| "Missing persons report". That's a document that | | | | Then, there is another way: clip a little electronic tag to |
| comes across the desks of law enforcement | | | | your child's wrist or clothing, and keep tabs on him or |
| agencies across the country, all across the world, | | | | her using nothing more than your internet enabled |
| countless times every day. Police and emergency | | | | smart phone! This might sound bizarre, but GPS |
| services do their best to locate people who have | | | | technology (you're probably already using it in a street |
| disappeared, but as anybody who has ever been in | | | | finder in your car) has indeed reached the point where |
| the unfortunate position of having to report someone | | | | it is cheap enough and compact enough to be used to |
| missing knows, the delays and wait for an answer are | | | | track the movements of your child. |
| terrible. | | | | GPS tracking systems, for all the technology, are really |
| Every day hundreds of genuine missing persons | | | | pretty simple: a small battery powered GPS receiver |
| reports get filed. Some persons are recovered, some | | | | attaches to your child, and calculates its position using |
| are not. The worst by far are missing children. | | | | the free GPS network. It then uses a local mobile |
| If you have kids of your own you can empathise with | | | | telephone network to transmit its exact location to a |
| the fear felt by a parent when a child, in particular a | | | | medium of your choosing. |
| young child is lost somewhere. It can happen | | | | The devices can be set to constantly send location |
| anywhere, anytime - you turn your back while | | | | details and interface these with Google maps or a |
| shopping, or on a crowded street, and when you turn | | | | similar service (accessed from any computer or |
| back your child is nowhere to be seen. 9 times out of | | | | BlackBerry/iPhone/ other smart phone) for a genuine |
| 10 of course, you will probably spot them again in a | | | | action movie style tracking experience, or you can |
| moment and all will be well. But what if you don't? You | | | | receive details only when certain conditions are met. |
| will have no choice but to frantically search up and | | | | For example, you could choose to receive an alert |
| down, call out, ask passers by "hey have you seen this | | | | only if a certain geographical area is left, or a certain |
| little kid..." while they shake their heads and keep | | | | speed is reached. |
| walking. And eventually you lodge that report. "Missing | | | | Devices like this are gaining popularity thanks to the |
| person". | | | | convenience and peace of mind they can offer |
| There are plenty of things you can do to prevent | | | | parents. |
| yourself getting into a situation like this. Hold your child | | | | recently reviewed 9 of the most popular GPS tracking |
| by the hand at all times, carry them in a backpack | | | | products available, and recommended the Amber Alert |
| style carrier if they are small enough, or just refuse to | | | | Child tracker as "probably the best solution for |
| take them along when you know you can't give them | | | | parents". Apart from being compact and discrete, the |
| 100% of your attention. With a bit of creativity you can | | | | Amber Alert provides constant peace of mind. |
| significantly reduce the chance of losing your child. | | | | |