LAST year 1,848 people were reported missing to the gardai and 1,840 were found and returned, said Mrs Owen. In a reply to Mr John O'Donoghue, the Fianna Fail spokesman on justice, she said that the previous year 1,444 people were reported missing and 1,432 were traced. Mr O'Donoghue said the distraught families of missing people wanted a specialist Garda missing persons unit established. "There can be no argument that a unit concentrated on missing persons would have a greater chance of locating missing persons than a force dealing with other problems as well," he said.