Child Rescue Alert relaunched nationally

As part of commemorations for International Missing Children’s Day, the National Policing Improvement Agency relaunched Child Rescue Alert, a powerful alliance between the police, the press and the public that seeks to locate an abducted child and bring them to safety.

Alerts will be activated to local media by a UK police force when certain criteria have been met, sometimes within hours of a reported disappearance. In certain circumstances, alerts will be issued directly to the national media where it is felt that a child may have been moved across a county or national border.

The public are asked to report sightings or relevant information
to a single, national freephone number.

Detective Inspector Adam Harland from North Yorkshire’s Major
Crime Unit said: “Child Rescue Alert is an invaluable emergency
tool for the Police Service to use in the event of a child being abducted and placed in serious danger.

“Through the co-operation of the police, media and public, the
child can be quickly located and brought to safety, which is always the primary concern. Thankfully, these incidents are very rare, but it is comforting for everyone concerned that Child Rescue Alert is in place if such a course of action is required.”

Chief Constable Peter Neyroud of the NPIA said: “As a father, I
cannot imagine the trauma and sheer devastation a parent must feel when they have to make that call to the police to report their child missing.

“But, in those cases where an operational decision is made to
activate a Child Rescue Alert, it will be of some considerable comfort to know that the media and the public are supporting them by being vigilant and reporting vital pieces of intelligence to the police.

“There can be few other power partnerships that literally help to save a child from serious harm or even death.”

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