Hong Kong police offer free trackers to children with special needs amid rise in missing cases

Difficulty: Summiteer (Level 3)

Hong Kong police are expanding a programme offering free Bluetooth trackers to children with special needs after a rise in missing cases in Kowloon East.

Teachers and parents from special schools who joined the project said the device could stop children from going missing. This would also help them to live independently. Police said they hoped more families could benefit from the scheme.

The project previously targeted those with cognitive disorders and the elderly.

The force has given out 1,800 trackers since the scheme began.

The Kowloon East police said the district recorded a 61.5 per cent rise in missing children with special needs, from 26 cases in 2022 to 42 in 2023.

The number of missing cases involving people with mental disabilities also increased from 69 to 79.

When a child goes missing, parents will usually call them to find their location. However, it can be challenging to search for a child who has trouble communicating.

The tracker works by sending a Bluetooth signal to a nearby compatible smartphone. It then uses the phone’s global satellite positioning system (GPS) to track its location.

Quiz time

1. What is the Hong Kong police’s latest initiative for special needs children?

2. Why are teachers and parents praising the police’s programme?

3. How many cases of children with special needs going missing were reported in Kowloon East last year?

4. How does the tracker work?

The tracker project previously catered to patients with cognitive disorders and the elderly. Photo: Elson Li

Suggested answers

1. they will offer free Bluetooth trackers to the children

2. because they could help prevent incidents of missing children and enable them to live independently

3. 42

4. the positioning device will send a Bluetooth signal to a nearby compatible smartphone and use its global satellite positioning system for location tracking