Attorney General Hon. Doug Currie and RCMP “L” Division Commanding Officer, Superintendent Tracy Hardy, today recognized National Missing Children's Day, and thanked Islanders and organizations who work to help prevent child abductions and find missing children.
National Missing Children's Day is designated to raise public awareness on behalf of missing children and their families. The Amber Alert Program began in the USA and presently every province in Canada has an Amber Alert Program in place, unique to the province.
“I want to commend organizations including Child Find PEI, the RCMP National Missing Children Services, and the PEI Amber Alert program, who work in collaboration to protect and locate missing children,” said Minister Currie. “I also want to take a moment on this special day of awareness, to encourage everyone to learn more about how to protect children, and to teach children ways to protect themselves.”
In Prince Edward Island, members of PEI Amber Alert Committee include Island RCMP, Police Services of Charlottetown, Summerside, Kensington and Borden-Carleton, as well as representatives from the Office of the Attorney General and Public Safety. In the event of an Amber Alert, community partners such as Confederation Bridge, Northumberland Ferries, Charlottetown Airport Authority and CTMA Traversier Ltd., and Island media would be engaged to assist. Over the last year, the Provincial Advisory Committee has approached new law enforcement partners such as Parks Canada, Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO), UPEI Security and Provincial Conservation Officers to explore ways that these groups can assist in the case of an Amber Alert on Prince Edward Island.
“This voluntary, cooperative program between community partners, police services and local broadcasters allows for a rapid response to child abductions throughout the province,” said Superintendent Hardy. “Through this program we can send an emergency alert to the public when a child has been abducted and is believed to be in grave danger. The more coordinated we are in our response, the better chances of a positive outcome.”
Tips for protecting children:
• Teach children their full name, address and home telephone number. Make sure children know their parents’ full names as well.
• Caution children not to post revealing information or inappropriate photos of themselves or their friends online; especially important in these days of popular social networking.
• Encourage children to tell a trusted adult if anything encountered online makes them feel sad, scared or confused.
• Practice "what if" situations such as: "What if you fell off your bike and you needed help? Whom would you ask? What if someone offered you a treat if you got in the car?"
• Remind children that it's OK to say NO to anything that makes them feel scared, uncomfortable or confused, and teach children to tell a trusted adult if anything or anyone makes them feel this way.
More information is available on the Our Missing Children website,www.rcmp-grc.gc.ca/omc-ned/index-accueil-eng.htm