Met Police (Operation Grange) - Bollocks or not bollocks?

And the pillow talk with his influential Greenie wife

Scotland Yard’s Madeleine McCann investigation has been extended for another year

EXCLUSIVE

Josh Layton - Wednesday 6 Jul 2022 11:46 am

The British investigation into the disappearance of Madeleine McCann is being continued for another year by the Metropolitan Police.

Reports had suggested that Operation Grange would be wound down this autumn with the end of its funding as the circumstances of the three-year-old’s disappearance 15 years ago remain unsolved.

Scotland Yard has been assisting the Portuguese authorities investigating how she vanished from a holiday apartment in Praia da Luz.

The British detectives were set to wind down their 11-year involvement in the case, according to reports in March 2022.

However, Scotland Yard has now confirmed in response to a Freedom of Information Act (FOI) request that the case has received funding to continue until March 2023.

It is likely to be a faint glimmer of hope for her parents, Kate and Gerry, after apparent links between the latest suspect in the case and the disappearance were debunked.

Christian Brueckner, who is currently in a German prison for a number of sex and drug offences, was named by prosecutors in the country as a chief suspect in June 2020.

However investigative journalist Mark Williams-Thomas found that there was no solid evidence linking the 45-year-old to the disappearance as he researched a documentary which was broadcast in May this year. Brueckner denies any involvement.

t had previously been reported that Scotland Yard would not continue its involvement in the case beyond this year.

A source told the Sun: ‘The end of the road for Operation Grange is now in sight. The team’s work is expected to be completed by autumn.’

Scotland Yard refused to say at the time when its involvement would end.

The force had been given a grant of £349,328 from the Home Office to fund its role in the 2021 to 2022 financial year. The total amount allocated to the UK end of the investigation is thought to be around £13 million.

A subsequent request for the current 12 months has now been granted, according to the reply provided by the Met Police.

The response stated: ‘I have contacted the Operation Grange Team and in response to your question regarding Operation Grange being closed, they have advised that an application for further funding was submitted and authorised by the Home Office earlier this year.

‘This funding runs until March 2023. Regular reviews between the MPS and the Home Office continue to take place throughout the year. Operation Grange remains open at this present time.’

The Met provided the information as it refused to answer an FOI request for information about Operation Grange on a number of grounds. One of the reasons stated was that disclosure would harm an ‘ongoing investigation’ and its relationship with other police forces and Madeleine’s family.

Kate and Gerry, from Rothley, Leicestershire, have never given up hope that their daughter is alive. On May 3 this year, they marked the 15th anniversary of her disappearance with a candlelit vigil.

In a message on Facebook, they said: ‘Many people talk about the need for ‘closure’. It’s always felt a strange term. Regardless of outcome, Madeleine will always be our daughter and a truly horrific crime has been committed.

‘These things will remain. It is true though that uncertainty creates weakness; knowledge and certainty give strength, and for this reason our need for answers, for the truth, is essential.

‘We are grateful for the ongoing work and commitment of the UK, Portuguese and German authorities as it is this combined police effort which will yield results and bring us those answers.’

The Met announced in May 2011 that, at the request of the Home Secretary, it had agreed to bring its expertise to the unsolved case.

The team is led by Det Chief Inspector Mark Cranwell and is reported to have been reduced from 40 officers to four as of this year.

The Met Police confirmed today that the case ‘is ongoing’.

A spokesperson for the Home Office said: ‘Funding for Operation Grange is approved on an annual basis. Any requests for funding will be considered as usual in line with our Special Grant process.’

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What a jolly hoot all this is.

They make me want to vomit.

Milo wrote:They make me want to vomit.

Hasten Jason fetch the basin ....

You could have a point but in my view if the UK authorities have good reason, whatever that might be, they will never give a direct honest answer to questions that could jeopardize their assumed integrity.

They will bluff around the salient points, reveal as much as they can without actually laying bare.

Dishonest the lot of them.  They are a breed, a species like no other in human form.  The odd one here and there, for they do exist, that break the code are cast asunder - or they are too controversial and decent and self respecting to risk personal damnation.

Scotland Yard’s Madeleine McCann investigation has been extended for another year

Sir Mark Rowley is the new Commissioner of the Met Police.

Yup....this Mark Rowley  

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Let's rubber stamp that..

News - 8 July 2022 14:17

Sir Mark Rowley appointed as new Metropolitan Police Commissioner

The Home Secretary Priti Patel has today (8th July 2022) announced the appointment of Sir Mark Rowley as the new Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police Service.

Sir Mark was formally appointed by Her Majesty the Queen following a recommendation from the Home Secretary, after a highly competitive recruitment process. Representations from the Mayor of London were considered by the Home Secretary as part of this recommendation.

At a time when the Government is investing record sums into policing, including supporting the recruitment of 20,000 additional police officers across England and Wales, the new Commissioner will need to focus on getting the basics right, restoring confidence in policing, delivering on the Beating Crime Plan and making our capital’s streets safer.

Home Secretary Priti Patel said:

“Sir Mark Rowley is a distinguished and exceptionally experienced police officer, having served the people of the West Midlands and Surrey before guiding the capital through some of its most challenging moments in the wake of the 2017 terror attacks, as the Met’s then head of counter-terrorism.

“He now takes on one of the most important and demanding jobs in policing, leading the country’s largest force at a time when public trust in the Metropolitan Police has been severely undermined by a number of significant failings. Rebuilding public trust and delivering on crime reduction must be his priority.

“This will be a challenging period, but with a focus on tackling neighbourhood crime and delivering the basics of policing, Sir Mark is committed to tackling the significant challenges confronting the force and to making London’s streets safer by driving down crime and bringing more criminals to justice.

“As the largest police force in the country, we have supported the Met to recruit 2,599 extra police officers and increased their annual policing budget to £3.24 billion in 2022-23. I look forward to working closely with Sir Mark to ensure this investment drives essential change to ensure the force delivers for the people of London.”

Responding to his appointment, Sir Mark Rowley said:

“I feel deeply honoured to be appointed to be the next Metropolitan Police Commissioner. Our mission is to lead the renewal of policing by consent which has been so heavily dented in recent years as trust and confidence have fallen.

“I am grateful that the Home Secretary and Mayor are both determined to support the urgent reforms we need to deliver successful community crimefighting in today’s fast moving world. These reforms include our use of technology and data, our culture and our policing approach. We will fight crime with communities – not unilaterally dispense tactics.

“I also know that the majority of officers and staff retain an extraordinary sense of vocation and determination and want us to do better. It is my job to help them do that, whilst also being ruthless in removing those who are corrupting our integrity.

“We will deliver more trust, less crime and high standards for London and beyond and we will work with London’s diverse communities as we together renew the uniquely British invention of ‘policing by consent’.”

The date of Sir Mark’s first day in the role will be confirmed in due course.

The Mayor of London Sadiq Khan said:

“The Home Secretary and I have agreed that Sir Mark Rowley is the best person to lead the Metropolitan Police as the new Commissioner at this extremely challenging time.

“A series of appalling scandals have not only exposed deep cultural problems within the Met, but have contributed to a crisis of confidence in London’s police service. Sir Mark has made clear to me that he is determined to be a reforming Commissioner, committed to implementing a robust plan to rebuild trust and confidence in the police and to drive through the urgent reforms and step change in culture and performance Londoners deserve. As Mayor, I will support and hold him to these promises as I continue to hold the Met to account.

“Sir Mark has demonstrated to me that he is the outstanding candidate for this role. He brings a wealth of great experience to the position, including exceptional leadership during the 2017 terror attacks and a genuine commitment to increasing engagement with diverse communities across our city. The experience he has gained outside policing over the last four years will also bring a valuable new perspective to the Met. Above all, he is committed to policing by consent and shares my ambition to get to a place where all Londoners feel protected and served, and where we have a police force that everyone – including the many brave and dedicated officers in our city – can be proud of.

“I look forward to supporting Sir Mark Rowley and working closely with the Home Secretary as we work to restore trust and confidence in the police, ensure that the Met gets the basics of policing right, and build on the significant success we have made in driving down violence and crime in our city.”

Acting Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police Service Sir Stephen House added:

“I would like to congratulate Sir Mark Rowley QPM on his appointment as Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis.

“Anyone who knows Sir Mark will be aware that he brings extensive policing experience from both inside and outside London, which I have no doubt will benefit London and Londoners.”

Biography of Sir Mark Rowley

Sir Mark Peter Rowley QPM was Chief Constable of Surrey Police for four years (2008-2011) before joining the Metropolitan Police Service in 2011. Sir Mark was a former Assistant Commissioner for Specialist Crime and Operations of the Metropolitan Police Service (2011- 2014), and then National Police Chiefs' Council Lead for Counter-Terrorism (2014- 2018). He was knighted in 2018 for his exceptional contribution to national security and national leadership at a time of unprecedented threat.

Sir Mark Rowley’s career in policing spans over 30 years, during which time he has transformed national security and policing. As Chief Constable, he lifted the public confidence levels in Surrey to the highest in the country. After joining the Metropolitan Police Service, Sir Mark transformed the approach to UK counter-terrorism and policing gangs, increasing community engagement and workforce diversity, leading the police response to the London terror attacks of 2017 and reducing shootings and murders in London to an all-time low. He also led reform in policing of public order, organised crime and fraud, launching the 200 strong Op Falcon team to combat the growth of online fraud and cybercrime.

Since leaving policing in 2018 he has worked in specialist security projects and on technology/data led transformation with ‘start-ups’ and the world’s largest professional services company. He has focused on: countering extremism and racism, online safety, institutional integrity and illicit finance.

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Marcus Rolloxicus Vulgaris



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Jimmy Dean

Oh, oobee doo
I wanna be like you oo oo

Re:  Sir Mark Rowley - Commisionaire of the Metropolitan Police Elect

Please please forgive and correct me if I'm wrong, do I remember a very recent email communication sent to the incumbent controller of Operation Grange (copied to  other important named factions), detailing specific anomalies relating to the Metropolitan police, task force Operation Grange's, curious approach to the Complete Mystery of Madeleine McCann?

A missive highlighting particular areas of interest, previously unrecognized, as regards a criminal police investigation - specifics of importance but dismissed by the world's finest .... the Metropolitan Police?  The force engaged to further probe the case of Madeleine McCann, following the planned effective disgrace of the original police investigation conducted by the Portuguese police?

A well respected force in the European court of policing?

Perhaps Sir Mark Rowley, newly appointed Commissionaire for the Metropolitan Police, should also be factored in.  I hate to see favouritism - it's his official right to be given the opportunity to defend the force and it's blatant disregard and failings in respect of the life and memory of a three year old child.

Do you have children Sir Rowley?  If so, what would you expect of the establishment to protect your child?

You can't hide from this one, you personally spoke out on more than one occasion -  now is the time to redress the balance, to put your acclaimed talents to the test.  If you need any assistance, your schedule being so demanded. we are here to help.  Something tells me CMOMM/MMRG know more about the detail of this case than you ever did - nor ever will if you don't expand your mind.

Do the right thing, that must be a pretty hefty wage you bank every month - put it to good use and start telling the truth, forget the greasy pole you climb, that only leads to the decent of a greased pig  ask Boris Johnson - he knows, he was there.

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Any further assistance, we as a collective are at your disposal - and I mean that most sincerely.

Isn't it funny how the cannot respond or comment on the material that Petermac has sent in yet what anything that claims an abduction, including nonsense from Jon Clarke, can be splattered all over the press.

AMENDED: I understand that since our first email exchange the funding for Grange may have been further extended with the consequent effect on FOI requests.

I can't locate any confirmation of this. It was reported recently by Meteo and some obscure very badly translated report from another source but nothing official, nor can I locate detail of the claimed FOI. It seems a bit odd, unusual, for the story not to be reported by mass media. Much like Jon Clarke of the Olive Press, who recently reported an exclusive update about the German prisoner's extradition position - that wasn't reported by any other medium either. Maybe the clue is in the word 'EXCLUSIVE' ?



'May have been further extended' ..... it wouldn't be any surprise but the Home Office and Metropolitan Police are being very cagey about disclosing detail of their alleged ongoing investigation and it's funding. Since 2020 if I remember rightly.

It's a toss up where to stick this but in lieu of eventual relegation to garbage this will be the temporary destination - because..

>> There, Rowley oversaw Scotland Yard’s investigation into the disappearance in Portugal of three-year-old Madeleine McCann, handling the knotty international policing and media issues with intelligence, diplomacy and sensitivity. In 2018, after an unsuccessful bid to be Commissioner, losing out to Dame Cressida Dick, he retired from the service.

>> Another retired officer who worked closely with Rowley says he built a reputation for getting things done and not wasting time: ‘He’s not interested in bureaucracy.’ So impatient was he for change that at times he would go ahead with a plan without bringing everyone with him or considering all the consequences.

I must have blinked.

Anyway, on with the soycus..



Dressed in full uniform and clutching a clipboard, Mark Rowley walked out of the Royal Courts of Justice in London, down the steps and towards a row of microphones. It was January 2014. An inquest into the fatal police shooting in Tottenham of Mark Duggan had just concluded with a verdict of ‘lawful killing’ and the Metropolitan Police Assistant Commissioner had a statement to make. As he began to speak, there were shouts from a group of Duggan’s supporters nearby. ‘Murderers, liars, racists, scum!’ they screamed, drowning out the officer’s words. One man came up to him, just inches from his face, and hurled abuse, but Rowley carried on.

That incident sums up the character of Sir Mark Peter Rowley (he was knighted in 2018), who has just been announced as the new Met Commissioner. Some police officers might have gone back inside once the crowds started to gather. Others would have made their remarks in the safer surroundings of New Scotland Yard. Not Rowley. He is not afraid of confrontation or delivering difficult messages and he doesn’t always do what convention and common-sense dictate – even if that sometimes risks creating trouble.

Rowley, 57, grew up in Birmingham and studied maths at Cambridge, before joining West Midlands Police where he worked as a beat cop in Digbeth and later as a detective. He could have stayed in his local force, climbing the ranks as other bright and ambitious officers did, but his interest in wider aspects of law enforcement led to him taking a job specialising in covert techniques to combat organised crime at the National Criminal Intelligence Service. He later moved to Surrey police, where he became Chief Constable, and then joined the Met in 2011, following the riots sparked by Duggan’s shooting.

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Rowley, 57, grew up in Birmingham and studied maths at Cambridge, before joining West Midlands Police where he worked as a beat cop in Digbeth and later as a detective. He could have stayed in his local force, climbing the ranks as other bright and ambitious officers did, but his interest in wider aspects of law enforcement led to him taking a job specialising in covert techniques to combat organised crime at the National Criminal Intelligence Service. He later moved to Surrey police, where he became Chief Constable, and then joined the Met in 2011, following the riots sparked by Duggan’s shooting.

There, Rowley oversaw Scotland Yard’s investigation into the disappearance in Portugal of three-year-old Madeleine McCann, handling the knotty international policing and media issues with intelligence, diplomacy and sensitivity. In 2018, after an unsuccessful bid to be Commissioner, losing out to Dame Cressida Dick, he retired from the service. At that point he was in charge of counter-terrorism, having been the public face of the national policing response to five attacks in six months. He returns to the Yard now after taking on a series of strategic advisory roles, co-authoring a crime novel, The Sleep of Reason, and after making trips to Mount Everest and a yoga retreat in the Himalayas.

Colleagues say Rowley has extraordinary drive and will reform the Met after taking time to understand the problems from the inside. In his previous policing posts, he would seek out different points of view before acting. ‘He listens,’ says one former colleague. ‘He genuinely wants people’s ideas and then takes decisions.’

Another retired officer who worked closely with Rowley says he built a reputation for getting things done and not wasting time: ‘He’s not interested in bureaucracy.’ So impatient was he for change that at times he would go ahead with a plan without bringing everyone with him or considering all the consequences. ‘He was called the tunneller,’ says the ex-officer. ‘He dug a tunnel so fast that everyone behind him had to try and hold it up.’

One project to suffer a disastrous collapse was Siren, which was designed to modernise Surrey Police’s computer systems for recording custody admissions, criminal cases and intelligence. The programme started in 2005 and continued while Rowley was in charge of the force; by the time it was abandoned, eight years later, costs had swelled to £14.8 million. A scathing report from auditors Grant Thornton said it had been ‘beyond the in-house capabilities and experience’ of the constabulary and the police authority. The report listed a catalogue of failings and said the scrutiny offered by chief police officers, among others, was ‘not sufficiently probing or robust’. Although none of the individuals responsible was named in the document, Rowley didn’t duck the criticism, saying, ‘I'm sure that all those involved in leading this project as officers or from the Surrey Police Authority share with me regret and disappointment that Siren did not realise the benefits for the public we sought.’

Rowley has always taken a keen interest in IT and the opportunities for law enforcement to use data science. He’s expected to make it a priority when he takes over at the Met. He has chaired the force’s Info Tech group, drawing up a strategy to provide officers with real-time information and enable them to work remotely. More recently he’s been involved in two technology companies, though one old colleague says he has a tendency to go ‘gooey-eyed’ in the presence of tech. ‘I hope he brings some outside people in, when he re-joins,’ he says.

As well as embracing technological advances, Rowley has already made clear that his mission is to ‘renew’ the traditional principle of ‘policing by consent’, where the service derives its legitimacy from the respect, cooperation and support of the public. ‘The founder of British policing, Sir Robert Peel, said in 1829 “the police are the public, and the public are the police”, and that principle is as true today as it was nearly 200 years ago,’ Rowley said in a speech in 2018. Since then confidence in the Met has dropped sharply, particularly among black people. While leading the fight against terrorism, Rowley saw how information from the public had helped save lives. Under his watch, there will be a huge push to rebuild trust between communities and the police.

It is arguably his most important task and one of the metrics by which he will be judged. To have a chance of success, and to lift the Met out of ‘special measures’, Rowley will have to re-shape his top team and impress on officers the need to get better at the basics of policing. The danger for him is that he will be blown off course, as his predecessor was, buffeted by scandals old and new, spending days on the back foot, apologising for mistakes and misconduct. The newly-appointed Commissioner – grounded, thoughtful and approachable – is acutely aware of the risks. But he will need to be at his most resilient as he starts the greatest challenge of his career, far greater than facing angry anti-police protestors outside the Law Courts.

Written byDanny Shaw

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The legacy..

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Yeah, I get where the tunneler comes in .... 'tunnel vision'.

The Tunneller followed the Dick. That is, Mark then Cressida if you thought i was being rude. Actually, I am vomiting. No wonder Duggan's followers believe he is not guilty. Rowley studied Maths at Cambridge? Pull my other leg it yodels. If he did study Maths at Cambridge, his very existence is an insult to all those who have studied Maths (anywhere) and to all those who have studied anything at Cambridge. He will probably get a congratulations card from Kate and Gerry. 
He "oversaw" the Madeleine case???? What a bastard.

Have I got this right?

A knighted and retired police officer is now dragging himself back into the breach to take over the Met?

Met Police reveal Maddie McCann could have been ‘abducted’ in ‘burglary gone wrong’

by Emma Dodds | Posted on26 04 2017

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Metropolitan Police Assistant Commissioner Mark Rowley announced that there are new "significant" lines of enquiry that could mean Madeleine McCann might still be alive

As the 10th anniversary of Madeleine McCann's disappearance gets closer and closer, police have announced that they may be making a breakthrough in the case.

People across the world were shocked by the disappearance of the three-year-old girl who seemingly vanished just days before her fourth birthday whilst on holiday with her family in the Algarve, Portugal.

Madeleine's parents, Kate and Gerry, were initally named as suspects by the Portuguese police, but this was dropped shortly after.

Metropolitan Police Assistant Commissioner Mark Rowley has also ruled out their potential involvement in the disappearance of their daughter.

He said: "The parents' involvement - that was dealt with at the time by the original investigation by the Portuguese.

"We're happy that's completely dealt with and there is no reason whatsoever to re-open that or start rumours that's a line of investigation. The McCanns are the parents of a missing girl and we're trying to get to the bottom of what happened.

Unfortunately, Mr Rowley could not confirm whether he thought Madeleine was dead or alive: "There's no definitive evidence as to whether Madeleine is alive or dead. That's why we describe it as a missing person inquiry. We understand why, after this many years, people will be pessimistic, but it's important we keep an open mind."

Mr Rowley, who has been in the force for 30 years, explained that she must have been abducted: "She wasn't old enough to make a decision to set off and start her own life. However she left that apartment - she's been abducted."

But he did reveal a theory that the police are now looking into, saying that they are pursuing a "small number of critical lines of enquiry" that they think were "significant" that had been uncovered thanks to public appeals.

He said: "One of the working hypotheses we've got was could this be a burglary that's gone wrong. Somebody's doign a burglary, panicked maybe by a waking child and that's what leads to MAdeleine going missing.

"In my experience, if you try to apply cold, rational logic of what someone sat in their front room might do compared to what criminals do under pressure, you tend to make mistakes."

Mr Rowley described this as a "sensible hypothesis" and that there was a lot of evidence where people had "acted suspiciously". It had led to the police narrowing down the 600 suspects they had identified over the last six years down to a small group of people who were investigated and have now been ruled out.

Speaking to ITV, Mr Rowley said: "I know we have a significant line of inquiry which is worth pursuing, and because it's worth pursuing it could provide an answer. But until we've gone through it, I won't know whether we are going to get there or not."

He then revealed that they would not be releasing all the information they currently have as that might hinder the investigation: "Ourselves and the Portuguese are doing a critical piece of work and we don't want to spoil it by putting tit bits of information out publicly."

The Police Assistant Commisioner resolutely and defiantly vowed that the police would do everything they could "reasonably" do to get to the bottom of what happened to little Maddie: "Our mission here is to do everything reasonable to provide an answer for Kate and Gerry McCann.

"I'd love to guarantee that we will get to an answer, sadly investigations can never be 100% successful - but it's our job to do everything we can do reasonably to find an answer as to what happened to Madeleine.

"Pedro, the senior member of the Portuguese team, and I have a shared determination - if we can find an answer, that's what we're going to do."

Mr Rowley wavered from his professional persona for a moment to reveal a softer side: "I so wish I could say that we will solve this. We solve more than 90% of serious cases here at Scotland Yard. I so wish I could say that we'll solve it, but sadly a small number of cases don't get solved.

"As a professional police officer who deals with families in awful situations, it always hurts that you can't guarantee success. But we'll do everything we reasonably can."

We hope they can solve the case.

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