In a move to bolster child protection efforts in the country, the Ghana Police Service (GPS) has partnered Meta to launch the AMBER Alert Ghana programme to help locate abducted children by quickly disseminating information across Facebook, Instagram and Messenger.
The AMBER Alert system is designed to instantly notify people in a targeted area where a child is believed to have been abducted and is at risk of harm.
Once activated by the GPS, the AMBER alert will appear directly in the feeds of Facebook and Instagram users and as a notification on Messenger, increasing the likelihood that someone with useful information will come forward.
The alerts will contain key details such as a photo, description, location of abduction, and any identifying information to help the public recognise and respond quickly.
With this launch, Ghana becomes the 36th country globally and the fifth in Africa to activate the AMBER Alert programme after South Africa, Nigeria, Kenya and Morocco.
Turning point
Speaking at the launch yesterday, the Director-General of the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) of the Ghana Police Service, Commissioner of Police (COP) Lydia Yaako Donkor, noted that the AMBER Alert System marked a turning point in the country’s national response to child abduction cases.
She said since its inception four years ago, the Missing Persons Unit of the GPS had managed to reunite 393 children with their families. “Behind each reunion is not only a figure, but a life reclaimed, a family reunited and a community revitalised,” she said.
She thus described the initiative as a new dawn to further enhance the work of the unit and save lives in Ghana.
“The initiative is a new dawn in our shared effort to safeguard our children and to bring them back quickly when they go missing.
It is a tool that will greatly enhance our ability to disseminate important information to the public quickly, engaging communities, stakeholders and law enforcement in real time,” she said.
The CID boss, however, stressed that the AMBER Alert system would allow rapid mobilisation of the public during the crucial first few hours after a child went missing.
“But let me be clear, the effectiveness of this system will not be left to the police alone. It will need the active cooperation of everyone of us, parents, guardians, community leaders, the media and the public at large.
We all must be on the lookout, reactive and dedicated to our children’s safety,” she urged.
COP Donkor praised Meta’s philanthropic partnership for introducing the initiative, adding that it was a powerful example of what was possible through collaboration.
Information sharing
The Director of Law Enforcement Outreach at Meta, Emily Vacher, described the move as a powerful moment in the history of Meta’s AMBER Alert programme.
“For the first time, AMBER Alerts will not only be issued through Facebook and Instagram, but also through Messenger, a significant advancement because when a child goes missing, every minute matters,” she said.
Ms Vacher recounted the story of Amber Hagerman, the nine-year-old girl whose tragic abduction in 1996 in Texas inspired the alert system, noting how back then, there was no effective way to share information quickly.
“Today, through technology, we are able to deliver life-saving information directly into the hands of millions of people within minutes.
“With this rollout, people in Ghana will receive targeted alerts right where they live, work and move through their mobile devices,” she said.
