Child Rescue Ireland Alert (CRI Alert)
Child Rescue Ireland Alert (CRI Alert)
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.
Members of the public will be asked to call 112 to assist in the scheme.
The Council of the European Union called upon Member States to introduce and develop national mechanisms for alerting the general public in the event of child abduction and indeed this is also recognised in one of the recommendations in the Garda Inspectorate Report Number 5, published in March 2009.
Strict criteria must be met before the CRI Alert will be issued. The criteria for a CRI Alert are:
- 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 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 – Print and Broadcast
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.