Novosibirsk's Deti 112 Service Cuts Missing Child Search Response Time to 20 Minutes
The Deti 112 (Children 112) service helped locate and safely return more than 200 missing children in Russia's Novosibirsk Region during its first year of operation. The project was launched in April 2025 in partnership with the LizaAlert volunteer search-and-rescue organization.
According to the regional Ministry of Digital Development, the time between an emergency call and the start of search operations has been reduced from several hours to about 20 minutes. Parents or guardians need only call 112 or 102. An operator then sends a secure link via SMS or VKontakte, allowing a photo of the missing child to be uploaded directly from a smartphone to a protected police database. An operational center then initiates a biometric search.
Thanks to the new procedures and faster response times, 121 missing minors were found in 2025. Volunteers from LizaAlert say the service should be expanded nationwide, arguing that it could help authorities locate missing children more quickly across other regions of the country.
