revelations in search for Maddie/Theolivepress

http://www.theolivepress.es/spain-news/2014/05/11/revelations-in-search-for-maddie-mccann/

Revelations in search for Maddie McCann

PUBLISHED: May 11, 2014 at 8:30 am  •  LAST EDITED: May 10, 2014 at 11:35 am
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Revelations in search for Maddie McCann


THE search for Madeleine McCann has gone all around the globe and is now returning to where to all began.

Scotland Yard have been granted permission by Portuguese authorities to begin excavating three key sites in the Algarve holiday resort where she vanished in 2007.

The searches will begin within weeks.

But a former senior detective, who doesn’t want to be named, told the Olive Press that the operation has been planned for a very long time.

“Military helicopters are not just hired by the hour on the spur of the moment, like catamarans on the beach,” he said.

“The whole thing has been approved at a very high level. But which I mean government.

“This isn’t just any other search. Someone must have spelled out exactly what they want to look for, exactly where they want to look, and exactly why. And this must have been agreed as a viable and useful thing to do by the entire chain of command.”

The operation comes just days after the seventh anniversary of Maddie’s disappearance, on May 3.

Gerry and Kate McCann, both 45, are fully informed about the developments in the hunt for their daughter, but will not be travelling to the resort while the work is carried out.

One of the key areas to be searched is a patch of wasteland, about the size of three football pitches, across the road from where the McCanns were staying – at the Ocean Club.

Another area is the tapas bar where they were dining when three-year-old Maddie disappeared.

The overgrown area, beside a school, was an open expanse at the time but is now fenced off.

Aerial photographs are set to be taken of the area, to assess the land, while officers on the ground will look for disturbances of rocks, excess soil and moved vegetation.

The searches will be conducted by Portuguese police, with British detectives on site alongside them.

While there has long been speculation that Maddie could have been taken across the border into Spain, the case has now decisively returned to Portugal.

In an open letter to the media, Met Police Assistant Commissioner Mark Rowley said: “This case has for some time been moving towards increased action in Portugal.

“Whilst the process is more bureaucratic and slower than we would wish, I now believe that activity will occur in forthcoming weeks.

“The most important task for me is to build momentum and protect our investigation in order that we can do everything possible to solve the case.”

At last.

A piece from the Olive Press which is not centred around some middle-aged female Brit tourist who swears she saw Madeleine in some holiday spot, but instead features an objective viewpoint.

What a refreshing change.

Thanks Annabel


But a former senior detective, who doesn’t want to be named, told the Olive Press that the operation has been planned for a very long time.

“Military helicopters are not just hired by the hour on the spur of the moment, like catamarans on the beach,” he said.

“The whole thing has been approved at a very high level. But which I mean government."

Are we to believe that if this was planned a long time ago, SY could continue to waste millions of pounds of public money on their investigation in the interim? Upset the Portugese by feeding the Press?

Panda wrote:Thanks Annabel


But a former senior detective, who doesn’t want to be named, told the Olive Press that the operation has been planned for a very long time.

“Military helicopters are not just hired by the hour on the spur of the moment, like catamarans on the beach,” he said.

“The whole thing has been approved at a very high level. But which I mean government."

Are we to believe that if this was planned a long time ago, SY could continue to waste millions of pounds of public money on their investigation in the interim?  Upset the Portugese by feeding the Press?  

Not sure I understand what you are saying here Panda. So far as I am aware (bearing in mind no one knows how long ago exactly requests were made) in the interim the PJ have been in Britain.

I personally believe its a positive that SY are looking more closely at Portugal and the area around the apartment. I would think the investigation expensive if they were flying off all over the world following up leads in Australia or Sweden for instance, but as far as I know SY have conducted their investigation either in Britain or on Portuguese soil and they seem to have discounted all these sightings that the McCanns were pushing in seemingly every country around the world and are concentrating on the immediate area around the McCann apartment. The PJ think along the same lines too, that the answer lies very close to PDL, so there is common ground I feel between the two forces and it is a Judge authorising on certain courses of action, so I think there has to be hope personally.

Another area is the tapas bar where they were dining when three-year-old Maddie disappeared.

there isn't anywhere to dig at the tapas bar. If, and it is a big if, they do find remains, this will only prove that she is dead, not who killed her. So it really doesn't leave K & G off the hook. There are too many discrepancies in the statements and what they have said in interview on TV to totally discount them as suspects.

LJC wrote:

Panda wrote:Thanks Annabel


But a former senior detective, who doesn’t want to be named, told the Olive Press that the operation has been planned for a very long time.

“Military helicopters are not just hired by the hour on the spur of the moment, like catamarans on the beach,” he said.

“The whole thing has been approved at a very high level. But which I mean government."

Are we to believe that if this was planned a long time ago, SY could continue to waste millions of pounds of public money on their investigation in the interim?  Upset the Portugese by feeding the Press?  

Not sure I understand what you are saying here Panda.  So far as I am aware (bearing in mind no one knows how long ago exactly requests were made) in the interim the PJ have been in Britain.

I personally believe its a positive that SY are looking more closely at Portugal and the area around the apartment.  I would think the investigation expensive if they were flying off all over the world following up leads in Australia or Sweden for instance, but as far as I know SY have conducted their investigation either in Britain or on Portuguese soil and they seem to have discounted all these sightings that the McCanns were pushing in seemingly every country around the world and are concentrating on the immediate area around the McCann apartment. The PJ think along the same lines too, that the answer lies very close to PDL, so there is common ground I feel between the two forces and it is a Judge authorising on certain courses of action, so I think there has to be hope personally.  

We all know how Redwood went overboard with all these suspected child snatchers and have upset the Portugese Police and Residents in the process. If this ex Detective is saying that this search was planned a long time ago and planned by Government , how come it was not implemented earlier and SY would not have wasted so much money.

Panda wrote:

LJC wrote:

Panda wrote:Thanks Annabel


But a former senior detective, who doesn’t want to be named, told the Olive Press that the operation has been planned for a very long time.

“Military helicopters are not just hired by the hour on the spur of the moment, like catamarans on the beach,” he said.

“The whole thing has been approved at a very high level. But which I mean government."

Are we to believe that if this was planned a long time ago, SY could continue to waste millions of pounds of public money on their investigation in the interim?  Upset the Portugese by feeding the Press?  

Not sure I understand what you are saying here Panda.  So far as I am aware (bearing in mind no one knows how long ago exactly requests were made) in the interim the PJ have been in Britain.

I personally believe its a positive that SY are looking more closely at Portugal and the area around the apartment.  I would think the investigation expensive if they were flying off all over the world following up leads in Australia or Sweden for instance, but as far as I know SY have conducted their investigation either in Britain or on Portuguese soil and they seem to have discounted all these sightings that the McCanns were pushing in seemingly every country around the world and are concentrating on the immediate area around the McCann apartment. The PJ think along the same lines too, that the answer lies very close to PDL, so there is common ground I feel between the two forces and it is a Judge authorising on certain courses of action, so I think there has to be hope personally.  

We all know how Redwood went overboard with all these suspected child snatchers and have upset the Portugese Police and Residents in the process. If this ex Detective is saying that this search was planned a long time ago and planned by Government , how come it was not implemented earlier and SY would not have wasted so much money.

I don't think anything happens quickly in Portugal, as evidenced by court cases dragging on and SY can only make requests, they cannot authorise anything, so therefore if a Portuguese Judge wants to take time over this dig decision, that is not the fault of SY. The fact is we here are not privy to what goes on with SY, the PJ or in the Portuguese Courts and the only time information comes out is when a decision on a course of action has been reached. We do not know how long ago negotiations started with Portugal for this dig, we do not know how much red tape is involved, therefore we cannot speculate about money or anything else imo.

Military helicopters are not just hired by the hour on the spur of the moment, like catamarans on the beach,” he said.

“The whole thing has been approved at a very high level. But which I mean government."

Right, this is what I was referring to, if the Portugese and British Government "at the very highest level" planned and approved this search , The Portugese would certainly not have dawdled, they would have wanted the case closed asap