that finding Edinburgh woman Alice Byrne and other missing people across Scotland remains ‘the highest priority’.
Watch more of our videos on Shots! 
and live on Freeview channel 276
Visit Shots! now

Let us know what you think and join the conversation at the bottom of this article.

During a Scottish Police Authority meeting on Wednesday, missing woman Alice Byrne was mentioned amidst concerns for dealing with missing person cases across the country.

Alice was last seen leaving a friend’s house in Marlborough Street, Portobello, at 10am on New Year’s Day.

Alice Byrne. Alice, 28, went missing the morning after a Hogmanay party on News Years Eve, she was last seen at 10am leaving a house on Marlborough Street.Alice Byrne. Alice, 28, went missing the morning after a Hogmanay party on News Years Eve, she was last seen at 10am leaving a house on Marlborough Street.
Alice Byrne. Alice, 28, went missing the morning after a Hogmanay party on News Years Eve, she was last seen at 10am leaving a house on Marlborough Street.
Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Despite extensive searches including the use of air, marine and dog units, ‘no further sightings’ of Alice have been identified, according to Police Scotland as enquiries remain ongoing.

The search for Alice, also known as Alathea, has included the use of drones to scour the area around Portobello Beach and Promenade – where she is believed to have headed.

Tom Halpin, a board member of the SPA, said that “finding Alice and other people like her remains the highest priority.”

He added he sent his ‘support and sincerest thoughts’ to the 28-year-old’s family.

Read More
Alice Byrne: Pictures show police operation at Portobello beach as search for mi...
Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Police Scotland Chief Constable Iain Livingstone also agreed with this statement, calling her disappearance a ‘tragedy’, and he said that ‘high-risk missing persons’ are always seen as vital issues.

Mr Halpin added that it was ‘encouraging’ to see the use of drones in searches for Alice.

Alice is described as white, around 5'6 in height and of medium build with short black hair.

At the time of her disappearance, it is understood she was wearing a black top, black jeans ripped at the knees and white trainers.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Police Scotland is encouraging anyone who may know of Alice's whereabouts to call 101, quoting reference 0647 of January 2.

A message from the Editor:

Thank you for reading this article. We're more reliant on your support than ever as the shift in consumer habits brought about by Coronavirus impacts our advertisers.

If you haven't already, please consider supporting our trusted, fact-checked journalism by taking out a digital subscription.