Child Rescue Alert
Child Rescue Alert was originally launched by Sussex Police in November 2002 as a ground-breaking initiative to save abducted children from being murdered.
The scheme works by interrupting broadcasts with immediate news flashes that a youngster has been snatched and is at risk of serious harm or death.
By joining with the media, police forces are able to spread the message to a vast cross-section of the public within moments, asking them to keep their eyes and ears open and to call 999 if they have crucial information.
The scheme is based on an American concept called Amber Alert, which was introduced in Texas in 1996 following the kidnapping and murder of nine-year-old Amber Hagerman. This has now been credited with saving at least 69 children.
The scheme has been adopted by many other British police forces.
4 key criteria to be met before child rescue alert is issued:
- A child under the age of 16 yrs old is missing
- A senior police officer (of at least Superintendent rank) or a Divisional Crime Manager feels that serious harm OR death may occur to the child
- The child has been, or is strongly suspected of having been, kidnapped, AND
- The case has sufficient descriptive details (or CCTV/photos) of the victim or offender, to justify launching an alert.
It is anticipated that the alert scheme will be used very rarely as overuse would destroy confidence in the system.
If authorisation is given to launch an alert all media in the county will be contacted with some, or all, of the following information:
- Description of the child
- Scanned photo of the child
- Details of location and nature of the offence
- Description of the offender(s)
- CCTV/photo of the offender(s)
- Details of any vehicle used
The scheme relies heavily on the cooperation of the media and in other force areas radio stations have agreed to broadcast the alert every 15 minutes for four hours.
The scheme was used effectively in Sussex when a six-year-old girl Summer Haipule from Moulescoomb went missing. Alerts were broadcast on national television during peak viewing hours and by other media until the girl was found safe and well by a neighbour.