THE JUSTICE MINISTER Alan Shatter has today welcomed the introduction of Child Rescue Ireland Alert, which aims to provide an effective and relevant alert system for when a child is believed to have been abducted.
Launching the CRI Alert initiative on International Missing Children’s day, Garda Commissioner Martin Callinan said the system would help seek the assistance of the public when investigating child abduction cases by publicising relevant information and details of the case. This level of public awareness will “facilitate members of the public in identifying the abducted child, the suspect, or vehicles involved in the abduction and immediately feeding that information back to the investigating Gardaí,” he said.
Callinan noted that the Council of the European Union has called upon Member States to introduce and develop national mechanisms for alerting the general public in the event of child abduction, and that the same need was recognised in one of the recommendations in a Garda Inspectorate Report, published in March 2009.
He explained that strict criteria must be met before the CRI Alert will be issued. The criteria for a CRI Alert are:
Callinan said that several external agencies have partnered with An Garda Síochána as part of the scheme, and that Memorandums of Understanding have been put in place between the different agencies ensuring a coordinated approach when initiating a CRI Alert. Such agencies include the National Roads Authority; the HSE; the Railway Procurement Agency; Iarnród Eireann; Dublin City Council; Dublin Bus; Emergency Call Answering Service; and the national media (print and broadcast).
Some missing children, Ireland and abroad:
The Gardaí and PSNI are in agreement that a CRI Alert should be triggered in both jurisdictions, regardless of whether the abducted child is believed to have crossed the border. Interpol will be contacted in cases in which a child has been brought in or out of the jurisdiction of these services.
Both Callinan and the Minister for Justice recognised the presence of Transition Year students from Davis College in Mallow at the launch, who have been working on the ‘Forget me Not’ campaign to raise awareness about missing persons in Ireland.
Shatter said a crucial component of an effective alert system was the ability to rapidly communicate a message through television, radio, at airports and ports, and via text and email, as it provides the authorities with access to the “speedy means of disseminating key information during the critical period immediately after a child is reported missing”.
“I wish to sincerely echo the Commissioner’s gratitude for the assistance of all those engaged in achieving the roll-out of this system. Despite the resource constraints under which we are all required to operate, the establishment of this collaborative alert system demonstrates the way we can work together in a constructive manner to deliver tangible benefits to the wider public,” Shatter said.
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