Amber Alert Hellas

A National Coordinating Programme of timely and accurate notification of citizens on cases of missing /abducted minors

Amber Alert Hellas is the National Coordinating Programme of timely and accurate notification of citizens on cases of missing /abducted minors. “The Smile of the Child” activates Amber Alert Hellas upon the approval of the Greek Police Authorities.

The operation of the Amber Alert Hellas is based on the provision of quick, accurate and detailed information to citizens on a missing child case few minutes after the reporting of the case to the Police or the Organization “The Smile of the Child”. To achieve this, a number of actors (public private, voluntary) are involved with purpose to communicate the details of the missing child and other basic information through the mass media (TV channels and radio spots), the social media (Facebook posts), SMS, announcements on airports’ monitors etc.

Today, 61 partners participate to the Amber Alert Hellas.

"The Smile of the Child" initiated the operation of Amber Alert Hellas in Greece in 2007.

The cases the Amber Alert Hellas is activated

The missing child cases the Amber Alert Hellas can be activated should be assessed collectively and should meet some of the following criteria:

• Small age of child / children
• Clear indications that prove that the life or health of the child may be at risk.
• Suspicions that indicate a possible abduction or kidnapping of a child.
• The activation of the system will help to identify the child
• The police decide whether the activation of the system will not endanger the life of the child.

How can we all actively participate

We can all actively participate in the rescue procedure of a missing child, by registering to the AMBER ALERT HELLAS, through our mobile phone.

It applies for COSMOTE - VODAFONE - WIND subscribers

More specifically, in order to register, you ONLY need to send the postal code of the area(s) in which you reside and/or work, and in the event of a missing child you will receive an SMS with the information and description of the missing child.

Registration to the AMBER ALERT HELLAS services

• Send an SMS to 116000 from your mobile phone with the postal codes you wish to use
• Receive reply SMS (without charge to the subscriber), which will confirm your registration to the AMBER ALERT HELLAS service
• When the AMBER ALERT HELLAS service is activated, every registered subscriber will receive an SMS with the information and description of the missing child (without charge to the subscriber)
  

Unsubscribing from the AMBER ALERT HELLAS service

Send an SMS to 116000 from your mobile phone writing NO. You will be automatically deleted from the AMBER ALERT HELLAS service

History of Amber Alert

Amber Alert was created in 1996, and was the legacy of 9-year-old Amber Hagerman, a little girl who was abducted while riding her bike, and brutally murdered in Arlington, Texas. The tragedy shook and enraged the local community. Residents contacted radio stations in the Dallas area and suggested that special bulletins should be broadcasted that would help prevent similar events in the future.

In response to the request of the citizens, regarding the safety of their children, the Dallas/Fort Worth Association of Radio Managers in cooperation with the local Police authorities in North Texas, created an innovative early warning system that aimed at locating abducted children. Statistics show that time is the worst enemy in child abduction cases.

The Amber Alert programme was created under the coordination of the National Centre for Missing and Exploited Children, which is a member of the International Centre for Missing and Exploited Children that has its headquarters in Washington, USA, and is a volunteer coalition of Police Authorities, Media and other bodies (Private and State, Mobile phone companies etc.) with the purpose of immediately activating and broadcasting emergency bulletins/messages in case of a child abduction, especially when there are reasonable suspicions that the victim is in immediate danger. In April of 2003, the Amber Alert was adopted in the U.S. as the National Programme for dealing with such cases

We joined efforts to ensure the safe return of all children to their homes.

AMBER ALERT HELLAS -currently- operates through the coalition of 57 bodies, which has never happened before in Greece.

MINISTRIES - PUBLIC SECTOR:

• General Secretariat for Civil Protection
• Ministry of Order and Citizen Protection - Hellenic Police - Hellenic Fire Department
• Ministry of Shipping - Hellenic Coast Guard
• Ministry of Interior
• Ministry of Infrastructure, Transportation and Networks.
  The monitors installed in public transportation vehicles display information on the missing child, as well as including posters of the missing child.
• Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
• Ministry of Justice, Transparency and Human Rights.
• Ministry of Health (National Health Operation Center)
• Ministry of Environment, Energy and Climate Change.
• Ministry of Culture
• Ministry of National Defence
• Region of Attica
  All the Electronic Variable Message Signs along the national highway, within and outside Attica, display information on the missing child.
• Region of Thessaloniki
  All the Electronic Variable Message Signs along the national highway, display information on the missing child.
• Thessaloniki International Airport «Macedonia» - Civil Aviation Department.
  Information on the missing child is announced throughout the airport, and all monitors show photographs of the child.
• Heraklion International Airport «Nikos Kazatzakis» - Civil Aviation Department
  Information on the missing child is announced throughout the airport, and all monitors show photographs of the child.

TV STATIONS:

The TV programme is interrupted and a TV spot is shown with information on the missing child.

• ΑΝΤΕΝΝΑ GROUP
• MEGA
• ALPHA
• STAR
• SKAI
• MAD TV

RADIO STATIONS:

The radio programme is interrupted and a radio spot is broadcasted with information on the missing child.

• SKAI
• EASY RADIO
• RYTHMOS
• ALPHA 989
• ENERGY 88.6
• PEPPER
• MAD RADIO 106,2

INTERNET PROVIDERS & & LAND TELEPHONY:

• COSMOTE
• CYTA
• FORTHNET

MOBILE PHONE COMPANIES:

All subscribers of mobile phone companies can register with the AMBER ALERT HELLAS service and receive information on missing children through SMS, when the AMBER ALERT HELLAS is activated.

• COSMOTE
• VODAFONE
• WIND

PRIVATE SECTOR / SUPERVISING BODIES:

• ATHENS INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT "ELEFTHERIOS VENIZELOS".
  Information on the missing child is announced throughout the airport, and all monitors show photographs of the child.
• Public Transport S.A. - STA.SYS.A (METRO-TRAM-ISAP)
• KTEL AITOLOAKARNANIAS A.E. through the monitors of the bus station
• ATTIKI ODOS S.A.
  All Electronic Variable Message Signs along the tunnel, display information on the missing child.
• OPERATING BODY FOR UNDERSEA TUNNEL OF AKTIO - PREVEZA JOINT VENTURE OF TRIKA AEKTE G. MOUSTAFERIS & SON E.E.
  All Electronic Variable Message Signs along the tunnel, display information on the missing child
• EGNATIA ODOS S.A.
  All the Electronic Variable Message Signs along the tunnel, display information on the missing child
• ATHENS – ATTICA HOTEL ASSOCIATION
• HELLENIC CHAMBER OF HOTELS
• THESSALONIKI HOTELS ASSOCIATION
• AEGEAN AIRLINES
• GOODY'S
• TITAN CEMENT S.A.
• ACROPOLI TAXIS
• TNT EXPRESS GREECE
• NATIONAL BANK OF GREECE
• MOREAS S.A
  All Electronic Variable Message Signs along MOREAS S.A, display information on the missing child

VOLUNTARY BODIES:

• HELLENIC RESCUE TEAM
  If AMBER ALERT HELLAS is active, then initially the local rescue team and gradually the national team will mobilize to locate the child
• RSF Hellas Group Communications and Volunteer Rescue
• CIVIL OLYMPIC VILLAGE PROTECTION
• Hellenic Red Cross - Voluteer Samaritans, Rescuers and lifeguards Corps
• VOLUNTEER ORGANISATION "THE SMILE OF THE CHILD"
• SEARCH AND RESCUE TEAM "THANASSIS MAKRIS"