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an amber alert notification on a vancouver transit bus during a child abduction in july 2023.
nick procaylo
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an amber alert is a major escalation in a missing-child case. it’s intended to put the whole community on watch in a serious, potentially life-threatening situation where a young person has been taken against their will.
the system has evolved over the years, with new technology and evolving protocols that differ slightly from jurisdiction to jurisdiction.
here’s what to know about amber alerts in b.c.:
how did amber alerts start?
the first system was created in the u.s. in 1996, after the abduction and murder of nine-year-old amber hagerman in texas. local police and broadcasters teamed up to deliver immediate warnings under the acronym america’s missing: broadcast emergency response (amber).
the idea of an emergency notification system quickly spread through other communities and eventually made its way north of the border, beginning with a provincewide amber alert system in alberta in 2002. b.c. launched its program on national missing children’s day on may 25, 2004, and every province had a version by 2009.
they’re called amber alerts in b.c. and across canada as in the u.s., though the original acronym doesn’t apply here.
how are amber alerts triggered?
police across b.c. deal with missing person’s cases by the dozen every week, but most are adults and, even when the subject is a child or youth, it is often not considered urgent enough for an alert.
the key difference between a routine missing person case and an amber alert is the suspected abduction of someone under 18 years of age, and concern that the child is in “grave danger,” as the national police federation describes it. there must also be a “reasonable expectation” that sending out an alert will help find the child.
who makes the call?
the responsibility for deciding to issue an amber alert in b.c. rests with the police agency in the municipality where the child went missing, usually the local rcmp detachment, in partnership with the provincial rcmp. it can be delivered regionally or provincewide depending on the specific situation and whether it’s thought the abductor is on the run.
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while the provincial government’s emergencyinfobc helps share the alert, it isn’t the agency responsible for the decision. that is the emergency management ministry’s role only in the event of a natural disaster like a wildfire, tsunami or flood.
what happens next?
police use a web application that can deliver an amber alert within minutes of the decision that one is needed. radio and tv broadcasts are immediately interrupted with an alarm and information on the alert. since 2018, the alert is also sent to all compatible cellular devices, and can be shared on social media and displayed on transit vehicles and highway signs.
details such as the name, age and description of the child, the abduction suspect or suspects, their photographs and make-of-vehicle if applicable are shared in the alert.
what should the public do?
the rcmp says you should stay vigilant, noting all the details of the alert and keeping an eye out for the child, suspect and vehicle. if spotted, call 911 or the number provided in the alert. also key is to avoid speculating about the amber alert online. “false information can derail investigations,” says the rcmp. leave updates to the police and only share verified information.
police also ask the public to respect the urgency behind the alert. they “are life-saving tools — don’t tie up emergency lines with complaints.”
when are they not appropriate?
as mentioned, there are many missing-child cases that don’t lead to an amber alert. a non-custodial parent is often the alleged kidnapper, but that isn’t enough on its own to lead to an alert. there must be a belief that the child is at risk of harm.
they’re also not used if there is no clear evidence of an abduction, such as when a child has gone missing but it’s unclear if they were taken, and if police don’t have a useful description of the suspect or vehicle. it also may not be appropriate if too much time has passed since the disappearance when police are notified.
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“the public is often critical when police initiate an amber alert, especially in cases of parental abductions,” notes b.c. rcmp spokeswoman sgt. vanessa munn. “but the key is that there must be reason to believe the child is in imminent danger. this is not about custody disputes — it’s about a child’s safety.”
how often are they used?
amber alerts are rare in canada, as are stranger abductions. there were only five across the country in 2025, and just one of those was in b.c. so far in 2026, there have been two — in quick succession in july — in b.c., though one of those originated in alberta with the suspect believed to have travelled out-of-province.
there have been a total of 90 in canada in the past decade (2016 to 2025), and just eight in b.c. the longest one that has lasted in b.c. was a surrey rcmp alert in july 2023, which lasted 10 days before a mother and two children were found in alberta.
the rarity of their use might explain their effectiveness. of the 113 canadian children who were subjects of amber alerts since 2016, 106 have been returned home safe. there hasn’t been a death of a child who was the subject of an alert since 2020.
“amber alert sends a strong message that crimes against children are intolerable, and in some cases has acted as a deterrent to potential abductors,” the rcmp says.
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