Police learn latest methods to deal with cases of missing or abducted children

National Missing Childrens’ Services hosts national and international conference

Ottawa, ON – September 18, 2007 – Law enforcement officers, Government departments, non government agencies and advocacy groups will gather in Ottawa from September 18-20 for the National Missing Children Services (NMCS) Conference. The objective is to share information and best practices to better address situations involving runaway or abducted children.

“A missing child is a parent’s worst nightmare, whether the child has run away or been adbucted,” says Superintendent Earla-Kim McColl, Officer in Charge of the Canadian Police Centre for Missing and Exploited Children under which NMCS operates. “The majority of abductions in Canada are parental abductions. There is a misconception that parental abductions are a civil issue, when they actually represent a criminal offence. Law enforcement needs to take prompt action in order to locate and reunite the child with the rightful parent or guardian.”

“Canada’s New Government is committed to protecting our children, and we have taken action,” says Dave MacKenzie, Member of Parliament and Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Public Safety. “We have invested $6 million to help protect children from on-line predators. We have also tabled legislation to address the problem of dangerous sexual offenders and to raise the age of protection to protect children against sexual predators.”

A total of 90 delegates will be on hand, including representatives from the United States and Belgium.

The NMCS annual conference, which focuses primarily on police officers, offers the opportunity to learn about legislation that can assist their investigations, best practices that could be adapted to similar situations, increased knowledge about the Amber Alert Program, and a clear picture of the current situation of missing children in Canada.

In Canada, the police agency of jurisdiction can contact NMCS to access assistance and expertise in addressing a report of a missing child. NMCS is recognized as a source of expertise in this field, and as a national service, coordinates efforts across and between police in different jurisdictions, and with government departments.

It is a clearing house for information on missing children and offers investigative services to law enforcement in Canada and internationally.

NMCS supports the RCMP’s strategic priority on youth. The RCMP is committed to working with youth to help prevent them from becoming involved with crime either as a victim or an offender.

- 30 -

For more information, please contact:
RCMP Media Relations at (613) 993-2999