TWENTY-EIGHT out of the 35 reported cases of missing children in the past seven years have been solved through the National Urgent Response (Nur) Alert set up by police to curb child abductions.

These cases involved children under 12, who were either abducted or had gone missing due to neglect by their parents or guardians.

Nur Alert was modelled after the US’ Amber Alert – an emergency response system that galvanises the authorities and the community via a comprehensive network to locate missing children.

In Malaysia, Nur Alert is operated by federal police’s sexual, women and child investigation division (D11). 

D11 investigation officer E. Saroja told The Malaysian Insight that police took over the system from the Women, Family and Community Development Ministry in 2011, and since then, have reunited missing children with their families.

“Out of the 35 alerts from 2011 to 2018, 28 missing children have been found and rescued. Seven more are still missing,” said Saroja.

She said Nur Alert took an immediate effect when it was launched on Facebook in 2016.

Out of the three cases, two were solved, while one is still under investigation.

“The first incident happened in Cheras, where the boy went missing and was found six hours later. It was with the help of the Nur Alert system that we managed to locate the boy,” said Saroja.

“The second incident was in Bukit Puchong, where it took us eight hours to find the child. The notice was uploaded on Facebook about 2.30pm, and the child was found at 11pm.”

Nur Alert was previously known as Nurin (Nationwide Urgent Response Information Network) Alert.

The system was introduced after the abduction and murder of 8-year-old Nurin Jazlin Jazimin in 2007.

Nurin had gone to a pasar malam 100m from the family flat in Wangsa Maju, Kuala Lumpur. She never returned home.

About a month later, her body was found stuffed inside a sports bag. She had been sexually assaulted and strangled. 

Nurin’s relatives and friends then drafted the Nurin Alert proposal, and submitted it to the ministry in 2008.

Once an alert is triggered, information on the missing child will appear on ATMs nationwide, websites of government agencies, SMS alerts, Facebook and electronic message boards.

It involves strategic collaboration between the government, private sector and civil society groups.

Although the success rate of Nur Alert is high, Saroja said there is room for improvement, especially more support from other agencies and the public.

The number of missing children aged between 13 and 18, however, is much higher.

From 2014 to this year, 7,703 cases were reported, of which 6,951 children were found or rescued.

“We cannot classify these children as abductees because in most cases, there was no threat or ransom. 

“Many went missing because they wanted to be with their lovers or friends, or ran away from home after arguments with their parents,” Saroja said, adding that there were also cases of those who returned, but police were not informed. – August 4, 2018.