Operation Grange Update

Operation Grange officers working alongside experts in their field from around the UK, the Policia Judicial and the Guarda Nacional Republicana today, Wednesday 11 June completed an eight day period of work searching specific areas of land in Praia da Luz.

At this time no evidence relating to Madeleine McCann has been identified. However it has given us an essential understanding of the activity on and people that have used this piece of land.

This was the first phase of this major investigation which has been agreed with the Portuguese following the four International Letters of Request submitted to date. More activity has been agreed and we expect that to commence shortly. In addition further requests are being compiled and will be submitted in due course.

The decision to search the “horse shoe” shaped piece of waste ground to the west of Praia da Luz and other sites was as a specific result of the UK’s investigation work to date.

The total area of land searched and surveyed was of approximately 60,000 sq metres and included all utilities, drainage channels and derelict buildings. 41 ground anomalies were identified initially by both aerial survey and ground analysis which were then investigated fully. These included three outside of the original area.

This deployment which was the largest ever undertaken by UK police overseas in a case of this type, highlighted the effective nature of the assistance given by the Portuguese authorities, for which the investigation team and family are very grateful.

The media’s understanding and co-operation following Assistant Commissioner Rowley’s pre deployment briefing has also been noted and appreciated.

There is still a substantial amount of work yet to be completed in the coming weeks and months, which again should be viewed as no more than normal operational activity in a case of this size and complexity. This recent work is part of ensuring that all lines of enquiry are progressed in a systematic manner and covers just the one hypothesis that she was killed and buried locally. This is the same as would be done in the UK for a murder or high risk missing person enquiry. The scientific support staff involved were there to provide the highest level of assurance that this area was searched to the highest possible standards.

in Metropolitan Police press statement, June 11, 2014 @ 17:50pm

Says it all really.

So do they now dismiss the hypothesis She was killed and buried locally.

Good job so far Andy !

So need to find Some innocent tourist to eliminate Smithman.'Enhanced pension and early retirement for the first volunteer from plodland'.

Operation Grange wrote:However it has given us an essential understanding of the activity on and people that have used this piece of land.

Well that could be food for thought.

As for Redwood getting early retirement on an enhanced pension, in his dreams. His pension will be whatever he originally signed up to and contributed to himself, whatever that amount may be, for however long he has been contributing. All newcomer coppers cannot expect anything like the pensions that long-standing officers are retiring on now, as the goalposts have been moved considerably due to cutbacks, but Redwood will not be getting any more than he is entitled to.

Also, we cannot complain when SY investigate abduction only and complain when they investigate murder and concealment. I am pleased that they have gone down this route; it seems they are investigating every hypothesis there is, whatever they all are.

Operation Grange Update

"This recent work is part of ensuring that all lines of enquiry are progressed in a systematic manner and covers just the one hypothesis that she was killed and buried locally. This is the same as would be done in the UK for a murder or high risk missing person enquiry. " extract

Searching around in the Operation Grange comments about what they have just done in digging all round PDL, I found the above comment, which could, at a push, be considered hopeful. Firstly it makes it clear that the Met were following just the one hypothesis with the dig... that she was killed and buried locally. This hypothesis has failed them, so maybe they will try some of the other more likely productive, but till now neglected ones? We could suggest the most likely one, I'm sure! At least the last dig was not following the hypothesis of abduction by an international group of paedophiles!

Half of me thinks they were 'sold a pup' with false information.... all that money spent on the dig had to have some intelligence behind it, and half of me thinks if was all just grandstanding in the sun as an excuse to be seen to be doing something.

However it is hopeful that they reference what would happen in such a serious case in the UK. In the UK, first and foremost, the investigating police would ask 'WHO SAW HER LAST and where?'

In this case, so we are told, it was Gerry (family) in flat 5a, fast asleep, at around 9:15pm on the day she disappeared; earlier - Dr Payne (close friend) 6:30pm on the evening she disappeared in 5a ready for bed with Kate and the twins; last independent sighting cited by Mark Harrison police adviser homicide/missing persons AT THE CRECHE with various nannies in attendance (time and even date not totally sure).

All these people mentioned in the UK would be key persons of interest if not suspects!

....

I put the above notes on on Joana's website because I was scraping around for a positive way of looking at the digging. Friends assured me they must have had some intelligence to go on because all that muscle and technology would simply not have been put into place merely for 'a going through the motions' pantomime. Were they deliberately misled... if so by which burglar/cleaner/tractor operator/drug dealer/gypsy? I also hear that they have not even interviewed the T9 (aka the T7 + 2). Since they were the last people to have seen Madeleine this is frankly crazy. Maybe they will try another hypothesis to work to death... any bets on alien abduction?

I think one of those claimed times is wrong. I believe Payne said he visited 5a and saw Kate and the children... the children all in white... at 5:30pm on the day Madeleine was found to be missing.