The Garda Commissioner Martin Callinan, the Minister for Justice, Equality & Defence Alan Shatter TD, and the CEO of Vodafone Ireland Anne O’Leary have this morning (4th December 2013) launched a new free smartphone app that allows users to receive CRI (Child Rescue Ireland) alerts direct to their smartphone.
The smartphone app was created with the assistance of the Vodafone Ireland Foundation, and is available for free on Apple, Android and Windows Media platforms. It further increases the channels available to Gardaí for publicising a CRI Alert once it is launched.
The app utilises two strands – a notification for when a CRI Alert is issued, and a space to securely maintain up-to-date information (including photos) concerning your own children for easy access (by the phone’s owner only) should the need arise.
The notification section will include details of the child and/or children who are the subject of a CRI Alert and any additional information that An Garda Síochána believe will help in their inquiries. People who have downloaded the app will be notified each time a CRI alert is updated with the latest information. They will also be able to share these CRI Alert updates with their Facebook friends, as well as being able to contact An Garda Síochána at 112 or 999.
The app can be be downloaded from
(Photos of the app launch, taken by Garda Photography section)
Commissioner Callinan has today welcomed the smartphone app initiative:
"Strict criteria must be met before the CRI Alert is issued. If these criteria are met, CRI Alert information is distributed by An Garda Síochána to the public through a range of communications channels.
With this launch today we now have an additional means of getting the message of the CRI Alert to the public in the form of a smartphone App. Over 50 percent (50%) of the public in Ireland own a smartphone and as a result the potential for quickly reaching vast numbers of the population with critical information is enormous.”
Minister for Justice, Equality & Defence, Alan Shatter, TD, said: "This app is a wonderful example of how public and corporate collaboration and innovation can be channelled in a constructive manner to deliver meaningful and relevant benefits to the wider community.
I know that the use of social media has an integral and significant role in the effective operation of the CRI Alert, and the App we are launching today is another important component in that system.”
Speaking at the launch, Anne O’Leary, CEO Vodafone Ireland, said:
"The CRI app has been supported by the Vodafone Ireland Foundation. Vodafone is delighted to have played a role in the creation and development of the Child Recue Ireland alert application.
We really believe that this app will make a positive difference to many people’s lives and assist the Gardaí in the great work they carry out in this area. Social innovation is important to us at Vodafone, we take our responsibility seriously and are keen to employ our technology and skills to use mobile for good."
Pictured at the Launch of the App are Anne O'Leary, CEO of Vodafone, Ireland, the Minister for Justice, Equality & Defence, Alan Shatter, TD and The Garda Commissioner Martin Callinan.
Ireland’s inaugural Missing Persons Day
Commissioner Callinan and Minister Alan Shatter joined with family and friends of missing persons on Ireland’s inaugural Missing Persons Day
On 4 December 2013, Ireland held its inaugural national Missing Persons Day, with a commemorative ceremony at Farmleigh House, Dublin.
Missing Persons Day will complement the existing International Missing Children’s Day and has a number of objectives. It will commemorate those who have gone missing and recognise the lasting trauma for their families and friends. It will draw attention to open or unsolved missing persons cases, and it will create an opportunity to provide information on the support services which are available.
The inaugural Irish Missing Persons Day ceremony was attended by the families and friends of missing persons, as well as the many organisations working in the community on their behalf. It incorporated musical and personal tributes and reflections, followed by a tree planting ceremony in the grounds of Farmleigh House. The event was also attended by the second level students of Davis College, Mallow, Co. Cork, who organised a campaign to raise awareness of missing persons issues and to call for a national Missing Persons Day.
Photographs taken by the Garda Photography section at the Launch of Ireland's Inaugural National Missing Persons Day are available on Flickr:
