Role Reversal ...Dr Martin Roberts 8.5.14

EXCLUSIVE to mccannfiles.com

By Dr Martin Roberts
08 May 2014

ROLE REVERSAL

Is one of DCI Redwood's Portuguese landing party a Sergeant Bilko by any chance, about to play 'Granger on the shore'? If so he'll be well placed to imitate his fellow ostriches, burying his head in the sand like Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe, from whose lofty perch we hear tweeted:

"The critical thing is, as Madeleine's parents have said and we all support, is that they need to have some closure on this, they need to know what happened to their daughter."

Er...Hello...Wake up at the back. They already know, and have done for years.

Kate McCann (to Sara Antunes de Oliveira, SIC, 9 March, 2010): "We're not going to sit here and lie and be totally naïve and say she's one hundred per cent alive." In case you feel that requires translation Sir Bernard, it means: 'The truth is, she's dead'.

But let's not allow the truth to get in the way of a good story eh, or a good story to get in the way of a spot of digging, as requested on the Official Find Madeleine Facebook page:

"7th of May 2014

"We are dismayed with the way the media has behaved over the last couple of days in relation to our daughter's case. There is an on-going, already challenging, police investigation taking place and media interference in this way not only makes the work of the police more difficult, it can potentially damage and destroy the investigation altogether – and hence the chances of us finding Madeleine and discovering what has happened to her. As Madeleine's parents, this just compounds our distress. We urge the media to let the police get on with their work and please show some respect and consideration to Madeleine and all our family.

"Thank you.

"Gerry and Kate"

Experience is clearly a good teacher.

So how can we help? By following the advice of your understudy, Assistant Commissioner Mark Rowley perhaps:

"As well as being aware of the dangers of disrupting the work of the Portuguese, I would also ask you to think carefully about the information you decide to put into the public domain. Although we will continue not to comment on specific information, I would ask you to think twice about what impact that information or speculation might have on the investigation if it is published or broadcast.

"We do not want to undermine our prospects of providing Mr and Mrs McCann with answers in this tragic case."

Well that does rather depend upon the nature of the answers Scotland Yard are keen to provide. The fact that the McCanns have not been prevailed upon to come up with any themselves has of course been widely noted.

As for those outside the Operation Grange loop thinking carefully about the information they might decide to 'put into the public domain', I take it we may harbour no such reservations about further discussing information already in the public domain, should the fancy take us (as well it might)?

Far be it from members of the British public to tell the Police how to do their job. Provided, that is, they do their job, and not someone else's.