On May 20th Dr. Kay Swinburne (European Conservatives and Reformists, UK) presents AMBER Alert Europe’s five key points to help save the lives of endangered missing children. The five points are introduced during a high-profile event in the European Parliament in Strasbourg. During the event Dr. Swinburne, backed by her British Conservative colleagues and more than 100 MEPs, calls for a stronger European AMBER Alert network.
“AMBER Alert is a great idea, but it can work even better”, says Dr. Swinburne. “We want more individuals, more organisations, more countries to get involved, so that in the long run we will save more children’s lives. We also want the existing network to work better. That is what the five key points are about.”
The five key points call for:
1. A bigger, stronger AMBER Alert network
2. More flexibility in issuing alerts
3. Better cross-border information sharing
4. Better cross-border police co-operation
5. Border checks on children’s passports
AMBER Alert Europe calls on all MEP’s to follow Dr. Swinburne’s example and bring the five key points into action. Click here for more information on the five key points.
Expert panel
Dr. Swinburne is joined by a panel of experts including Frank Hoen, President of AMBER Alert Europe; Charlie Hedges, European Alert Coordinator for AMBER Alert; Dr. Petra Binkova of the Czech Republic Interior Ministry and Martin Shipton, chief reporter of Welsh newspaper, the Western Mail.
The expert panel emphasise that searches are time-critical, as 76 percent of children taken by someone who means them harm are killed within three hours. Nowadays efforts to trace victims are too often hindered by lack of public awareness, poor cross-border co-operation and blurred lines of responsibility.
Mr. Charlie Hedges (European Alert Coordinator AMBER Alert Europe), Mr. Frank Hoen (President AMBER Alert Europe), Dr. Kay Swinburne (Member of the European Parliament)
Mr. Frank Hoen (President AMBER Alert Europe), Mr. Charlie Hedges (European Alert Coordinator AMBER Alert Europe), Dr. Kay Swinburne (Member of the European Parliament), Martin Shipton (Chief reporter of Welsh newspaper, the Western Mail) and Dr. Petra Binkova (Czech Republic Interior Ministry)
