Emergency Alerts system for high-risk missing children

We call on the UK Government to expand the Emergency Alerts system so that when a child is reported missing and police believe they are at genuine risk, a targeted alert is sent to mobile phones in the local area where the child was last seen.

The alert should include a short description of the child, what they were wearing, any relevant details (such as a vehicle), and clear instructions to call 999 with any sightings. It should only be sent to phones in a defined local radius and only in cases that meet strict risk criteria.

Every year tens of thousands of children go missing in the UK. Most are found quickly, but in the most serious cases the first few hours are critical. A rapid public response can make the difference between a child being found safely and a tragic outcome.

The UK already has the Child Rescue Alert system (similar to America’s AMBER Alert). It can interrupt TV and radio and use social media when the strict criteria are met. However, it does not automatically push alerts straight to people’s mobile phones.

The Government’s Emergency Alerts system already exists and can send loud, attention-grabbing messages to phones even when they are on silent. It is currently used for floods, extreme weather and other life-threatening emergencies. Extending it to high-risk missing children cases would:

•  Reach thousands of people in the exact area where the child was last seen within minutes

•  Put far more eyes on the streets during the most important window of time

•  Work even if people are not watching television, listening to the radio or checking social media

•  Remain tightly controlled and local, avoiding unnecessary national panic

•  Use technology the Government already owns and has tested

Other countries have shown that fast, targeted public alerts help recover children. A simple local mobile alert would give communities across the UK the same chance to help

What success would look like

•  Police can trigger a local Emergency Alert for a missing child when the risk criteria are met

•  The alert goes only to phones in the relevant area

•  The public receives clear, useful information and knows exactly how to report sightings

•  The system is used sparingly and responsibly so people continue to trust and act on the alerts

This would not replace existing police searches or the Child Rescue Alert. It would simply give the public a faster and more effective way to help when a child’s life may be in danger.

Please support this petition so that when a child goes missing and is at risk, the people closest to them can be alerted immediately and help bring them home safely.