Police Chief Mark Saunders has requested an internal review of the way the force handles missing persons reports in the wake of recent criticism surrounding several high-profile cases.

The Toronto Police Service had already indicated that the unit would be reviewing the way the police handled a recent murder case involving Tess Richey and on Thursday Saunders announced that a larger probe would take a broader look at how the service “conducts missing persons investigations.”

The news came as detectives confirmed that Richey’s body was located at a construction site by her mother and another friend , who were searching the Church and Wellesley area on Nov. 29 in the wake of the 22-year-old woman’s disappearance four days prior.

Richey’s murder remains unsolved.

“I do have some concerns,” Saunders said when asked about the circumstances of the case. “When they (families) are setting up their own search parties to look for missing people than I have to question whether or not as a service we are offering the right value to the community. The key to our success is relationship development and whenever that is fragmented is when we start to have issues.”

Det. Sgt. Graham Gibson told reporters on Friday that officers were checking the Church and Wellesley area for Richey at the time that her body was located and had also spoken to people who had come into contact with her on the night of her disappearance.

Community members, however, have expressed concern that police were not taking the disappearance seriously enough, especially in light of the fact that Richey vanished after leaving the Church and Wellesley area with an unknown man.

Surveillance footage later obtained by police showed Richey leaving the area with the male and several other people they had been speaking with. The footage last showed Richey entering an alleyway with a stairwell, not far from where her body was later recovered.

“We do know that the suspect left the area of the stairwell on his own and was last seen walking northbound on Church Street,” Gibson told reporters on Friday.

Saunders says officers could have handled case better

Saunders said that he has asked the professional standards unit to look into the “gaps and issues” that may or may not exist with regards to how his officers approach the approximately 4,000 missing persons reports the TPS receives each year.

He said that he does not want to prejudge the outcome of the investigation but is of the opinion that that there are things that officers “could have done better” in the case of Richey’s disappearance.

When asked to elaborate, Saunders conceded that officers may not always exhibit the proper sensitivity when dealing with missing persons reports.

Most recently, the father of a 27-year-old transgender woman whose body was found on Rosedale Valley Road over the summer told CP24 that police initially suggested that his daughter’s disappearance was not unusual because of her involvement in the sex trade.

Police continue to investigate that woman’s death and Saunders told reporters on Friday that he was willing to speak with her father about his dealings with detectives.

“I think that when someone is calling in to report a missing person an element of sensitivity is necessary,” Saunders said on Friday. “As busy as we may be just taking that extra step in realizing what the circumstances is I think can go a long way.”

Ivestigation aimed at improving procedures

Saunders said that he is hopeful that the professional standards unit investigation can help identifies ways in which the TPS can improve “procedures or training” with regards to missing persons files.

Asked if he is ordering the investigation because he believes that the TPS may have dropped the ball on the Richey case, Saunders refused to say.

“I am not going to answer that until I get the investigation. You may try to spin it that way but I need to find out exactly what happened,” he said.