A team of 30 detectives from Scotland Yard will be assigned to the search/TELEGRAPH

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/madeleinemccann/8519870/Madeleine-McCann-30-Metropolitan-Police-detectives-to-search-for-missing-girl.html

Madeleine McCann: 30 Metropolitan Police detectives to search for missing girl
A team of 30 detectives from Scotland Yard will be assigned to the search for missing Madeleine McCann in an investigation which could cost millions of pounds, The Daily Telegraph has learnt.
Purgatory: Kate McCann holding her missing daughter, Madeleine's favourite toy, Cuddle Cat.
Kate McCann holding her missing daughter, Madeleine's favourite toy, Cuddle Cat. Photo: JOHN TAYLOR
By Tim Ross 7:30AM BST 18 May 2011



Some of the team will be officers who were due to retire or take voluntary redundancy, a police source said.

The details came as Sir Paul Stephenson, the Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police, defended Scotland Yard’s decision to take up the case, insisting that Madeleine could still be found alive.

She went missing from her family’s holiday flat in Praia da Luz in the Algarve on May 3, 2007, shortly before her fourth birthday.

Portuguese police, helped by officers from Leicestershire Police, carried out an extensive investigation into her disappearance but the official inquiry was formally suspended in July 2008.

Since then no police force has been actively looking for the child.



But last week, it was announced that Scotland Yard would reopen the search, a move that led to criticism that officers’ valuable time would be diverted away from other cases. A police source said that the team of 30 Scotland Yard officers would in part be drawn from those who were due to leave the force through redundancy or retirement.

One of the major difficulties — and expenses — that detectives will face is that much of the material in the investigation will require translation from Portuguese, the source said.

However, the commissioner insisted “there is always a chance” his detectives would find Madeleine alive.

“When you receive a request, supported by the Prime Minister, from the Home Secretary, you take that very seriously,” he told LBC radio. “This is not unique. On balance, I think it was the right thing to do.

“We do review these sort of cases and I think there may be some benefit here.”

The review, which will be funded by the Home Office, has already been described as “ludicrous” and prompted claims that the intervention could undermine the independence of the force.

Last week, Lord Harris, a member of the Metropolitan Police Authority, said: “Whilst no one doubts the desirability of doing what can sensibly be done to find out what has happened to Madeleine McCann, I can imagine that the senior leadership of the Metropolitan Police are not exactly happy about this.

“It again embroils their officers in a high-profile investigation, where the chances of success are unclear, and which will divert limited investigative resources away from other matters.”

Scotland Yard will review the Portuguese police files on the case. The review will be led by Detective Chief Inspector Andy Redwood, from the Homicide and Serious Crime Command.

The announcement of the Met’s involvement followed criticism of David Cameron from Madeleine’s parents, Kate and Gerry McCann, who said the Prime Minister had shown insufficient commitment to children.

The official Portuguese inquiry into Madeleine’s disappearance was formally suspended in July 2008, although private detectives employed by the McCanns continued the search.

Mr Cameron personally wrote to the McCanns to confirm the reopening of the investigation.

The couple have welcomed the move as “a step in the right direction”.

3 comments all anti.

30 officers.......WOW! I'm sure there are many cases in the UK which don't even get that many people working on 1 case. I bet Ben Needhams case didn't get that many UK officers helping.

Sounds as if it's getting to be a bit like "New Tricks".

This is from a 'police source', according to the Telegraph, so I'd take it with a pinch of salt unless confirmed officially. While I'm keen for a proper official review, in collaboration with Portugal, to take place, I certainly don't think it would be wise for 30 police officers to be working on the case of one missing child, while other cases of missing persons have little or no one working on them. Is the government determined to make the McCanns even more unpopular than they already are? A quick look at comments all over the Internet shows how annoyed people are at David Cameron's action in this case, everyone asking are all missing children going to get this special treatment ... funny how there's no official answer to that question.

The bottom line is this - Madeleine is as special as all children, ie very special, but she isn't MORE special. It follows then that there is nothing special about this case, so why are millions of pounds being spent on it, in addition to the money it has already cost the UK and Portugal?

The article has just been discussed on the paper review on the Wright Stuff. Otis (sorry don;t know who he is) seemed to agree it was a lot of money to spend, but he was soon brought into line by Andrew Castle. He said 'and they were suspects' with complete contempt for the PJ. Janet Ellis agreed how tragic it was and the case was trashed from the beginning with so many in the apartment blah, blah. The other panellist Diarmud Gavin some gardener I think said he was in PDL with his little blonde one the week before and it was obvious he thought the mcs were great parents.

I was spitting feathers anyway at the article because if the chief cop thinks they could find Maddie alive what chance do we have of justice. Am so cross that not one of these people have read the info available and make an informed decision. The latest news on Amaral will no doubt be spun to show him as a heartless soul.

I need my bp medication!!

So RETIRED. ...like DAVE....nothing better to do and get paid for doing it...like DAVE!

They don't even have 30 detectives on a murder case...

kitti wrote:So RETIRED. ...like DAVE....nothing better to do and get paid for doing it...like DAVE!

Wonder if they have links to the Royal Ulster Constabulary?

The End Is Nigh wrote:Sounds as if it's getting to be a bit like "New Tricks".

That has made me laugh. I was thinking along those lines. Mind you in New Tricks they always get their man or woman

I guess 30 detectives can get through the files quicker than... say 5? Balancing time against costs maybe ?

fuzeta wrote:

The End Is Nigh wrote:Sounds as if it's getting to be a bit like "New Tricks".

That has made me laugh. I was thinking along those lines. Mind you in New Tricks they always get their man or woman

Or both ......................

You don't have 30 detectives on one case...you 2 or 3 top men....then you police officers who do the ground work ...they are not all detectives ...it's ridiculous saying that


30 detectives would not sit at a desk looking through files.

It's like having 30 Jack frosts lol

pennylane wrote:

kitti wrote:So RETIRED. ...like DAVE....nothing better to do and get paid for doing it...like DAVE!

Wonder if they have links to the Royal Ulster Constabulary?

I don't know a single ex-RUC officer who thinks Madeleine was abducted (except for those 2 shining examples of Dave Edgar and Jim Gamble). Most people who served in the RUC are more cynical than the average person, not less (hardly surprising), so aren't really likely to be taken in by fairy stories. OTOH, a job is a job, and many retired RUC officers like to escape Ulster weather and spend time in the sun, so you never know. A nice little job popping over to Portugal or chasing up a few leads in Spain or Morocco might be just the ticket.

kitti wrote:It's like having 30 Jack frosts lol

I agree kitti

There was a good quote from a Miss Marple a while ago. When folk were admiring her detective skills. She said something along the lines. 'People always assume that other people are telling the truth. I never do.'

Dimsie wrote:

pennylane wrote:

kitti wrote:So RETIRED. ...like DAVE....nothing better to do and get paid for doing it...like DAVE!

Wonder if they have links to the Royal Ulster Constabulary?

I don't know a single ex-RUC officer who thinks Madeleine was abducted (except for those 2 shining examples of Dave Edgar and Jim Gamble). Most people who served in the RUC are more cynical than the average person, not less (hardly surprising), so aren't really likely to be taken in by fairy stories. OTOH, a job is a job, and many retired RUC officers like to escape Ulster weather and spend time in the sun, so you never know. A nice little job popping over to Portugal or chasing up a few leads in Spain or Morocco might be just the ticket.

Hi Dimsie, the Irish seem to be well ahead of the game where the McCanns are concerned, and I wasn't suggesting anyone in the RUC would be fooled by their antics for one second either.... I just thought there seemed to be some links there with Jim Gamble and Dave Edgar... and if the head of this 'review' had links again.... I would find that suspicious.

pennylane wrote:

Hi Dimsie, the Irish seem to be well ahead of the game where the McCanns are concerned, and I wasn't suggesting anyone in the RUC would be fooled by their antics for one second.... I just thought there seemed to be some links there with Jim Gamble and Dave Edgar... and if the head of this 'review' had links again.... I would find that suspicious.

I think Gamble's position in CEOP was the thing that mattered, not his having been in the RUC. I've no idea how Dave Edgar got involved, TBH.

If the detectives are all to be from Scotland Yard, I suppose there might be one or two originally from NI among them. Also, if they're going to take on retired people from other forces, then yes, that might include ex-RUC because the simple fact is that there's a lot of ex-RUC people around, kicking their heels with nothing much to do. When the RUC morphed into the PSNI many officers took redundancy on very generous terms, ie a large lump sum and an excellent pension. A number of them have returned to work (not in the PSNI obviously) but there are still plenty who have little or nothing to do and who might jump at the chance of getting back into detective work in a very interesting case.

A couple of good things, though, if they do - I've yet to meet an ex-RUC man or woman who doesn't know the value of sniffer dogs. Obviously explosives-detecting dogs were the most used during the Troubles, but cadaver and blood dogs too. Eddie and Keela have both worked in N Ireland, and to very good effect. Plus, NI police are in favour of using low copy number DNA; even Dave Edgar sang its praises - I wonder what his present bosses think about him saying LCN DNA is 'an amazingly powerful tool'. Oops!

Like everything else that has been written about this "reopening" or "review" or whatever you want to call it, this is pure speculation or most likely just the fruit of some lazy journalist's imagination. As far as I'm concerned, David Cameron answered the McCanns' whiny letter offering to help. He requested that the police (Scotland Yard or the Met) look into the case. Stephenson has made some vague comments. And that's that. The rest, we and the journalists know nothing. Even Correio da Manhã has some stupid story about SY officers accompanying tthe McCanns to Portugal.

Dimsie wrote:

pennylane wrote:

Hi Dimsie, the Irish seem to be well ahead of the game where the McCanns are concerned, and I wasn't suggesting anyone in the RUC would be fooled by their antics for one second.... I just thought there seemed to be some links there with Jim Gamble and Dave Edgar... and if the head of this 'review' had links again.... I would find that suspicious.

I think Gamble's position in CEOP was the thing that mattered, not his having been in the RUC. I've no idea how Dave Edgar got involved, TBH.

If the detectives are all to be from Scotland Yard, I suppose there might be one or two originally from NI among them. Also, if they're going to take on retired people from other forces, then yes, that might include ex-RUC because the simple fact is that there's a lot of ex-RUC people around, kicking their heels with nothing much to do. When the RUC morphed into the PSNI many officers took redundancy on very generous terms, ie a large lump sum and an excellent pension. A number of them have returned to work (not in the PSNI obviously) but there are still plenty who have little or nothing to do and who might jump at the chance of getting back into detective work in a very interesting case.

A couple of good things, though, if they do - I've yet to meet an ex-RUC man or woman who doesn't know the value of sniffer dogs. Obviously explosives-detecting dogs were the most used during the Troubles, but cadaver and blood dogs too. Eddie and Keela have both worked in N Ireland, and to very good effect. Plus, NI police are in favour of using low copy number DNA; even Dave Edgar sang its praises - I wonder what his present bosses think about him saying LCN DNA is 'an amazingly powerful tool'. Oops!

Thank you for your very informative reply, Dimsie xx. You always make perfect sense!

30 detectives. Does anyone know off hand how many officers were deployed in the search for the Yorkshire Ripper. He was desimating the female population of West Yorkshire not involved in the "abduction" of one lone female child. It is time that all the parents of missing, and not yet found, children and for that matter adults, join forces and ask Cameron to investigate their circumstances. The McCanns are and have been from the beginning being treated as royalty and given all sorts of special treatment. The families of other missing persons have not been afforded this type of "help". If it is going to be done for one then it should be for all missing persons.

Colonel Fabien wrote:Like everything else that has been written about this "reopening" or "review" or whatever you want to call it, this is pure speculation or most likely just the fruit of some lazy journalist's imagination. As far as I'm concerned, David Cameron answered the McCanns' whiny letter offering to help. He requested that the police (Scotland Yard or the Met) look into the case. Stephenson has made some vague comments. And that's that. The rest, we and the journalists know nothing. Even Correio da Manhã has some stupid story about SY officers accompanying tthe McCanns to Portugal.

And that speculation is still going on, while our MP has so far denied any request for any reopening, and they kept saying the same old stuff: the case will be reopened when new evidence/facts are brought to the case.

FSoares wrote:

Colonel Fabien wrote:Like everything else that has been written about this "reopening" or "review" or whatever you want to call it, this is pure speculation or most likely just the fruit of some lazy journalist's imagination. As far as I'm concerned, David Cameron answered the McCanns' whiny letter offering to help. He requested that the police (Scotland Yard or the Met) look into the case. Stephenson has made some vague comments. And that's that. The rest, we and the journalists know nothing. Even Correio da Manhã has some stupid story about SY officers accompanying tthe McCanns to Portugal.

And that speculation is still going on, while our MP has so far denied any request for any reopening, and they kept saying the same old stuff: the case will be reopened when new evidence/facts are brought to the case.

So what does that mean with regard to GA's comment...it only requires a letter, the cost of a stamp. Is it new evidence or a letter, or what?

A special squad of specialist coppers to look at cold cases would be no more than 3-4 plus supervisor, plus admin staff.

Any more than this and the number of briefings would go on and on for ever more, and the coordination of information would be tricky.

On new cases, especially murder and serious rape, incident rooms are set up and these would be manned by several officers, it could possibly stretch to 30 at a guess, but over time this number gradually reduces. In new cases there is much physical searching to be carried out initially and witnesses to be interviewed. However, in a review or re-investigation or whatever it is, there would be no physical searching unless new evidence pointed in that direction, at which point, officer numbers may be increased to carry out said search. As it stands though, I cannot for one minute imagine 30 officers being involved. Even if it starts off like that for practical reasons in order to sift through as much material as possible in as short a time as possible, it would tail off gradually.

If this is using the manpower of due to retire officers, then their wages have to be continued for a while longer. If this is using the manpower of already retired officers, then their pensions will be topped up handsomly with this additional income, all at a time when the police have been asked to make cuts. Therefore, if there is a personnel of 30 officers, there would quite rightly be an outcry from the public.