Criminologist Associate Professor (Honorary) Datuk Dr P. Sundramoorthy says police must embrace technology and social media to help in missing persons cases, particularly those involving minors.
Sundramoorthy suggested that police have a dedicated Facebook page linked to a website to keep the public updated on the status of these investigations.
He was commenting on the recent case involving six-year-old Albertine Leo Jia Hui, who went missing during a Bon Odori event in Johor Bharu, in the southern state of Johor, on July 20. She was found safe in a hotel in Batang Kali, Selangor, on July 23.
The Royal Malaysia Police has a dedicated site for missing children. Information in the website include the names, ages, description, and photos of the missing children.
“Social media can be used for good, or bad. In the recent case of the missing child, social media users kept sharing posts about her, and that raised the awareness about her disappearance,” said Sundramoorthy, an honorary associate professor at the Centre for Policy Research, Universiti Sains Malaysia.
“If the police have a dedicated Facebook page on such cases, it could include updates on current cases, and those who have not yet been found. They can also provide updates on the progress of those cases, once the perpetrators are charged, and sentences meted out by the courts.
Sundramoorthy also said having a dedicated social media page would help reduce the number of unfounded rumours, false leads, and theories, whenever a child goes missing.
“The downside of social media is that everyone has a voice, and while it can play an important role in disseminating information, there are times where people jump to conclusions and share the wrong things,” said Sundramoorthy.
“I’m advocating for a dedicated place where the public can get information on cases and not accuse the parents or caregivers without knowing all the facts, whenever a child goes missing.”
Sundramoorthy said before social media, the public received updates via newspapers or television reports.
“While effective, newspapers would come out the next day, while TV news would be later in the day, hours after an abduction,” said Sundramoorthy.
“If used correctly, social media can be a ‘force multiplier’ for the police, as it is often a race against time when it comes to abduction (cases).”
Sundramoorthy also suggested that the Nur (National Urgent Response) Alert be linked to the Facebook page.
Malaysia’s Nur Alert, initially called Nurin (Nationwide Urgent Response Information Network) Alert, came about after Jasni Abdul Jalil, uncle to child murder victim, Nurin Jazlin Jazimin, drafted and submitted a proposal to former Women, Family and Community Development minister, Datuk Seri Shahrizat Abdul Jalil, in 2008. Nurin was abducted and murdered in 2007.
Nurin Alert was modelled after the United States’ Amber (America’s Missing: Broadcast Emergency Response) Alert, an emergency response system that mobilised the authorities and the community via a comprehensive network, to locate missing children.
Amber Alert was created as a legacy to nine-year-old Amber Hagerman, who was kidnapped in 1996 while riding her bicycle in Arlington, Texas, and then brutally murdered.
