MONTREAL – More than 50,000 children are reported missing in Canada every year, so Avis de recherche (ADR.tv), the television channel devoted to public safety, today launched Child Alert, an iPhone application that allows parents to create and save a digital profile of their child.
In the event of emergency, parents can then quickly send this data sheet to the authorities. A version for Android will be available in the near future.
According to ADR.tv, the first few hours following a disappearance are crucial and reacting quickly can significantly increase the chances of finding a child safe and sound. More often than not, however, parents in such a situation are rather emotional and often can’t give an accurate depiction of their child.
The Child Alert data sheet features height, weight, hair and eye colour, plus all other distinguishing features. The app also lets parents save photos of their child taken from a number of different angles.
"Our Child Alert application lets parents have a detailed physical description of their children at their fingertips", explained Vincent Géracitano, President of Avis de recherche. "The app also sends users a regular reminder to keep their data up-to-date."
”Our goal at the Center is to protect and save children’s lives. The more tools we have the more we can fulfill our mandate,” added Monique Perras, S/Sgt, NCO i/c National Missing Children’s Services, RCMP.
