Child Rescue Ireland Alert (CRI Alert) is a system that enables An Garda Síochána to seek the assistance of the public where a child has been abducted and there is a reasonable belief that there is an immediate and serious risk to the health or welfare of a child. A CRI Alert will only be launched when all the following criteria exist.

• The child is under the age of eighteen (18) years
• There is a reasonable belief that the child has been abducted
• There is a reasonable belief that there is an immediate and serious risk to the health or welfare of a child
• There is sufficient information available to enable the public to assist An Garda Síochána in locating the child

If the above criteria are met, alert information is assembled for distribution to the public via several media, including but not limited to: Radio, Television, Social Network Sites and Electronic Road Signs. This information may include descriptions and pictures of the missing child, the suspected abductor, and a suspected vehicle along with any other information available which may be valuable in identifying the child and suspect. Only An Garda Síochána can initiate and release CRI Alerts for initial distribution. The CRI Alert message encourages the public to look for the abducted child or suspected offender. If you see the child, suspected abductor, or vehicle fitting the CRI Alert description, immediately call 112/999 and provide An Garda Síochána with as much information as possible. For further information on the CRI Alert system please see www.garda.ie

The purpose of the CRI Alert is to seek the assistance of the public when investigating child abduction cases. It does so by publicising relevant information and details which facilitate members of the public in identifying the abducted child, the suspect, or vehicles involved in the abduction and immediately feeding that information back to the investigating Gardaí.

If the criteria are met, CRI alert information is assembled by An Garda Síochána and distributed to the public.

A number of external agencies have partnered with An Garda Síochána and Memorandums of Understanding are in place between the different agencies ensuring a coordinated approach when initiating a CRI Alert. An Garda Síochána is working together with agencies such as the:

• The National Roads Authority
• Health Service Executive
• The Railway Procurement Agency
• Iarnród Eireann
• Dublin City Council
• Dublin Bus
• Emergency Call Answering Service
• The National Media

It is only through this coordinated multiagency approach and using the assistance of the public that the CRI Alert will function to its full potential. We are grateful to everyone for their commitment and support.

It is important to emphasise that a CRI Alert will only be initiated when there is a reasonable belief that there is an immediate and serious risk to the health and welfare of the abducted child. The Garda Press and Public Relations Office will provide the media and other information broadcasters with relevant information to alert the public and seek their help.

The information relating to the CRI Alert will be broadcast via several different types of media, including radio, television, internet and electronic road signs. This information may include descriptions and pictures of the missing child, the suspect and registrations or descriptions of vehicles involved in the abduction along with any other information available that may be valuable in rescuing the child or identifying the suspect.

A CRI Alert is an investigative tool used by An Garda Síochána and while many agencies assist in the alert process only an Assistant Commissioner can initiate or cancel an alert. CRI Alerts will be issued on a case by case basis. An Garda Síochána will continue to work with communities to protect the welfare of a child and every case will continue to be investigated thoroughly and professionally utilising all available resources.

Police forces in the United Kingdom, including the Police Service of Northern Ireland, have been operating alert system since 2003 called Child Rescue Alert. Both An Garda Síochána and the PSNI are in agreement that should an alert be triggered in either jurisdiction, the other force will always be informed regardless of whether or not the child has crossed the border. In cases where an abducted child has been brought into or taken out of the jurisdiction the services of INTERPOL will be utilised.

The success of a CRI Alert will depend on the level of engagement of the supporting agencies, media and the general public. When a CRI alert is initiated, bearing in mind its strict criteria, the public will know that a very serious situation has occurred and that the life of a child is in danger.

In 2012, a group of students from David College, Co. Cork identified the issue of missing persons as the focus for their Young Social Innovators project (youngsocialinnovators.ie).

They launched a nationwide 'Forget Me Not' campaign aimed to raise awareness of the issue of missing people and to raise funds to enable searches to continue.

Inspired by the good work of these students, Vodafone wanted to see how it could use its technology to help. With backing from the Vodafone Ireland Foundation and in collaboration with An Garda Síochána, Vodafone developed a smartphone app to alert the public in the case of child abduction.

This statement is provided by An Garda Síochána as data controller and is published here, with its last-review date, at launch.

This statement is provided by An Garda Síochána as data controller and is published here, with its last-review date, at launch.

This statement is provided by An Garda Síochána as data controller and is published here, with its last-review date, at launch.

In an emergency, or if you see a child from a CRI Alert:

\uD83D\uDCDE Call 999 / 112 \u2014 Emergency Garda Confidential Line \u2014 1800 666 111 Find your local Garda station

This app does not take reports. Always contact An Garda Síochána directly using the numbers above.