Vancouver police defend delay between alleged abduction and Amber Alert

A three-year-old allegedly abducted by his mother from BC Children's Hospital Monday was missing for nearly 11 hours by the time an Amber Alert was issued, a delay Vancouver police say was due to a variety of factors.

Amber Alerts have five criteria that must all be met before they’re issued and only for “the most serious, time-critical child abduction case,” according to RCMP. In addition to the requirement that the victim is a minor whom police believe has been abducted, police must also have grounds to believe the child is in "imminent danger," and have enough information to release a description of the people involved.

Timing is also a factor, and police must "believe that the alert can be issued in a time frame that will provide a reasonable expectation that the child can be returned or the abductor apprehended."

Asked about how and when the decision was made to send an alert in Monday's case, Vancouver Police Department spokesperson Tania Visintin provided CTV News with an emailed statement.

“We had information at the start of the investigation that issuing an Amber Alert at that time would put the safety of the child in jeopardy,” wrote Const. Tania Visintin in an email. “Once we had information that the child’s safety was no longer at risk, an Amber Alert was issued.”

When CTV News asked for further explanation, Visintin replied that they had to weigh the mother’s mental state, whether she could go into hiding, and if investigators could find the pair without going public.

“Once all investigative avenues were exhausted, and we were satisfied that all of the Amber Alert criteria were met, the Amber Alert was issued,” she said.

Vancouver police say the child was reported missing from by a staff member at the hospital at 12:50 p.m. on Monday. The Amber Alert, which was seen and heard on traditional broadcast media and through the AlertReady emergency text system didn’t go out till 11:20 p.m.

MINISTRY RESPONDS TO ALLEGATIONS

The mother, whom CTV News is not naming in order to maintain her young son’s privacy, had posted several public videos in recent days outlining a tug-of-war with social workers and hospital staff over the child’s medical care after he was hospitalized after fainting and running a high fever.

“My son isn't vaccinated and I live a very naturopathic lifestyle,” she said in one video posted days before the alleged abduction. “A part of me can't believe I'm hiding from the ministry and their police, all because I'm exercising my Charter of rights.”

She acknowledged being warned about consulting a lawyer if she refused medical treatment for her son, who was prescribed several rounds of antibiotics after an initial round she’d approved. She also said her son looked healthy and that she did not believe he needed more antibiotics, but that she’d taken him back and forth to hospital for further testing and consultation with doctors.

What precipitated the alleged abduction is unclear. The hospital did not respond to CTV News requests to explain whether the boy was supervised and how he could’ve been taken from a healthcare facility.

For its part, the Ministry of Children and Family Development would not confirm its involvement in the case. In response to a request for an interview, it sent an email explaining that when there are concerns about a child’s safety, they may get involved with the “minimum intervention” required, and that “this may include instances where a parent or caregiver may refuse medically necessary or life-saving care or treatment.”

PROBLEMS WITH TEXT ALERT SYSTEM?

The texts themselves startled some people, who’d already fallen asleep, prompting a smattering of complaints on social media from those demanding to know why their sleep was disturbed. Some commenters questioned why they were being alerted to a Vancouver case when they live hundreds of kilometres away.

The child was found early Tuesday morning with his mother near Calgary.

However, a significant number of people responding to an informal Twitter poll about where and when they received the texts throughout B.C., reported that they didn’t receive it despite being in a room with a family member with an identical smartphone. Others said they received the alert multiple times, or hours after it was issued.

“I think (the) public safety (ministry) needs to take a real close look at this to make sure the system is working the way it should,” said opposition critic, Mike Morris. “It's not new technology, it's used all across Canada a number of times.”

Pelmorex, the company that operates the AlertReady system, said that, generally, receipt of the message can be affected when devices are off an LTE network, have poor reception, or are set to “do not disturb” mode.

They said while they “do not have the detailed specifics of the situation” on Monday, they are “not aware of any distribution issues from the alert distributors.”

After coming under fire for not using the AlertReady system to warn people in the path of widespread flooding and landslides last fall, the province has updated its policy to use the technology for natural disasters and “civil emergencies.”

So far this year, British Columbia emergency officials have authorized its use six times compared to just two last year, according to data compiled by AlertReady. Four other provinces have used it more than one hundred times this year, mostly targeted in tornado areas.

Monday marked the first time it was used in B.C. for an Amber Alert.