Newsletter - 35th Edition

2007 Kids Horizon - Air Canada / RCMP Child Recovery Award

By Staff Sgt. Roger Martin

Holly Marks Receives a National Service Award

Letter to Recipient

Cst. Holly MARKS was recently recognized for her outstanding work with the AMBER Alert Program. On September 18, 2007, at a ceremony in Ottawa, Ontario, she was presented with the national Air Canada Kids’ Horizons/RCMP Child Recovery Award.

Cst. MARKS played a pivotal role in the development, creation and design of the AMBER Alert Plan for Pacific Region. She provided leadership to the development team and helped cultivate essential operational partnerships with media, transportation corporations and government agencies.

At “E” Division, the AMBER Alert system is utilized to respond to the abduction of children and youth from infancy to 18 years of age. As a web-based launch system, equipped with redundant capabilities such as phone fan outs, it has a trained team of individuals available 24/7 to support front line members when, and if, they have an abducted child report that meets the activation criteria. Also, her management ensured that there was constant technical support available and regular site testing which was designed to maintain system and data integrity.

Since its launch in “E” Division in 2002, AMBER Alert has had six activations. As the operational force behind the program, Holly strove to improve the service with every activation and did so successfully. The system is now a tool with proven value in these situations.

Her colleagues reported "To Holly, AMBER Alert is not just a program but a living thing that can make the difference in the life of a child, their loved ones', and in ours.”

On September 18, 2007, at this year’s National Missing Children Conference held in Ottawa, Ontario, Cst. Holly Marks was presented with the 2007 Air Canada Kids’ Horizons/RCMP Child Recovery award. Pictured with Holly, left to right, are S/Sgt. Roger Martin, NCO i/c National Missing Children Services, Supt. Earla-Kim McColl, OIC National Child Exploitation Coordination Centre, Cst. Holly Marks, Ms.Carol Brochu, an Air Canada representative.

The Air Canada Kids’ Horizons/RCMP Child Recovery Award is an award of excellence that recognizes the work and efforts of a Canadian individual or organization in the search for and safe recovery of missing children. For more information please contact RCMP National Missing Children Services or the Our Missing Children website at www.ourmissingchildren.gc.ca

Canadian Police Center for Missing and Exploited Children

By Sandra Hatzis

Retreat Day

On September 11, 2007, the Canadian Police Center for Missing and Exploited Children (CPCMEC) met at Long Island Locks to discuss their service delivery and future plans. The Centre includes the services of the National Child Exploitation Co-ordination Center (NCECC) and the National Missing Children Services (NMCS).

This session was designed to give the employees of NCECC and NMCS an opportunity to reflect upon their successes and challenges over the past year. The sessions concentrated on the following objectives: to identify their service strengths and weaknesses; to recognize individual expertise within the group and determine how these expertise can be best utilized; to revisit past and current goals and objectives and evaluate their usefulness; and to discuss the ‘best’ strategies for meeting current and future challenges. These objectives were addressed by re-examining priorities, exploring more efficient ways to organize work tasks, and pin pointing ways NCECC and NMCS can work together collaboratively, and with their partners in an effort to develop a more efficient and effective service.

Employees participated actively and were able to identify some critical issues that required an action plan. A list of action items were developed; some that could be addressed immediately (from September to December 2007) and others that could be addressed in the long-term (from September 2007 to September 2008).

In retrospect, most participants felt the retreat was an opportunity for all of us to take a step back and look closely at our service delivery – and most importantly, re-energize ourselves for the work that’s still ahead!

AMBER Alert Program Coordination

By Cpl. Marie-France Olivera

Tell it like it is

From November 13-16, 2007, Cpl. M-F. Olivera attended the annual AMBER Alert Conference held in Denver, Colorado. Law enforcement, media and transport representatives gathered to discuss investigative techniques and potential enhancements to the program – a program which is a voluntary effort between law enforcement and media to quickly recover an abducted child believed to be in imminent danger.

Canada was represented by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, National Missing Children Services, Charlottetown Police Department, Prince Edward Island and media partners, Sureté du Québec, Québec and the Royal Newfoundland Constabulary (RNC), Newfoundland and Labrador. The Chief of Police for the RNC demonstrated leadership and commitment to the program goals and objectives - a unique response during AMBER Alert conferences worthy of mention.

During informal and formal discussions with Canadian AMBER Alert coordinators, a need for additional human and financial resources to enhance Canadian AMBER Alert programs was identified. Some of the more important items discussed were as follows: the establishment of a central AMBER Alert website to share information on activations; the creation of a general training package for new coordinators; the need for continued public and law enforcement awareness efforts, as activations are rare and therefore its proper use is often misunderstood; and the need for secondary type distributions using wireless technology, lottery terminals or giant city bill boards. These distributions are commonly used by U.S. Regional and State wide agencies when they implement AMBER Alert plans. It would be worth considering these additional innovations in Canada intended to enhance our response and extend the reach of information that is broadcasted to the public on a missing child. The RNC Chief Brown informed the Canadian delegation that he would inquire about the possibility of bringing these issues to the 2008 CACP meeting.

The idea of planning a Canadian AMBER Alert conference was introduced by Cpl. Marie-France Olivera, NMCS and Sgt. Sylvain Bessette, Sureté du Québec. The group expressed some reservations considering that RCMP Divisions and other police agencies would spend considerable funds sending coordinators to a Canadian conference, when in fact only a limited number of coordinators were authorized to travel to Denver, Colorado, for an informative meeting of this nature. It is important to note that, in this situation, most of the expenses were paid by our American counterparts. As the national coordinator, I encourage more Canadian police agencies to attend this very important conference next year.

The inter-country AMBER Alert Activation Protocol developed in 2006 by Cpl. Olivera currently appears on the USA AMBER Alert extranet coordinator's site. It is available to all authorized AMBER Alert coordinators and clearly outlines proper protocol for any US law enforcement agency requiring an AMBER Alert activation in Canada.

Regarding the statistical picture, since 2002 there were 29 AMBER Alert activations in Canada. On a more positive note, the program has been instrumental and successful in recovering children promptly, and in most situations returning them home safely.

National Child Exploitation Coordination Center

Combating Online Child Sexual Exploitation 2007

NCECC continues to evolve in their service deliver in responding to child exploitation facilitated over the Internet. Supported by Research and Technology Sections from within, NCECC Operations supports dedicated Child Exploitation (ICE) Units and all police agencies across Canada. Information on illegal activity originates from national and international sources and requires assessment and coordination to forward the information at the earliest opportunity to the appropriate agency. NCECC has added multi-jurisdictional teams to coordinate investigations with multiple targets. NCECC is continuing to build their capacity in the Victim Identification, Intelligence and Undercover areas.

The Child Exploitation Tracking System (CETS), a partnership with Microsoft and law enforcement, continues to evolve as the intelligence tool with a new release of the program in early 2008. NCECC Technology continues to manage this program in addition to the National Image Data Base referred to as “VOICE” (Victims of Internet Child Exploitation). VOICE will store images and video clips to be used by investigators in locating suspects and victims. It is anticipated that this will be operational in 2008 with the software currently being tested.

NCECC continues to participate as the Canadian Representative on Virtual Global Task Force (VGT), which is an international collaboration with Australia, United States, United Kingdom, INTERPOL and now Italy joined in October, 2007. The VGT has been effective in facilitating international investigations and has plans for improving this collaboration by aggressively addressing Traveling Sex Offenders (Sex Tourism). NCECC hosted the annual VGT Conference in Vancouver in February 2008.

Officers in charge of ICE units and NCECC have been working closer in 2007 to address common issues across Canada. Then NCECC is able to provide stronger input while working with the different stakeholders (Internet Service Providers and Government working groups), thus enabling law enforcement to perform a more effective service.

Canada Border Services Agency

Updates on Recovered Missing Children from Canada’s Borders

The Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) works closely on the Our Missing Children program with other national partners including the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade, the Department of Justice, and of course, the RCMP. The strong, multi-jurisdictional partnership, and the continuous cooperation between these departments, ensures the program is a national success.

This year, the CBSA border services officers (BSOs) continued to be an integral part of the program by being the country’s eyes and ears in the location and recovery of missing and abducted children crossing the border. BSOs give consideration to the full range of their authorities at the border, which represents over 90 Acts and Regulations. The three vital pieces of legislation that guides the interception of missing children or abduction activities are the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (IRPA), the Customs Act (CA) and the Criminal Code of Canada (CCC). These legislations provide the CBSA with the authority to exam, detain, arrest, charge and remove people from Canada.

The BSO’s intercept missing children, and their abductors, as a result of three main techniques: watching for indicators, investigative system “lookout” notices, and rejections by foreign Customs services.

About half of the cases resolved are a result of vigilant BSO's noticing indicators in people that lead them to investigate further. The BSO performs detailed interviews with the adults and sometimes children, as well as carefully examine the patterns in behaviour and the traveler’s stories. These efforts lead to the determination of an adult-child bona-fide relationship, a legitimate travel reason or the halt of a runaway, abduction or child smuggling situation.

Over twenty per cent of cases involved the use of intelligence-based “lookout” notices from Canadian and international authorities to identify missing children. The remaining cases are resolved when foreign border services refuse the children’s entry and are returned to Canada.

Since the implementation of the national program in 1986, Canadian Customs and Immigration officers have been instrumental in the return of 1,511 children. Last year, through the dedicated work of BSOs, the CBSA recovered 83 missing children, including 33 runaways, 49 abductions and one smuggled child.

The CBSA’s strong commitment to the OMC program is also illustrated by the following activities:

1. Developing techniques for interviewing children,
2. Information sharing with other stakeholders,
3. Developing profiles and indicators to assist in identifying and intercepting abductors, abducted children and runaways;
4. Promoting child safety awareness in the community; and
5. Giving lectures on OMC and related issues

This year’s success stories …

Teenager mislead custodial parent

Originating from the United States, a teenager sought entry into Canada for one day to meet his father, who had arrived on the same day from the Philippines. During the secondary examination, it was determined that the teenager had not seen his biological father in eight years and knew little about him.

The wary BSOs contacted the teen’s father by telephone and discovered that his ex-wife had sole custody of their son and that she was not aware of their plans to go to the Philippines. After a thorough interview with the teenager, he admitted convincing his stepfather to drive him to the airport and made him promise not to tell his mother.

A baggage search revealed multiple school documents and certificates. The youth stated that he wanted to show his father his achievements so that he would be proud of his son. His cellular record revealed multiple e-mails between himself and his biological father detailing their plans on how they would deceive his mother and get him into Canada. The teenager also confessed that he had planned to tell his mother where he actually was once he got to the Philippines. The subject's mother was contacted and made aware of the situation. The teenager was refused entry and returned to his mother in the United States.

United Kingdom fugitives

Based on information received from the United Kingdom through the INTERPOL network, the CBSA issued a Border Alert. A mother, wanted for the abduction of her daughter, had fled Britain and was believed to be living in Canada. In February 2007, the mother and daughter made refugee claims at the immigration office in London, Ontario. The interview was deferred until the following week and in the meantime, the CBSA worked with authorities to determine what enforcement action could occur in Canada. However, the subjects became suspicious that the police were investigating them. The pair failed to show up at the appointed time for the refugee interview and the RCMP was informed of the no show.

Two days later, U.S. Customs notified the RCMP that the subjects were listed on a train manifest scheduled to arrive at Niagara Falls, N.Y. Unfortunately, the train broke down and the passengers were forced to take a bus. The subjects were not on the bus but there were strong indications that they would attempt to cross into the United States. The next day, the mother and child sought entry into the United States by taxi and were refused entry. They returned to Canada and were detained by the CBSA and taken into custody. The child was transferred to the responsibility of children’s services and shortly after, was escorted by two British officers back to the United Kingdom. The mother eventually withdrew her refugee claim and was deported back to the United Kingdom to face criminal charges.

National Missing Children Services

National Police Service, RCMP
By Marlene L. Dalley, Ph.D., Research Officer
Marlene.Dalley@rcmp-grc.gc.ca

Infant Abduction from Canadian Hospitals

Canadian hospital officials have planned and trained staff for a number of years to avert any attempts to abduct a newborn from a maternity ward. The first National Missing Children Services recorded incident occurred in 1991 in Toronto, Ontario. The incident happened when a nurse stepped out of the nursery for a few minutes leaving the baby unattended in a bassinet near the door.

In 1993, in Burlington, Ontario, a five-day old baby was abducted from her mother’s hospital room. The abductor posed as staff and convinced the mother that the baby needed blood tests. Then she vanished with the newborn. The baby was located a half day later about 10 kilometers from the hospital.

In 1996, Canadians were once again shocked when an infant was abducted from a Kelowna, British Columbia, hospital by a woman and two teenage boys. A female abductor, posing as a hospital photographer, asked the newborn’s mother for permission to take the baby for its photo and then disappeared. The sick baby was found unharmed in the bushes 15 kilometers from the hospital. Although this abduction posed a risk to the newborn, for the most part, the abducted babies are cared for well.

Following these incidents Canadian hospitals initiated a series of training workshops and seminars focusing on hospital security and safety procedures. The hospitals were sent information packages from several missing children government and not-for-profit searching agencies, including the National Missing Children Services, RCMP, Child Find and the Missing Children Society of Canada. On occasion, representatives of these organizations would visit the hospital and evaluate the hospital security measures and develop a report for future reference.

About a decade passed and during this time period, abductions from Canadian hospitals were rare. However, beginning in 2003, there was another cluster of abductions. These abductions were thought to be stranger abductions but further investigation revealed that the abductor was a family member. In 2003, an infant was abducted by a family member from an Edmonton, Alberta, hospital, and in 2004, on a cold wintry day an abducting father carried his baby out of a Windsor, Ontario hospital in a duffel bag. Most often babies are abducted by non-family members. On occasion, a parent will abduct the child for custody dispute reasons or if there is the threat of alternative care arranged for the baby, like social service.

These family abductions were followed by two non-family abductions. In 2006, two older teens abducted a newborn from a hospital located in Humber, Ontario, and in 2007, a women posing as a nurse slipped out of a Sudbury, Ontario, hospital with a newborn when the mother was distracted. The abductor traveled to her home 300 Kilometers away with the newborn before it was recovered safe from harm.

Today, newborn security has become even a greater concern for families and hospital staff. Some hospitals use an ID tag security system. The newborn wears an ID tag on the wrist or ankle to prevent anyone from taking the baby outside preset boundaries. In some hospitals, the infant’s movements are monitored by a central control panel. Nonetheless, security tags should not be the only security measure for the following reason. A recent research study conducted by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) located in Alexandria, Virginia, reported that of 11 babies abducted from US hospitals, six (6) perpetrators removed the security tag before exiting the facility. Also, it is important to note that female perpetrators use a hospital-like photo ID as part of the scam to abduct a newborn from a maternity ward. Although tags are important security precautions, there must also be protocols and procedures in place, as well as occasional drills to evaluate their effectiveness.

NCMEC, U.S. and NMCS, Canada officials recommend that mothers and families MUST visually inspect staff photo ID badges. The nurse should present the badge to the mother and encourage the newborn’s mother and family members to carefully scrutinize and memorize the badge details. Also, it is extremely important for personnel to use specific color coding and/or unique dress designs, which identifies them as the authority designated to handle and/or transport a newborn.

In 2007, the cleaning staff noticed a women walking down a hospital corridor carrying a baby in her arms rather than in a bassinet – the bassinet transportation was hospital policy and procedure. They alerted hospital officials of this irregularity and the possible abduction. The search for the infant was quickly activated and the baby was located safe a few hours later. It is extremely important for all hospitals officials to question or challenge anyone looking suspicious. As well, tight security measures must be in force at all times inside and outside the hospital.

The typical hospital abduction may involve a stranger. These persons sometimes pose as an employee, nurse or relative in order to gain access to the baby. A few studies showed that only a few perpetrators pose as hospital staff, but an analysis of Canadian cases showed half were impersonators. Worthy of note is the fact that an abductor may use a hospital-like photo ID as part of a scam to gain access to the maternity ward. Since many new mothers want to keep their babies in their room instead of the leaving them in a supervised nursery, it is easier for an abductor to con the infant from its mother’s care. The impersonator usually requests the newborn be taken from the mother’s care for hospital tests, photos and the like.

The abductors are usually females who really want a baby of their own. They are often overweight, compulsive, impersonators, married or cohabitating, and live in the community where the abduction takes place. They plan the abduction by visiting the hospital frequently and learning as much as possible about procedure, staff roles and floor plans. The perpetrators range from family members to unrelated childless couples making perverse attempts to procure a baby. Some abductors are pregnant and then have a miscarriage; others are not able to have children at all; while still others fake pregnancy and after nine months must produce a baby somehow. Nonetheless, in most situations the abductor cares for the baby’s needs well.

Although abductions from Canadian hospitals are rare, hospital security staff must always be on “high alert” and “well-prepared” to handle such incidents. Local law enforcement officials can be helpful in these situations too, especially if an AMBER Alert search and recovery plan is activated. Since 2002, 29 AMBER Alerts have been activated in Canada for all categories of missing children, including stranger abduction and parental abduction.

In conclusion, NMCS and not-for-profit searching agencies continue to informally monitor occurrences and assist hospitals as they plan and implement security measures in an effort to keep Canadian newborns safe from harm. For information on “Safety Tips for Expectant Parents,” please consult the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children web site at www.missingkids.com.

Case Overview

by Cpl. Julie Gagnon, NMCS

Runaway Child Located After 13 Years

In September 2007, the National Missing Children Services (NMCS) received a poster from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) seeking assistance in locating a missing female. The child was 16 when she disappeared in 1994 from the United States.

As a regular approach, NMCS proceeded to enter the missing child on the national police reporting and occurrence system. After doing so, it was discovered that the data entered matched the age and date of birth of a missing female previously entered on the system by a Canadian RCMP investigator.

NMCS contacted the RCMP Detachment involved. An officer went to the residence of the female and interviewed her. Her identity was verified, and it was confirmed that she was the same child who ran away from her parents 13 years ago. She ran away because she was about to be taken away from her parents by Social Services. The originating police agency was immediately informed the missing child had been located.

Family members contacted NMCS and thanked them for locating their daughter. Following, NMCS agreed to pass on messages from the parents to their daughter. The parents were relieved the long and emotional search had ended and their daughter was found safe.

Research Update, International Bureau for Children’s Rights

By Catherine Gauvreau (Program Manager)
and Caroline Duvieusart-Déry (Intern)

The Strategic Action Plan for the Protection of Victims of Child Trafficking in Quebec

While experts are concerned about the increasing scope of human trafficking, and especially child trafficking, most of us still tend to perceive this phenomenon as isolated. It is alarming to learn that Québec and Canada are not excluded from this issue consisting in the recruitment and the displacement of persons for the purpose of being exploited. Trafficking is qualified as “internal” when the victims are displaced within the country and as “external” when they have to cross an international border in order to arrive in Quebec. Canada has been reported as a destination and transit country as well as a place of origin.

Victims of trafficking do not correspond to one singular profile, but some characteristics do prevail: a number of them tend to be girls ages 14 to 17 years. Many experience emotional deprivation and come from dysfunctional families. In certain regions, aboriginal children are particularly affected. Moreover, many have been revealed to have suffered physical, sexual or psychological violence previously to being trafficked. A combination of factors further increases the risk of trafficking, including poverty, globalization, armed conflicts and technological advances. Chosen for their vulnerability, victims are then recruited by criminal networks, such as street gangs using force, fear or deception. They become dependent on their aggressor due to drug addiction, social isolation, the illusion of a romantic relationship, debt or the seizure of their passport and other identification documents. These children are principally destined to be targets for sexual exploitation and, to a lesser extent, forced labour. Child trafficking also effects child development. Children may experience psychosocial trauma, physical lesions, sexually transmitted infections or unwanted pregnancies.

Facing this clandestine, highly ravaging phenomenon, researchers point out the necessity to raise general awareness regarding human trafficking and to adequately train professionals that will have to intervene directly with child victims. Considering the particular background and trauma experienced by child victims of trafficking, appropriate prevention and intervention measures should entail psychological, physical and social support and privileging collaboration between law enforcement, social services and community organizations.

The rebuilding of a secure and confident relationship with the victims, which is focused on their empowerment, will considerably increase their chances of being removed from such a precarious situation, as well as their propensity to collaborate and identify their aggressors.

Presentation by IBCR: “The Results from its Strategic Action Plan for the Protection of Victims of Child Trafficking in Quebec”.

For any further information, contact the program on child trafficking at the IBCR:
Tel. (514) 932-7656 ext. 223
E-mail: trafficking@ibcr.org

Statistical Overview

By Diane Barbe

National Missing Children Services Statistical Update

The National Missing Children Services (NMCS) tracks and stores information yearly. The results of this analysis showed that in 2007 from January 1st to July 1st NMCS assisted in the investigation of 44 Canadian cases involving 53 children, 209 United States cases involving 283 children, and 90 international cases (excluding the U.S.A.) involving 122 children.

2007 Year-end Reports of Missing Canadian Children

By Dr. Marlene Dalley

Canadian Police Information Center reported cases by Category, Province and Gender

Females

Profile	YT	NT	NU	BC	AB	SK	MB	ON	QC	NB	PE	NS	NL	Totals
Stranger	0	1	0	1	10	2	2	12	5	0	0	0	1	34
Accident	0	0	0	6	0	0	0	2	3	0	0	0	0	11
Wandered	0	1	0	78	48	7	4	132	12	0	0	1	0	283
Parental	0	0	0	12	16	5	3	53	35	2	1	2	2	131
Runaway	4	48	0	5,140	5,611	1,327	2,029	9,425	2,518	232	34	236	101	26,705
Unknown	1	19	0	2,624	374	318	231	1,906	697	30	4	38	19	6,261
Other	0	1	0	328	44	17	12	492	299	3	2	11	4	1,213
Totals	5	70	0	8,189	6,103	1,676	2,281	12,022	3,569	267	41	288	127	34,638

Males

Profile	YT	NT	NU	BC	AB	SK	MB	ON	QC	NB	PE	NS	NL	Totals
Stranger	1	0	0	4	7	3	0	5	0	2	0	0	0	22
Accident	0	0	0	3	1	0	2	12	2	0	0	0	2	22
Wandered	0	1	0	66	33	17	5	146	22	1	0	2	0	293
Parental	0	1	0	15	14	4	2	67	49	2	0	0	0	154
Runaway	0	45	0	3,241	4,382	839	960	6,999	2,645	225	9	89	50	19,484
Unknown	0	16	0	1,791	277	238	120	1,651	782	36	0	30	14	4,955
Other	0	1	0	266	36	5	6	391	291	5	1	12	1	1,014
Totals	1	63	0	5,386	4,750	1,106	1,095	9,271	3,791	271	10	133	67	25,944

Totals

Profile	YT	NT	NU	BC	AB	SK	MB	ON	QC	NB	PE	NS	NL	Totals
Stranger	1	1	0	5	17	5	2	17	5	2	0	0	1	56
Accident	0	0	0	9	1	0	2	14	5	0	0	0	2	33
Wandered	0	2	0	144	81	24	9	278	34	1	0	3	0	576
Parental	0	1	0	27	30	9	5	120	84	4	1	2	2	285
Runaway	4	93	0	8,381	9,993	2,166	2,989	16,424	5,163	457	43	325	151	46,189
Unknown	1	35	0	4,415	651	556	351	3,557	1,479	66	4	68	33	11,216
Other	0	1	0	594	80	22	18	883	590	8	3	23	5	2,227
Totals	6	133	0	13,575	10,853	2,782	3,376	21,293	7,360	538	51	421	194	60,582

* For further information contact Dr. Marlene Dalley at 613-990-9833.