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Child missing alert

89 replies

DennisA · 07/06/2022 12:52

My Family and I were recently on holiday in Florida, a child went missing and an state wide alert was issued to all Mobile phone users with details of gender, age and description amd where they were last seen.

Can you raise this idea with your Local MP and your local Police Commisioner to raise the profile of the need for a similar service to be created by either the government, the regional police forces, the Home office and the <obile phone networks with some urgency.

Children go missing every single day and no one is addressing the issue or raising the concern. If a State like Florida can do it, then we can.

My local MP said it was an issue with GDPR but I pointed out to him, the GDPR rules applied when we were in the EU, now that we are not we can create our own rules and I can't see why a system like they have in Florida has anything to do with GDPR where a missing child is concerned.

Social media is also a fantastic medium, recently my Granddaughters dog bolted and was "Lost". We engaged with the Local lost Dog Rescue Facebook group in Aylesbury and within 12 hours he was spotted by Dog walkers and was reunited with my Granddaughter.
The response from Dog Walkers in Aylesbury was overwhelming.

If we can be that affective where a dog is lost, just imagine how affective we could be if a child goes missing.

OP posts:
Needmorelego · 07/06/2022 14:12

@2bazookas that's not what a scheme like this would be for though.

Flopisfatteningbingforchristmas · 07/06/2022 14:12

I’m not convinced this would be a safest thing to do.

Needmorelego · 07/06/2022 14:13

@Flopisfatteningbingforchristmas what's the difference in this and having it reported on the 6 o'clock news?

HogDogKetchup · 07/06/2022 14:17

Needmorelego · 07/06/2022 14:13

@Flopisfatteningbingforchristmas what's the difference in this and having it reported on the 6 o'clock news?

You wouldn’t wait until 6 o clock for a start. It would be much faster. Time is of the essence with missing children.

Inthesameboatatmo · 07/06/2022 14:18

Needmorelego · 07/06/2022 14:10

@Inthesameboatatmo I assume you only have an non registered pay as you go phone then?
I don't see the issue. It would be known that your phone number (example 0123 456 789) is registered in use on the (for example) Vodafone network but if you bought the phone with cash, never registered it and top up with cash then no one will have any clue that Vodafone 0123 456 789 belongs to you. So why would it matter if a missing child/flood warning/terror warning is texted to that number?

@Needmorelego
No I have a registered phone like most people. The issue is its just another thing to sign up for /give permission to use details for and its not needed .That's done enough on a daily basis. I'm not going to add to an ever growing list and get alerts every few minutes because someone's kids has thrown tantrums and run away. It completely takes away from the genuine cases and nobody will pay any attention to it after a while ..

Needmorelego · 07/06/2022 14:23

@Inthesameboatatmo but it won't be like that. A child will need to be reported missing through official channels (is the police) and when police have decided exactly what the situation is the decision will be made whether to put out the alert/report on the news/release a tweet etc.
It's not going to be any Tom, Dick and Sally doing it.

Reallyreallyborednow · 07/06/2022 14:24

I certainly would not recommend letting every dumped bastard and vindictive neighbour / OW being able to post on FB, malicious photos of children who are not "missing"; just escaped with their abused mother, stuck at home with mumps, on holiday with family abroad, etc

exactly. Due diligence must be done first to make sure anyone who shouldn’t be found, isn’t.

not as simple as a parent ringing up and saying their child is missing, text sent out.

what if that parent has had a child removed for good reason and should not know where they are? Foster parents already need to be super careful with school social media etc.

Needmorelego · 07/06/2022 14:24

@HogDogKetchup exactly. Much quicker. Although with 24 hour rolling TV news things are quicker to report these days.

Needmorelego · 07/06/2022 14:25

@Inthesameboatatmo also I believe in the USA you don't sign up to these schemes - they are automatic.

Inthesameboatatmo · 07/06/2022 14:26

Needmorelego · 07/06/2022 14:23

@Inthesameboatatmo but it won't be like that. A child will need to be reported missing through official channels (is the police) and when police have decided exactly what the situation is the decision will be made whether to put out the alert/report on the news/release a tweet etc.
It's not going to be any Tom, Dick and Sally doing it.

I'm well aware of that. My thoughts on it still stand. An alert won't do anything more that the news and social media do already. And nobody is going to be on the look for a text message about a missing child while they go about their very busy daily lives.

HogDogKetchup · 07/06/2022 14:31

Needmorelego · 07/06/2022 14:24

@HogDogKetchup exactly. Much quicker. Although with 24 hour rolling TV news things are quicker to report these days.

The reach will be much greater than a news report. People always carry their phone but aren’t always checking the news.

0blio · 07/06/2022 14:35

If you have a newish phone the facility is already there in the settings, whether your phone is 'registered' or not. This enables everyone to be contacted about local emergencies or national situations.
This could be used to let people know about missing children, if appropriate.

Child missing alert
Justkeeppedaling · 07/06/2022 14:36

The Local Authority don’t deal with missing children, what a non question? You surely understand the sentiment behind the notion “authorities”. I.e an organisation equipped and empowered to deal with a missing child.

Still doesn't answer my question. Which organisation exactly?

Needmorelego · 07/06/2022 14:41

@Inthesameboatatmo but if your phone is with you, switched on and volume up you would hear the ping of a message.
Takes 2 seconds to see if it's your mum, a scam text trying to get your bank details, a reminder from your network or a missing child alert. You can decide what to read or ignore like any other text message and get on with your busy life.
If you don't hear your phone ping or it's in your locker at work then these texts are irrelevant but if you do happen to have your phone with you then taking 2 seconds to look could make a difference.
A few years ago I was on a busy beach when the lifeguards used a very loud tannoy to announce a child was missing and described him. Everyone on that beach had their head pop up when this loud message happened because it was unusual. Some people instantly starting looking around, some rolled over and went back to sunbathing.
The child was found within minutes.

HogDogKetchup · 07/06/2022 14:41

Justkeeppedaling · 07/06/2022 14:36

The Local Authority don’t deal with missing children, what a non question? You surely understand the sentiment behind the notion “authorities”. I.e an organisation equipped and empowered to deal with a missing child.

Still doesn't answer my question. Which organisation exactly?

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

Needmorelego · 07/06/2022 14:48

@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?

Inthesameboatatmo · 07/06/2022 14:49

Needmorelego · 07/06/2022 14:41

@Inthesameboatatmo but if your phone is with you, switched on and volume up you would hear the ping of a message.
Takes 2 seconds to see if it's your mum, a scam text trying to get your bank details, a reminder from your network or a missing child alert. You can decide what to read or ignore like any other text message and get on with your busy life.
If you don't hear your phone ping or it's in your locker at work then these texts are irrelevant but if you do happen to have your phone with you then taking 2 seconds to look could make a difference.
A few years ago I was on a busy beach when the lifeguards used a very loud tannoy to announce a child was missing and described him. Everyone on that beach had their head pop up when this loud message happened because it was unusual. Some people instantly starting looking around, some rolled over and went back to sunbathing.
The child was found within minutes.

@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.

OneFrenchEgg · 07/06/2022 14:50

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.

Flopisfatteningbingforchristmas · 07/06/2022 14:53

Needmorelego · 07/06/2022 14:13

@Flopisfatteningbingforchristmas what's the difference in this and having it reported on the 6 o'clock news?

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

Needmorelego · 07/06/2022 14:53

@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.

Inthesameboatatmo · 07/06/2022 14:56

Needmorelego · 07/06/2022 14:53

@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.

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.

OneFrenchEgg · 07/06/2022 14:59

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

Child missing alert
Needmorelego · 07/06/2022 14:59

@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.

Needmorelego · 07/06/2022 15:01

@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.

Needmorelego · 07/06/2022 15:04

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.