Do the police use psychics to help them?

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  • Leo Hickman
    
  • guardian.co.uk, Wednesday 8 June 2011 20.00 BST
    
  • Article history
    
  • Are there any dead bodies in there? Photograph: Dimitri Vervitsiotis
    
    
    
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    When the phone rang at the sheriff's office in Liberty county, Texas, on Tuesday7 June, the call triggered a story that would captivate America's news networks and cause ripples of interest across the world. But it's not every day that the police get a tip-off about 30 dismembered bodies, including children.
    
    After several hours the police called off the search. "There's no crime scene," announced Liberty county judge Craig McNair on live television (pictured). Instead, the police's attention was now focused on arresting the psychic who had twice called in with the revelation.
    Much of the debate since has focused on whether the police should have acted on unsolicited "evidence" offered by a psychic. Surely they should only act on "hard" evidence? But the officers involved have said that because there was the possibility of harm to children, they were duty-bound to investigate.
    The story poses a question that has long hung over the police: do they ever use psychics to assist them? The routine answer has always been "no" and there seems to be little evidence that they do. But, as this week's case shows, the police are routinely contacted by psychics offering leads, especially during high-profile cases, and sometimes act on the information.
    
    In 2007, for example, Portuguese police said they were following up on leads offered by local psychics in the hunt for Madeleine McCann and had two dossiers of apparent visions and sightings of Madeleine. "We can't put these messages in the bin," said chief inspector Olegario Sousa. "We must check them all in case it might be from the kidnapper." Similarly, the police received tip-offs from psychics during the hunts for Peter Sutcliffe and Ian Huntley.
    In 2006, a group called UK Sceptics formally asked every police force if they had ever used a psychic. All the replies were a predictable "no" – except one. The Metropolitan Police admitted that in one case in 1965 a psychic had "played a major part". A 37-year-old haulage operator called Thomas "Ginger" Marks had mysteriously disappeared and Freddie Foreman, a gangster who worked for the Krays, was acquitted of the murder in 1975. But in 2000 he admitted the killing and that Marks's body had been thrown in the sea.
    The psychic's involvement is still unclear, but the Met say the case records are stored at the national archives in Kew. All that we know, beyond Foreman's confession, is that no body was ever found and the case is still officially "unsolved".
    http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2011/jun/08/police-use-psychics-texas-dead-bodies
    
    
    
  
  

Letterwriter wrote:If psychics can communicate with dead people, why don't they ask them about heaven and hell and which religion turns out to be the right one?
Personally, I'd use my psychic skills to answer great questions like that - not to pass on platitudes.

Seems that psychic skills are only given to those who ask simple questions

Upsy Daisy wrote:ROSA....

I was reading that website Briansprediction that you gave the link for. Spoooooky, was reading what one of the posters wrote, an Australian tarot reader.... her description in the tarot cards sounds just like Gerry!! apologies inadvance if the text size is off!
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[size=18]''Hi Brian,

With regard to the
Madeleine McCann case: I am a tarot reader from Australia who feels
strongly that psychic information is needed in this case. I have pulled
the Knight of Pentacles card four times in row with regard to
this case (it was literally jumping out of my deck during two shuffles).
Any tarot reader knows that pulling the same card from the deck four
times in a row is a really strong message. What I can read from
this card seems to reinforce some of your material, and I feel compelled
to post it on your site for your reader's attention. There are two ways
I can read this card:
[/size]
1) [size=9]I can "read" a very clear
"personality description" from this card, and I feel strongly that I am
reading the personality of the abductor here: Male, dark hair, dark
eyes, stocky build. Meticulous, terribly thorough, has great staying
power. His methodical nature insists on a detailed plan - not a rough
draft, not a sketch, but blueprints, maps, measurements, even a 3-d
model. This person doesn't rush, and will not be panicked. But is
ruthlessly efficient and meticulous. Takes a comprehensive approach and
spends a lot of time prearing every detail. Is absolutely convinced that
success depends upon thorough and meticulous planning. This person will
be subborn, ruthless, precise. No stone has been left unturned in the
planning and preparation of this abduction. This person knows exactly
what he is doing and has planned it down to the very last detail. [/size]

Upsy Daisy wrote:Hi ROSA,

Yes, he seems to have something I tell you that. If true,that he dreamt the Madeleine scenario (which I do not doubt) prior to it happening then, why is he not (well, so far anyway, I am on page 3) thinking along the lines of the parents are involved. He did write however that they should be jailed for neglect! Yes, I saw one post from Phil McCann, with a basic 'your site is interesting' not but not seen the Susan Healy one yet. I am at the stage where he is offering his services to go out to Praia da Luz but don't know the outcome yet. Also, he is constantly asking 'WHY are the parents not physically searching'...so perhaps he will hit on something soon . It's had me practically glued to the computer, in between running around after my 17 month old daughter, I can't stop reading!!!!