Police powers allowing officers to search a place without consent when a missing person is at a high risk of harm have been found to be effective.
Queensland Police used the power in 16 missing person investigations to help find 22 people over five years from 2018.
Fourteen people were found safe and eight were found dead or are still missing in cases where officers used the measure.
To use the power, a high-risk missing person needs to be under the age of 13 or at risk of serious harm if they are not found as quickly as possible.
The officer also needs a reasonable suspicion searching the place could help find evidence that leads to information about their disappearance.
Police executed 18 search warrants across the investigations and found evidence or seized property in 13 of them.
The capability was rarely used but "proved to be a useful and valuable tool to progress investigations" when they were, the Queensland Crime and Corruption Commission found in a review of the laws.
The review discusses six of the 18 searches with police officers and concludes each instance helped the investigation.
The commission recommends better record keeping and reviewing whether a commissioned officer - classified as an inspector or above rank - needs to approve the search.
Safeguards against misuse include approval from a commissioned officer, judicial oversight, notice given to the person of the place, a review option for that person and a restricted definition of a high-risk person, the commission notes.
