The recent highly publicized arrest of a suspect who caused concerns for Island residents in Prince County, and on PEI Roadways has raised concerns as to why PEI RCMP did not issue an Alert Ready message.
PEI RCMP do not own and operate the Alert Ready system; the company Pelmorex owns the National Alert Aggregation and Dissemination system (NAADS). The RCMP are granted access to use the Alert Ready system in four instances:
- Civil emergency
- A civil emergency occurs when humans cause a disruption of services or require varying levels of support from law enforcement.
- Animal danger
- When a wild or domesticated animal poses a threat to human life or property.
- Amber
- An Amber Alert is issued by police services when a child has been abducted and it is believed that his/her life is in grave danger. An Amber Alert provides the public with immediate and up-to-date information about the abduction and solicits the public's help in the safe and swift return of the child.
- Terrorist threat
- The use of violence or threats of violence by individuals or groups against civilians or infrastructure.
We issue a civil emergency alert via the Alert Ready system when an emergent or on-going incident caused by humans may put the public in direct harm, including:
• emergent firearm/weapon related offences where there is a risk to the public
• active shooter or events requiring immediate action rapid deployment
• chemical/biological/radiological/nuclear and explosive (CBRNE) incidents with an established criminal connection or intent
• civil disobedience/rioting where there is a risk to the public
During a significant incident, we continue to assess the situation to determine if an alert is appropriate, and that an alert would not place the public and/or responding emergency personnel at greater risk. Risk assessments during an incident are ongoing and, as more information is received or if the situation changes, an alert can be issued, updated or cancelled at any time.
The recent incident with the suspect who was apprehended did not meet these Alert Ready criteria for the following reasons:
- The suspect was originally wanted on property related offences and then made attempts to evade police;
- Dangerous driving does not meet the criteria for an Alert Ready message;
- The suspect was contained, RCMP and Summerside Police were not continuously pursuing the individual; pursuits happened when and where it was safe for police to do so;
- Police and emergency responders were able to further contain the individual, and the suspect made no indications of wanting to harm the public, our ask of the public to lock car doors and ensure no easy access to residences was made because the suspect had stolen two vehicles.
PEI RCMP strive to be as transparent and open with the communities we police in order to enhance the trust and respect we share with those we serve.