Gary Jubelin: Pressures of trying to find a missing child like Cleo Smith are immense

As the detective in charge of the William Tyrrell case, Gary Jubelin reveals the pressures that come with looking for a missing child like Cleo Smith.

Few crimes attract the public’s attention like a child abduction. Nothing strikes fear into a

community as much as this rarest of crimes.

Everyone has an opinion as to what might have happened to the child and who might be responsible.

The mystery intensifies when the child just vanishes; think Azaria Chamberlain, Madeleine McCann, Daniel Morcombe and William Tyrrell.

Sadly, another child’s name may be etched into our psyches, that of four-year-old Cleo Smith, who disappeared in the middle of the night while camping with her family.

Leading investigations of this nature come with their own unique pressures. I experienced these pressures when I led the William Tyrrell investigation for four years.

These investigations are led by people who have homicide experience, not by chance but because they have the skills to manage these types of investigations. Leading homicide investigations is not for the faint-hearted. Your actions or inactions are going to be scrutinised in a very public way.

You have also given a commitment to the victim’s family that you and your team will do everything possible to find out what happened to their loved one. The whole process is physically, mentally and emotionally exhausting.

At the early stage of the investigation, you are working long hours, often running on adrenaline. You have to be mindful not to burn yourself or your team out, but so much needs to be done.

The overriding priority is to find the child, hopefully safe and well. This in itself can often be a major logistical operation. Things really start to ramp up when it becomes most likely the disappearance is a result of human intervention.

The pressure is intensified, because you don’t know whether the child is alive.

Decisions you make may impact on the safe recovery of the missing child.

What I am observing with Cleo’s disappearance appears similar to what I experienced leading on William’s disappearance.

It has attracted the attention of the whole country. Everyone is hoping for a happy ending or at the very least answers as to what happened to Cleo. As the profile grows, so do the pressures.

Senior police understandably want constant briefings, and politicians become involved.

The strike force is inundated with information from the public and the media require briefings.

Sometimes the pressures leading investigations of this nature feels overwhelming but you take comfort in the fact you were chosen to lead the investigation because you have the experience and skills to do so.

William Tyrrell went missing in 2014.

This is your area of expertise and this is what you do.

Just as important as the person leading the investigation is the makeup of the team.

Tenacious officers who are prepared to live and breathe the job are the type these tough investigations require.

Anything less than that is unacceptable.

You also need to have a mindset that the breakthrough is just around the corner.

Not a day went by that I didn’t wake up and think it was the day we would crack this case.

I think about the detectives on Cleo’s case.

I know how hard they will be going.

The tough cases are the ones that define you.

The only advice I would offer is take comfort in the fact you have prepared your whole career for this case, use those skills and find out what happened to Cleo.

We all need answers.

As for Cleo’s loved ones my heart breaks for what they are going through right now.

I saw it first hand with William’s families.

No one should have to go through that.

I still remember William’s family asking me whether they should pack up William’s room.

How do you answer a question like that?

Cases like this break people.

GARY JUBELIN IS A FORMER DETECTIVE AND OUR COLUMNIST AND PODCASTER