SCOTLAND Yard detectives could begin work in Portugal within weeks as they step up the hunt for Madeleine McCann.

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Madeleine McCann: New hope as British police go-ahead to start search in Portugal

SCOTLAND Yard detectives could begin work in Portugal within weeks as they step up the hunt for Madeleine McCann.



By: Mark Reynolds
Published: Mon, July 22, 2013
Scotland-Yard-detectives-believe-Madeleine-McCann-may-still-be-alive Scotland Yard detectives believe Madeleine McCann may still be alive

The Crown Prosecution Service has written to Portuguese judges asking for permission for a team to gather evidence, with the help of local police.

A CPS spokesman said: “We can confirm that a Letter of Request has now been sent to the Portuguese authorities.”

It is hoped this will ease the way for officers from the UK to be based in Portugal to interview witnesses and suspects, search properties and be present should any arrests need to be made.

Portugal will now have to reply to the UK authorities and agree to the request to gather evidence over there. However there is no reason to suggest they will refuse. The Metropolitan Police has identified 38 “persons of interest” – 12 of them UK citizens.

Senior Metropolitan Police officers from Operation Grange, the inquiry into Madeleine’s disappearance, remain optimistic of making progress in the case. Announcing the full-blown investigation, Detective Chief Inspector Andy Redwood said: “It is a positive step in our hunt for Madeleine that our understanding of the evidence has enabled us to shift from review to investigation. We, and the Portuguese authorities, remain completely committed to finding out what happened to Madeleine, and everything we do is utterly focused on her best interests. We continue to believe that there is a possibility that Madeleine is alive.”

International criminal investigations in Europe are governed by two treaties – the 1959 European Convention on Mutual Assistance in Criminal Matters, and the Convention on Mutual Assistance in Criminal Matters between EU States of 2000.

Madeleine – who would now be 10 – went missing from her holiday apartment in Praia da Luz in the Algarve on May 3, 2007, as her parents dined with friends.

Madeleine, Maddy, Kate, Gerry, Missing, alive, abduction, Portugal, searchKate and Gerry McCan have 'absolute faith' in Scotland Yard


The Metropolitan Police has identified 38 persons of interest

Neither Kate nor Gerry McCann, both 45, nor the friends who were eating with them that night are among the 38 people identified, police said. None of the 38 is known to the McCanns. But Kate and Gerry have said they “have absolute faith in the work Scotland Yard are doing”.

The Portuguese investigation is officially closed but authorities there are backing the new Scotland Yard inquiry and officers from both countries will work together in pursuing new leads.

A team of 37 Met police officers and staff is now working on the case. The 12 British “persons of interest” were in Portugal at the time Madeleine vanished, and are currently thought to be in Portugal or the UK. The other 26 are believed to be in these countries or three other unnamed European nations. So far the inquiry team has gathered 30,500 documents and generated 3,800 actions that they need to tackle.

Operation Grange was launched in 2011 after the McCanns, from Rothley, Leics, appealed directly to David Cameron for help from Scotland Yard.

The new full-blown investigation is being funded by the Home Office. The cost of the review so far has been put at around ­£5million.

"Within weeks" suggests they're not looking for a LIVE Madeleine.

Yes, they're not exactly rushing, are they?

Thanks Karen

I wish they would just get on with it.. there seems to be a lot of talk and not much doing.

" ... and generated 3,800 actions that they need to tackle."


Blimey - that's one helluva 'To Do' list.

I hope that list of actions includes sharpening pencils and ordering pizza (ie stuff that can be done quickly).
Otherwise I'm going to end up speaking to you folks through a ouija board.

Can I ask people who post an article from a newspaper or a blog, or whatever, to give the exact reference, and not just the name of the author of the article: ie name of publication,and country from which it comes, and date etc as well. Someone posted an article from 'The Times' once... and it was the DELAWARE times not the London times which was a bit confusing.

comperedna wrote:Can I ask people who post an article from a newspaper or a blog, or whatever, to give the exact reference, and not just the name of the author of the article: ie name of publication,and country from which it comes, and date etc as well. Someone posted an article from 'The Times' once... and it was the DELAWARE times not the London times which was a bit confusing.

Good thinking! I'd ask the same please. If you copy and paste an article, please post the link. Thanks

Hahaha! Lord Sugar asked people on Twitter to email Jan Moir at the dailymail.com. Shame that goes to the Charleston, West Virginia Daily Mail.