Police in Ontario no longer have to confirm a child has been abducted before issuing an Amber Alert. Believing a child is in danger is enough.

Ontario Provincial Police Insp. Dave Ross said guidelines have been simplified to make it easier for police and the public to understand when to issue an alert that's broadcast on highway signs, radio and television stations and in text messages.

Ross said that previously, police had to confirm an abduction had taken place before an Amber Alert was issued but now they only have to believe there's been an abduction.

He said police now only have to believe a child is in danger to issue an alert, whereas before they had to believe the child was in danger of serious bodily harm or death.

And now police can issue alert even if they only have information about the child or the abductor or the suspect vehicle, instead of all three as required in the past.

Ross said the case of slain eight-year-old Victoria Stafford — in which an Amber Alert was not issued — was a catalyst to initiate the review of the Amber Alert system, but it wasn't the only factor that led to the review being called by police commissioner Julian Fantino.

Tori Stafford's father likes guidelines

A petition dubbed "Tori's Law" called for changes to the alert criteria and gained momentum online, ballooning to more than 61,000 signatures.

The petition said the Amber Alert should be issued without question if the mother, father or guardian finds it out of character for a child under 16 to be missing for any length of time.

Tori's father, Rodney Stafford, said he was concerned the new rules might see some people "cry wolf" but said he was pleased to hear about the changes.

"I think that's outstanding," he said.

John Durant, the director of Child Find Ontario, said he doesn't think the system will be abused by unnecessary calls or bulletins.