Painful experience has taught police that every second counts when it comes to child abductions.

Statistics show 75 per cent of murders are committed within the first three hours.

With this in mind, Sussex Police became the first UK force to launch a Child Rescue Alert scheme in the hope instant newsflashes and text messages would provide searchers with thousands of extra eyes and ears.

When Summer Haipule went missing on Monday, the scheme underwent its first major test - but not everything went according to plan.

It was 10.20pm on Monday when Sussex learnt a six-year-old child had vanished.

Three hours had already passed since Summer's panicking mother had reported her daughter missing.

But the instant response promised by Sussex Police's new Child Rescue Alert system - a system brought to their attention by The Argus last year - had failed to materialise.

Based on the USA's Amber Alert scheme, which is credited with saving dozens of lives, it was designed to interrupt television and radio within minutes of a suspected abduction, putting the public on alert in that vital first hour.

Monday's events gave Sussex Police its first chance to test their new system, launched in November last year.

Instant newsflashes were to be supplemented by text alerts sent to the 20,000 mobile phone users who registered numbers in response to an appeal last year.

Yet the first alert about Summer was not issued until 10.02pm and the first television broadcast did not go out until 10.20pm. Radio waited even longer to break the news.

The text alerts failed to materialise at all, meaning thousands of potential witnesses were left in the dark about the little girl's plight.

Fortunately for Sussex Police, the failures of its system did not prove crucial.

Fourteen hours after her disappearance, Summer was found safe and well just yards away from home.

But as the youngster and her parents were reunited for a happy ending, questions began to be raised about the performance of the country's first ever Child Rescue Alert.

Divisional commander of Brighton and Hove Superintendent Paul Curtis said he was happy because the media alerts had prompted 70 calls but he admitted the text message system failed and vowed to investigate.

Yet to the company which had spent almost three years perfecting the revolutionary system, there was no mystery.

East Grinstead-based Community Alerts knew the 20,000 people registered to receive text alerts would never receive a message - because the police force had terminated its contract more than a month before.

Community Alerts was responsible for developing and operating the system which enabled police to text everyone registered within an area of Sussex.

It operated the project during its pilot period from January but when the pilot finished on June 1, Sussex Police informed Community Alerts its services were no longer required.

The firm was told the Sussex project would instead become part of a new nationally operated scheme.

Paul Kent, managing director of Community Alerts, told us yesterday: "Everything, as far as we're concerned up to June 1, was working well.

"Then the pilot period finished and Sussex Police decided not to continue with the text service.

"We were advised that there would be a national service put in place. I was told that a system should be in place by June 1."

But when June 1 came, it was clear no national scheme was yet in place to ensure the county's text alert system could continue.

Mr Kent said: "We tried everything possible to continue working with the police and those behind the national scheme to try to keep the service going.

"We kept it running for an extra couple of weeks after June 1 to try to find a way forward. But we were not given the go ahead to keep it going.

"After that, Sussex Police no longer had the ability to access the database.

"We have sent emails to Sussex Police and the body in charge of the national service to say we will co-operate in any way to ensure people who have already registered in Sussex remain part of the service. We're still waiting for a response."

Mr Kent said: If anything good is to come out of this, it would be to ensure the national scheme is up and running in the shortest possible time. That is what I want to see."

Sussex Police admitted lessons could be learned.

In a statement, the force said: "Child Rescue Alert is an example of partnership working between the police, the media and the public.

"Through this scheme we were able to get into the homes of thousands of people to alert them that a potentially serious crime had been committed.

"We will, of course, be reviewing the use of the system.

"However, the media phase of the Child Rescue Alert scheme worked as planned and Sussex Police is extremely grateful for the superb response during an incident that could have been a matter of life or death.

"We did have problems with the text system. Our pilot period with the supplier of that part of the scheme expired and we are currently awaiting the new national service to be developed by the Police Information Technology Organisation."

News of Summer's disappearance sent shock through the tightly-knit Moulsecoomb community and a county bracing itself for the third anniversary of the murder of Sarah Payne.

Sarah's grandfather Terry Payne was horrified.

He said: "When I heard the news I just thought, please, not again, not again.

"The police getting 70 calls from the public immediately after the alert proves people are aware of what is going on and always want to do everything they can.

"Seeing it all going on brought back a lot of memories. When I learnt Summer was found I was relieved and happy. Another part of me was wishing they had been able to find Sarah."