Child missing alert

It’s (thankfully) pretty rare that a child actually genuinely goes missing and isn’t with their other parent. I’d hope these alerts aren’t just rushed out, as someone else has already said, what if a parent is fleeing an abusive partner or something? I’d really worry about unintended consequences in that kind of situation which is far more common than a stranger abduction situation.

So an amber alert in the US must meet these criteria:

Note: The AMBER Alert program issues alerts only if certain criteria are met: Law enforcement must believe an abduction has occurred, must believe that child is in danger of bodily harm or death, and must provide enough descriptive information about the case, such as details about the child, the abduction, the suspect, and/or the suspect’s vehicle

the vast majority are abductions by the non custodial parent, or a known relative.

I think the law and process in the UK around PR and familial abduction would be very different. That and the much smaller land mass/border control would make it difficult to properly disappear with a child. Enough to make the amber alert system pretty much redundant.

@BarryKentPoet. This is what I'm saying.

A terror alert notification has a certain sound. That's obvious since it's been tested recently and people receiving these. So an alert from the authorities about a missing child will have to sound different from a normal notification sound won't it. Or it won't have the desired effect by making everyone run to their phone to check.

@Inthesameboatatmo
Are you saying it’s not a good idea, because it won’t be effective? Or that it’s not a cause worthy of your attention because it’s too frequent an event? I’m not clear.

@Inthesameboatatmo so why do the authorities bother putting missing children on the TV news/front page of the newspapers?

When was the last time a child was abducted or gone missing in the UK that would fit the criteria of an Amber Alert?

A sound?

An alert for a nuclear attack will have a certain sound. An alert for a missing child probably won't have the same sound incase it causes blind panic and people think the world is ending. People won't look out for it not because its less desirable but because its rare to get so won't be noticed by the large general population.

There’s also the issue that these alerts can actually disrupt an investigation.

this text goes out, you get 100’s of calls from people who’ve seen the missing white, blonde 5 year old.

now the police have to wade through shitloads of unrelated “sightings”, decide what’s credible, and hope to god they don’t send their resources after the wrong information.

It's the Amber alert system. It's not for any missing child, it's for selected cases where the authorities have belief that the child was abducted. 99% of missing children have either left of their own accord (row with parents etc) or are part of a disputed custody situation. Some are simply misunderstandings over arrangements. Stranger abductions are very rare thankfully and national media is engaged, not everyone has a mobile phone

@Inthesameboatatmo it's a shame you think that way.
Personally if a child is missing I would want all methods available put in use to help find them.

why is an alert for a nuclear attack more desirable than for a child? I don’t follow your logic.

Surely it’s not the frequency of the danger but the gravity of it that dictates whether an alert is justified?

I don't live in a flood danger area. So like I've saidnumerous times. A child missing alert is not needed as it's not common place. The only alert needed is terror/nuclear. That's it. And even then I'd probably be dead before I saw the message

A simple idea for a quick and easy way to communicate important information....and people are "ooh that's a bit against my privacy/might interrupt my busy busy life".
People are weird.
If it's not information important or relevant to you - just ignore it.

@Inthesameboatatmo ok we generally don't have really dangerous earthquakes in the UK but we have very bad floods. Lots of them. If you live in a flood danger area you would be used to alerts going out on local radio/TV etc.

@Flopisfatteningbingforchristmas yes it really is when the police have got to the point that it is realised that a child is 100% completely missing - not potentially with a friend/parent/other relative - that it would be decided to go the media. It is rare. Thankfully. The moment that is decided it would be that the news companies are told to report it. I assume this alert scheme would happen at the same time.
I really don't see a problem with as well as reporting a child missing on the TV news with simultaneously a emergency text message can be issued to all phone numbers in use.

I don't think anyone is sitting down with a list of numbers sending individual texts..

I wouldn't need a flood alert or an earthquake alert . Are you in the UK?
The only one of those with significance to me is the terror alert. But I don't live in the middle of nowhere so would find out within minutes anyway.

@Inthesameboatatmo oh good grief. No one is expecting you to be attached to your phone at all times just incase you see a message.
But...if you happen to be on your phone at that moment in time when an alert goes out then potentially you could save a life.
Or yours/your family if it's a flood/earthquake/terror threat warning.

It’s very rare that missing children are reported in the media in the UK.

I think it's a great idea although as I understand it not all missing children qualify for an amber alert which has led to distress amongst families (true crime addict) when not used.
For the really rare stranger abdication cases I can't see a negative really.

@Needmorelego.

Not everyone including me has the want or need to check their phone even for 2 seconds. People are busy working long hours don't have access to their phones until break time or surprise surprise people aren't constantly attached to their phone abd barely look at them. If I'm at work I'm very very busy. If I'm at home I'm very busy with children ,general house stuff and caring for a disabled child. If I get a notification I don't even get chance to check until hours upon hours have gone by. I'm not the only one I suspect most people's lives are busy.

@Justkeeppedaling I assume it would be the relevant government department depending on the situation.
Police
Anti Terror Squad
Whoever it is that provides the weather forecast for news programmes ......
The organisation relevant for missing children is the police. So that's who it would be surely?

Presumably the police - why does the answer hold so much weight for you? You sound like you’re just trying to be righteous.