Please support a Europe-wide missing child alert system

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Kate and Gerry McCann have been in Brussels at the European Parliament presenting a declaration proposing a Europe wide alert system when a child goes missing. The similar AMBER alert system used in the US has led to the successful recovery of many abducted children. 393 MEPs need to sign this in order for it to be looked into.

Please take a moment to click on the link in order to identify your MEP and request that they sign the declaration to move this proposal forward.
Find your MEP

Here is a sample text which you can cut and paste-

I am writing to request that you sign the declaration presented to the
European Parliament by Kate and Gerry McCann requesting a Europe-wide
alert system and telephone hotline for when a child is abducted.

We will never know whether this would have helped in their own case and
led to the recovery of their daughter, Madeleine, but there is
overwhelming evidence from the United States that such a system can
prove crucial in recovering an abducted child before they are harmed.

I feel it is vitally important for the safety of all our children that
the implementation of such a system receives your full support.

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bump

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Anyone?

[littlemissthrifty]

I remember signing up for my mobile phone to be allerted should a child go missing, but ive never been allerted. Did that everhappen with anyone else and why didnt it work.???

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Bump for the morning crowd! Agree with you, WTS- thought this was something people would think important and want to support.

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Irish MEPs here btw.

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[Ploufplouf]

I'm all for it.

[SueW]

Can you link to something which explains exactly how useful this would be i.e. facts, figures, etc

[Nbg]

I've just done it.

[SueW]

See this is the bit that bothers me, from the Guardian:

"The key time is the first few hours, that's the critical period," said Mr McCann. The alert bulletin should be issued as soon as the police are satisfied that an abduction has taken place.

They have to be certain the child has been abducted.

I've seen this system in action in the US. The incident I saw was a man who saw & reported his car containing his child being driven away from outside a store he had gone into. See - immediately a report that the child has been taken. Ditto a snatch situation by say a non-custody parent.

But in Madeleine's case, would the police have been happy to alert the whole of Europe because a child, who'd been left without adult supervision in an apartment for a whole evening, had disappeared without explanation. It was dark and difficult to look for her but was there definite evidence of a snatch?

(In fact, in the US example I saw, it emerged that there was no child but he knew there was one way the police would take his car theft seriously. Obviously he was arrested later)

[ScoobyDoo]

I have done it

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I understand your concerns SueW. I think that with any system like this there is always a risk of it being activated inappropriately and, of course, it's not always going to work, but my feeling is the potential benefits greatly outweigh any downsides. It may not have made a difference in Madeleine's case, but as Gerry pointed out as a child who has disappeared late at night in a foreign country the case probably would have fit the criteria and led to border checks etc.

I think if there's one thing we've learned in the last year it's that children go missing much more than any of us ever realised.

Here's some info, stats etc on the AMBER alert system in the US.

Thanks for your support SD!

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...and Nbg!

[CoteDAzur]

This alert system came into effect in France recently. A little boy went missing and within hours, his face and description was everywhere - on radio, tv channels - repeatedly.

They found him that afternoon. A taxi driver saw the alert on tv & remembered giving a ride to this boy and a man several hours ago.

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Also the French system (if your French is up to it!) Comment in this BBC piece about potential other formats e.g each country having their own system, but maintaining good communucation with bordering countries.

Got to be worth looking into.

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Cross-posts CDA! Excellent example!

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[No1ErmaBombeckfan]

Done