Police have begun e-mailing missing-person reports to regions to make up for inadequacies in their computer system.
The new system was put in place following the disappearance of autistic teenager Yu Man-hon, last month.
Missing-person cases will now be e-mailed to all regions and a hard copy of the report will be kept to allow a manual match with descriptions of people found. 'It's a supplement to the computer system which allowed only searches by names and identity card numbers,' a source said.
The source added that the computer system would need to be upgraded in the long-run, but there was a lack of resources.
The new system was said to have helped speed up the location of another autistic boy, aged 7, who was found in Lowu after running away from his mother in Shekkipmei last Wednesday.
Some immigration officers have accused the police of being unhelpful when asked to check whether there were reports of a missing teenage boy on August 24 when Man-hon was found at the Lowu border.