East Algoma OPP says that not all of the criteria was in place for police to issue an Amber Alert in the disappearance of a mother and daughter from Mississauga First Nation earlier this week.
Police received a missing person report Monday morning after five-year-old Nakina Boyer and her mother departed their residence but failed to attend a scheduled appointment.
A number of people took to social media this week, openly criticizing the OPP for its decision not to issue an Amber Alert in the young girl’s disappearance.
“You need to do better for our Indigenous children!” one person commented on an OPP Facebook page earlier this week. “Despicable that no Amber Alert was issued. Just despicable.”
Speaking with SooToday Thursday, East Algoma OPP Const. Bev Gauthier said there are four criteria that need to be met in order to issue an Amber Alert in Ontario:
Police believe a child under 18 years of age has been abducted
Police believe the child is in danger
There is descriptive information on one or more of the following: child, abductor or vehicle
There’s a belief an immediate broadcast alert will help in locating the child
“An Amber Alert is an emergency broadcast that is issued in the event of a child abduction,” according to the OPP website. “It is only issued when the abducted child is believed to be at imminent risk of bodily harm or death.”
FULL STORY: https://www.sudbury.com/around-the-north/why-didnt-opp-issue-amber-alert-for-missing-indigenous-girl-8133356
