In the first quarter of 2018, competent law enforcement issued 9 AMBER Alerts for 10 children across Europe. In 80 percent of these cases, the children were safely recovered. In the Netherlands, for example, a national AMBER Alert successfully ended the search for a 6-month-old baby abducted by her biological parents. In France, a 2-month-old boy was found alive after the issuance of a national AMBER Alert, an Alerte Enlèvement.
In the Netherlands, an AMBER Alert resulted in the successful recovery of a 6-month-old baby girl. The child, who was placed in foster care, was violently taken by her biological parents. Because police feared they had crossed the border, the alert was also shared with police and citizens in Belgium and Germany. A vigilant citizen saw the AMBER Alert, which led to the quick recovery of the girl in a German town near the Netherlands. The baby was found in good health.
Police authorities from France, in turn, sent out an Alerte Enlèvement after a 2-month-old baby was taken from a hospital by his father. The infant was very ill and in desperate need of medical attention. Not long after the Alerte Enlèvement was issued, the boy was found alive.
‘Life or death’ cases
While many more children go missing in Europe, AMBER Alerts are only used in the most urgent cases. Police issue a national AMBER Alert when they believe a missing or abducted child’s life is in imminent danger and the public can help in the search for the child.
