AMBER alert now on Facebook

Press release - Those responsible for the AMBER alert in Quebec announced at a press conference today the arrival of a new partner who will help the police to find a child abducted when an AMBER alert is triggered.

Those responsible for the AMBER alert in Quebec have joined with Facebook to create a special page on this social networking site. This way, Facebook users who sign up for the AMBER alert page will be instantly notified the next time an alert is triggered. People who have a mobile Facebook app will also receive alert details and available photos.

The police forces responsible for the AMBER alert in Quebec, namely the Sûreté du Québec, the Service de police de la Ville de Montréal and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, indicated that their goal was to reach as many people as possible, and this in order to quickly find an abducted child.

They therefore invite Facebook users to join the AMBER alert page as soon as possible at the following address: http://www.facebook.com/AlerteAMBERQC.

Quebec is the fifth province to announce this partnership with Facebook. The project was initiated by the New Brunswick-based non-profit Child Safety Research and Innovation Center.

The acronym AMBER stands for Media Alert But Wanted Child. This rapid information system is put in place when the abduction of a child is reported and their life is threatened.