Public Encouraged to Register for Child Search Alerts
(ORILLIA, ON) – The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) is proud to announce today, in recognition of Missing Children’s Month and International Missing Children’s Day, its new partnership with the Missing Children Society of Canada (MCSC). The OPP has adopted MCSC’s “rescu” progressive web application (PWA) to help enhance its efforts to locate missing children.
MCSC “rescu” allows the public to subscribe to Child Search Alerts via SMS for urgent missing children cases in their area and provides interactive maps of missing children across Canada. This tool aims to increase community awareness and engagement in the search for missing children.
If a child goes missing within OPP jurisdiction, the OPP will collaborate with MCSC to publish details on “rescu” and, if appropriate criteria is met, issue Child Search Alerts. These targeted and non-intrusive alerts are only sent to subscribers in the defined search area. To be eligible for inclusion on “rescu”, the missing child must be under 18 years of age or have a developmental functioning level under 18 years of age due to neurocognitive conditions. Child Search Alerts will only be sent for the most urgent cases, including those involving:
- Threats of self-harm or suicide
- Drug/alcohol addiction posing safety risks
- Neurocognitive disorders
- Indigenous or 2SLGBTQQIA+ individuals
- Risk of serious bodily harm or death
The OPP encourages the public to register for Child Search Alerts and submit any tips that could help. Every tip is followed up and might be just the piece of information needed to locate a child. Your information could mean resolution for a family who has experienced the trauma of having a child or loved one go missing.
In emergencies, always call 9-1-1. For non-urgent OPP-related matters, call 1-888-310-1122. Anonymous tips can be submitted via Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477) or ontariocrimestoppers.ca.
For more information about “rescu” or to register for alerts, visit mcsc.ca/rescu.
