Met chief asks for decision on Maddie review

http://www.standard.co.uk/news/crime/met-chief-calls-for-decision-on-funding-of-madeleine-mccann-review-8078769.html

Scotland Yard is to ask Prime Minister David Cameron if he wants to continue funding an inquiry into the disappearance of Madeleine McCann.

Met Commissioner Bernard Hogan-Howe is seeking a new commitment from the Government on financing the “investigative review” of the McCann case.

The force launched the new inquiry 15 months ago after Mr Cameron responded to a plea from Madeleine’s parents Kate, 43, and Gerry McCann, 42. Detectives are examining all the evidence from the Portuguese inquiry into the child’s disappearance from her parents’ holiday flat in Praia da Luz in Portugal in 2007.

The girl, who was three at the time, vanished as her parents were having dinner with friends nearby.

Police say that so far the Government has provided an open cheque to fund the review, which has included the cost of translating police documents and witness statements as well as the cost of officers travelling to Portugal and Spain.

A team of 28 homicide detectives and seven civilian staff are engaged in the full-time review and so far it is thought the inquiry has cost about £2.5 million.

Mr Hogan-Howe said he would be seeking a decision from the Government in the next few months over how long they wished to fund the investigation. He said police were still sifting through a huge cache of documents. However, the Portuguese authorities are still refusing to re-open the inquiry.

He said: “We are still reviewing a lot of material. It is a significant amount of money and we have quite a lot of officers tied up in this.

“There will be a point at which we and the Government will want to make a decision about what the likely outcome is.

“The Prime Minister agreed to fund this. We have not had any pressure to say you must stop spending more than x amount, we have received a lot of support. But by Christmas I would want a very clear view of what work is outstanding and what timeline there is for that.”

Mr Hogan-Howe’s comments are the first to suggest that there may be a limit on how long police spend on the case. Previously he has said there was no limit on the amount of time and manpower for the inquiry.

The official Portuguese inquiry was formally shelved in July 2008 but the Met opened a review of the case, Operation Grange, in May last year.

By April this year they had managed to look at a quarter of some 40,000 pieces of information.

Hopes were raised this year when Det Chief Insp Andy Redwood, leading the review, said he believed Madeleine had been abducted by a stranger and could be alive.


So are we being prepared for the paper shuffling to stop due to no more money?
Lets hope we get told what the ££'s that have already been spent were used for!

Maybe their paper shuffling so far has found no evidence whatsoever of an abduction so they are throwing the ball back in Cameron's court.

chrissie wrote:Maybe their paper shuffling so far has found no evidence whatsoever of an abduction so they are

throwing the ball back in Cameron's court.

Yes chrissie, that is how I read it.....that nothing has been found to persuade the Portugese to re-open the case. Maybe

Cameron could ask the McCanns to pay towards extending the date , they have made a fortune and not spent a penny on

searching for Madeleine while this Review has been going on. It was at their request Cameron was persuaded to make

£3.5 million available for a review.

I also wonder how the parents of other missing children, who have no fund, feel about the amount spent by the government on this one case.

Police say that so far the Government has provided an open cheque to fund the review, which has included the cost of translating police documents and witness statements as well as the cost of officers travelling to Portugal and Spain.





The witness statements and other police documents have already been translated Into English.....that's ridiculous, do they think we are stupid or what!

I seem to remember Kate McCann saying the Fund had spent £100,000 having the files released by the Portugese translated into English......why didn't she make these available to SY at the outset?

Mr Hogan-Howe’s comments are the first to suggest that there may be a limit on how long police spend on the case.

Previously he has said there was no limit on the amount of time and manpower for the inquiry.

So which one is the lie then, H-H?
Your current intimation or your initial pronouncement?

Do you think we all have the memory of a goldfish?

He said police were still sifting through a huge cache of documents.

Oh do me an effing favour!
Are they all slow readers down at the Met?
I'd have got through half a library by now - and I'm an old biddy!

I don't remember Hogan Howe being initially involved, I thought it was Theresa May who said she was initially going to

order a scope, but told Cameron the Home Office could set aside £3.5 million for a Review if that was what he wanted.

Some Tory MP's were very angry about this money being used..

Yard chief suggests Madeleine probe may be wound down
Bernard Hogan-Howe, the Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police, has indicated that the investigation into the disappearance of Madeleine McCann may be wound down.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/madeleinemccann/9497581/Yard-chief-suggests-Madeleine-probe-may-be-wound-down.html

We are being softened up for the big let down, folks ...

kitti wrote:Police say that so far the Government has provided an open cheque to fund the review, which has included the cost of translating police documents and witness statements as well as the cost of officers travelling to Portugal and Spain.





The witness statements and other police documents have already been translated Into English.....that's ridiculous, do they think we are stupid or what!

I can understand why the police wish to have the documents translated themselves, that is the only acceptable option in my opinion regardless of the extra cost.

And another one ...

Top Scotland Yard cop hints the hunt for Madeleine McCann may be wound down unless Government commit to funding it

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2193130/Madeleine-McCann-Top-Scotland-Yard-cop-hints-hunt-missing-girl-wound-unless-Government-commit-funding-it.html#ixzz24U0VcaEt

chrissie wrote:I also wonder how the parents of other missing children, who have no fund, feel about the amount spent by the government on this one case.

An excellent point, chrissie. The support and donation frenzy engineered driven by the media for this family must stick in the craw of parents whose children have gone missing without the publicly admitted input of freebie plonk and poor parenting skills.

Snipped..

almostgothic wrote:
We are being softened up for the big let down, folks ...

I think you're right ag!

Here we go, lets get ready for the BIG court case on the 12th Sept.....I wondered if we would hear anything befor this date, is this the best you can do Clarry........IMO its all b*****ks I bet the met don't know a thing about this!!!!

Where did the Met get the idea it was a blank cheque? It was said outset that a budget of £3.5m had been allocated.

Well at least they can't accuse Portugeuse of being bungling police force after this!

Well at least they can't accuse Portugeuse of being bungling police force after this!

Nail on head from Blacksmith:

No abductor found

http://blacksmithbureau.blogspot.co.uk/

almostgothic wrote:Nail on head from Blacksmith:

No abductor found

http://blacksmithbureau.blogspot.co.uk/

Ah, his best one yet!
Short and sweet! I hope he is right!

i hope so too

So they have zilch, uh?

The truth will come.

But not from this particular 'scam'.

And I think Bernard knows it's a 'scam'!

And he is not prepared to play the game with the Met's own money.

so they looked at everything have gone to see 'everyone's friend Dave' and said erm actually can't find any evidence for an abductor looks like the parents did it - what the feck do we do now?

tabs wrote:so they looked at everything have gone to see 'everyone's friend Dave' and said erm actually can't find any evidence for an abductor looks like the parents did it - what the feck do we do now?

They'll all pack their bags and autographed copies of Kate's bewk, (nicely signed in joined up writing in crayon) and come home nicely tanned.
But, seriously, how can they inspect, review and comment on the evidence for or against an abductor, or even evidence of bodily harm while the case between McCanns and Amaral is an ongoing issue?