DO YOU KNOW SOMEONE WHO IS MISSING?
#LSN_PublicSafety
PICKLE LAKE, ONTARIO - March 6, 2019 (LSN) The Ojibways of Mishkeegogamang First Nation, the Nishnawbe Aski Police Service and the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) are inviting members of the community and surrounding area to join them on Thursday, March 7, 2019 for Missing Person Awareness Day. Missing Person Awareness Days are the result of funding provided by the Indigenous Justice Division of the Ministry of the Attorney General.
The all-day event will be held at the Community Centre in Pickle Lake starting at 10:30 a.m. It will be an opportunity for the community and police to work together and remove barriers to reporting a missing person and help find or identify a loved one. There will also be a presentation from the OPP Anti-Human Trafficking Coordination Team to increase awareness regarding human trafficking.
Those attending will gain insight into the importance of reporting a person missing and will have the chance to provide information on unreported missing persons. There will also be an opportunity to collect DNA samples from family members of missing persons for identification purposes, if required.
While missing persons are usually reported to police by family members, you do not have to be a relative to report a person missing. There is also no time limit - all missing person investigations remain open until they are resolved. Even information about a person who went missing 30 years ago could provide important evidence to resolve an active case today.
Cultural support services will be provided by community Elders. Resources from the Canadian Centre for Child Protection regarding child safety will be shared at the event.
If you have information about a missing person or need help to find a loved one and have not contacted the police, then Missing Person Awareness Day is your chance to do so. The information that you possess may help find or identify a missing person and bring a resolution to their family members and friends.
QUOTES
The OPP sympathizes with families who have experienced the loss of a loved one and are seeking resolution. We are proud to partner with the Ojibways of Mishkeegogamang First Nation and the Nishnawbe Aski Police Service to provide this Missing Persons Awareness Day. This event is an opportunity for the community and the police to work together to remove barriers, share information and raise awareness of the importance of reporting any person believed to be missing. In so doing, we hope we can bring resolution to those families and at the same time prevent communities from knowing the pain of these events in the future."
- Interim Commissioner Gary COUTURE, Ontario Provincial Police
The Nishnawbe Aski Police Service is pleased to be a partner with the First Nation Community of Mishkeegogamang and the Ontario Provincial Police for Missing Person Awareness Day. Missing Persons and Human Trafficking affect many of our communities and by collaborating together we can bring awareness and information to prevent crime and solve ongoing issues.
- Nishnawbe Aski Police Service Acting Deputy Chief of Police Darryl SNIDER
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