AMBER Alert

Prince Edward Island now has a program in place that will assist the police if a child goes missing. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police, Charlottetown City Police, Summerside Police Services, Kensington and Borden Police Departments have teamed up with the media to implement the AMBER Alert program in this province.

AMBER Alert was created in 1996 when 9-year-old Amber Hagerman, was kidnapped and brutally murdered in Arlington, Texas. The tragedy shocked and outraged the entire community. Residents contacted radio stations in the Dallas area and suggested they broadcast special "alerts" over the airwaves so that they could help prevent such incidents in the future. In response to the community's concern for the safety of local children, the Dallas/Fort Worth Association of Radio Managers teamed up with local law enforcement agencies in northern Texas and developed this innovative early warning system to help find abducted children.

AMBER Alert is a joint project of police departments on Prince Edward Island, RCMP and the media. It is a voluntary, cooperative program that sends an emergency alert to the public when a child has been abducted and it is believed that their life is in grave danger. It can only be activated by an authorized user of this joint project and is only used for serious child abduction cases. It is important that this program be used appropriately and not be overused.

For the P.E.I. RCMP to issue an AMBER Alert the following four criteria must be met:

  • There is sufficient descriptive detail of the child
  • The child is under the age of 18
    • At the discretion of the Duty Officer, an AMBER Alert can be issued if the individual abducted is 18 years of age or older and of proven mental or physical disability
  • The child's life is believed to be endangered or to be in danger of serious bodily harm
  • There is sufficient descriptive detail of the abducted person, abductor or abductor's vehicle provided in a reasonable time frame to ensure that the public can identify these elements to assist in the safe recovery of the victim

Should the above criteria not be met, the AMBER Alert will not be activated.

For more information, contact the L Division RCMP Media Relations Unit at 902-218-2863.

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