Major Initiative Launched To Find Missing Children
Taking KidSafety to the StreetTM initiative unveiled with launch of MissingKids.co.uk awareness campaign at Victoria Station
A major initiative to help the police find the thousands of children who go missing in the UK has today been unveiled with the launch of the Taking KidSafety to the StreetTM initiative, led by the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) based at New Scotland Yard, children's charity PACT and facilities management company, EMCOR Group (UK).
Over 100,000 children go missing every year in the UK – approximately, one child every five minutes. It is estimated that up to a third of these children are under the age of 13. Some run away, others are forced out of their homes, and others still are victims of abductions, either by strangers or members of their family.
Speed is critical in locating missing and abducted children. The rapid distribution of a child's photograph can make the difference between a fast recovery and a prolonged search.
As of today, posters of missing children from the Missingkids.co.uk website, run by the Police National Missing Persons Bureau (PNMPB), will be displayed on EMCOR's 450 vans across the country, along with 4,000 car stickers distributed to staff promoting the Missing Kids website. Members of the public are urged to look out for these posters and visit the Missing Kids website and call the police on the free-phone number 0808 100 8777 with any information they may have.
The first poster features a 15 year-old girl from Luton who has been missing for four months. Sasha McLeish left for school at 8am on 23rd June but failed to turn up. Bedfordshire Police believe it is possible Sasha may have travelled to Harlesden in north west London where it is thought she had a teenage boyfriend. The Police are appealing to anyone who may have seen or heard from Sasha either in the London or Luton areas to get in touch.
In addition to helping recover missing children like Sasha, the Taking KidSafety to the Street initiative also hopes to increase public support of the Missing Kids website in order to leverage much needed resource to help police authorities understand and reduce the number of children who go missing.
Deputy Assistant Commissioner of New Scotland Yard, Richard Bryan, said: "The police service and other organisations who have a responsibility to safeguard children must embrace all that today's technology can offer in helping us find them and look after their welfare.
"The Missing Kids website is a beneficial tool used by police officers investigating the disappearances of missing children and it supplements the other forms of media already in use like television and newspapers. The website's ability to display photographs and descriptions of missing children on an IT system which is assessable globally is of particular benefits in those investigations which have an international dimension.
"We are delighted to have the support of EMCOR to help us raise awareness of this and support the development of the Missing Kids website – a vital element to the campaign if we are to understand and help prevent children who go missing."
Frank T MacInnis, global chairman of EMCOR Group, which first came to the aid of Missing Kids in the US in September 2005 as part of its Taking KidSafety to the Street initiative, is convinced that the public can play a big part in helping find missing children.
"We've seen in the States how effective the public can be in helping authorities find and recover missing children. Millions of people visit the facilities we maintain – from shopping centres and hospitals through to schools, museums and work places – so with EMCOR's vehicles serving as moving billboards to and from these sites, our hope is that this effort will exponentially increase the chances of finding missing children."
Lady Meyer, Founder of Parents and Abducted Children Together (PACT) which promotes the Missing Kids website and has done considerable work researching and campaigning for better policies, infrastructure and resource to address the issue of missing children, commented:
"We would like to congratulate EMCOR on this important initiative. This is a major step in getting the public directly involved in helping the police locate missing children. The scale of the problem is probably greater than people realise but, as of today, we do not know how many children go missing in this country and why.
"Without reliable statistics we cannot establish the extent and nature of the problem. This makes it impossible to plan effective programmes and preventative policies. Until this situation is remedied, and we dedicate the necessary resources to understanding the issue, our children will not get the protection they deserve. At the beginning of the 21st century we have better and more comprehensive figures on stray dogs than on missing children."
Tony Whale, EMCOR UK's CEO, also threw down a challenge to UK businesses in support of the campaign:
"We've given 4,000 Missing Kids car stickers to all our UK staff. I challenge other UK businesses to do the same - help us build awareness of Missing Kids by offering these car stickers to your own staff. We're happy to provide the stickers free of charge. Simply call 0845 600 2300 or email ukinfo@emcoruk.com."
Editors Notes
MissingKids.co.uk
The UK Missing Kids Website is a unique, state-of-the art tool designed to help the police recover missing and abducted children. It is a partnership between the Police, charities, and the private sector.
The Missing Kids Website was originally created in the USA by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC). It was introduced to England, Wales and Northern Ireland in June 2000, and to Scotland in June 2004. The site is managed by the Police National Missing Persons Bureau (PNMPB), and by a number of police forces.
The UK Missing Kids Website is the only site of this kind which is approved by the Home Office, ACPO (Association of Chief Police Officers) and ACPO(S) (Association of Chief Police Officers Scotland).
Only the police can enter information on the UK site.
The Missing Kids Website has been introduced to 16 countries and more are joining every year. The latest country to join was the Republic of Ireland.
EMCOR Group (UK)
Headquartered in London, EMCOR Group (UK) plc (EMCOR) is a wholly owned subsidiary of EMCOR Group, Inc. (NYSE:EME) a Fortune 500® company with over $4.7 billion in annual revenues and a global leader in mechanical and electrical construction, energy infrastructure and facilities services. An independent specialist contractor, established over a century ago, EMCOR gives life to new structures and sustains life in existing ones by its planning, designing, installing, operating and maintaining the sophisticated and dynamic systems that create facility environments - such as electrical, mechanical, lighting, air conditioning, heating, ventilation, telecommunications, security, power generation systems and public health - in virtually every sector of the economy and for a diverse range of businesses throughout the UK.
EMCOR Group's 'Build it. Power it. Service it.' slogan reflects its rare combination of end-to-end capabilities, and global reach with local execution, combining the strength of an industry leader with the knowledge and care of over 26,000 skilled employees at 70 local operating companies in 140 locations worldwide.
Additional information on EMCOR can be found at www.emcoruk.com
PACT
PACT is an international, non-profit organisation, registered in the USA and the UK. It was founded in 2000 by Lady Meyer, wife of the then British Ambassador to the United States. Its patrons are Cherie Blair, wife of the British Prime Minister, and Laura Bush, First Lady of the United States.
PACT's initial mission was to fight parental child abduction across frontiers by raising awareness of a growing, but little-known, problem and by advocating solutions.
The Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO)
ACPO is an independent, professionally led strategic body. In the public interest and, in equal and active partnership with Government and the Association of Police Authorities, ACPO leads and coordinates the direction and development of the police service in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. In times of national need ACPO, on behalf of all chief officers, coordinates the strategic policing response.
The Association supports the philosophy of strong local policing, and believes that must be maintained within the tripartite framework of policing which brings together the local Chief Constable, the local Police Authority and the Home Secretary.
But the nature of modern crime, with an increasingly international dimension, and the ever present need to use public resources to best effect, places a voluntary duty on forces to work together, employing common policies, strategies and methods wherever possible.
Police National Missing Persons Bureau
The Police National Missing Persons Bureau is a specialist police unit which acts as a centre for the exchange of information connected with the search for missing persons both nationally and internationally. It is based at New Scotland Yard and serves UK Forces and overseas agencies. It focuses on cross-matching missing persons with unidentified bodies/persons.
The PNMPB is located at New Scotland Yard and functions as the central clearing house for information on missing persons. The PNMPB serves UK Forces and overseas agencies.
The PNMPB offers advice in relation to information available from government and non-government agencies, which may be of assistance in missing person or unidentified body/persons enquiries. It is not responsible for conducting any missing persons enquiries.
The Bureau has contacts with most government departments and also the primary non-governmental organisations and charities that deal with missing persons.
The PNMPB has a quality control and liaison function in respect of all cases placed on the website. It is also the central point of contact for all cases featured on posters.
