OTTAWA, ON / ACCESSWIRE / February 25, 2021 / The Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police (CACP) has officially endorsed the Missing Children Society of Canada's (MCSC) new Child Search Network, a national system designed to meet the 'gap of response' for high-risk missing children cases that do not meet the strict criteria for the AMBER Alert, thereby significantly enhancing Canada's national strategy for missing persons.
Over 40,000 children go missing, run away or are abducted in Canada each year, but fewer than one per cent of those cases are broadcast to the public through AMBER Alerts.
Missing persons investigations can be complex, resource intensive and very costly. The CACP is grateful to the Missing Children Society of Canada and to Microsoft and Esri Canada for making this valuable new technology available to police services across Canada, free of charge.
The MCSC Child Search Network is a Canadian-made tool that has been successfully developed in consultation with, and pilot tested by, police services. Many missing children cases cross provincial, territorial and even international borders. The MCSC Child Search Network provides police services with a quick, easy, and cost-effective way to share information and collaborate with one another, as well as with the general public, to find missing children more quickly and reunite them with their families.
Today, the CACP is announcing its endorsement and is urging all police services to adopt and implement the Child Search Network as a standard practice in all high-risk missing children investigations in Canada. Canadians are also invited to serve as additional eyes and ears for the police and as a voice for missing children by downloading the MCSC rescu app available on both the Google Play Store and the Apple App Store to register to receive alerts and share any information they may have regarding a missing child or youth.
The MCSC Child Search Network is about mobilizing the entire Canadian community to ensure that no missing child goes unnoticed. It is tested, proven, and ready to scale nationwide.
Quotes:
"The CACP welcomes the addition of the MCSC Child Search Network as another innovative tool to help support and expedite missing children investigations in Canada. Children and youth are among the most vulnerable citizens in our country. Collaborative efforts like this are key to improving public safety." - CACP President, Chief Bryan Larkin.
"Today is a critical milestone that has been over a decade in the making. The Child Search Network represents a digital transformation of a search tool and public awareness platform designed to leverage technology to support police, involve the general public, and protect children across Canada." - Ms. Amanda Pick, Chief Executive Officer, Missing Children's Society of Canada.
"Microsoft is proud of our ongoing work with the Missing Children Society of Canada. This partnership demonstrates the tremendous potential of technology to help tackle some of our biggest challenges - using Microsoft Azure and AI tools will help MCSC reach more people faster, to help bring missing children home. Protecting our children is our most important job as parents and as Canadians and we are committed to helping innovative organizations like MCSC achieve their goals." - Kevin Peesker, President of Microsoft Canada.
Esri Canada is honoured to be supporting the Child Search Network in determining where Canada's missing children and youth might be, so we can help bring them back to where they should be, home with their family." - Alex Miller, President, Esri Canada
Additional resources:
- Fact sheet: What is the Child Search Network?
- Fact sheet: The Child Search Network: Part of Canada's National Strategy for Missing Children
- Child Search Network video
- Photo gallery
For further information or to arrange a media interview, please contact:
Natalie Wright
Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police
Communications Advisor
communications@cacp.ca
613.838.8807
Amanda Pick
Missing Children Society of Canada
Chief Executive Officer
apick@mcsc.ca
403.291.0705, extension 222
Dimpee Shah
Esri Canada
Marketing Specialist
press@esri.ca
416.407.9041
Julia Perreira
Veritas Communications
On behalf of Microsoft Canada
perreira@veritasinc.com
SOURCE: Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police
View source version on accesswire.com:
https://www.accesswire.com/631934/The-CACP-Endorses-the-Child-Search-Network-to-Help-Support-the-Police-and-Expedite-Missing-Children-Investigations-in-Canada
