Police hunt for Madeleine McCann is scaled back

by Ayniia 28.10.15 16:49

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"October 28 - Scotland Yard's investigation into the disappearance has been cut from 29 officers to four. "
"Today Madeleine's heartbroken parents Gerry and Kate McCann thanked officers for their hard work and urged them to continue.
Their spokesman Clarence Mitchell say there is no evidence she came to harm and the couple are still hopeful she will be found alive.
Scotland Yard said that although it is scaling back the investigation it is not ending it, instead looking at a smaller number of leads." censored

by Guest 28.10.15 16:57

instead looking at a smaller number of leads."

Hopefully NINE blindlingly bog standard basic policing leads.

by pennylane 28.10.15 17:29

BlueBag wrote:
instead looking at a smaller number of leads."

Hopefully NINE blindlingly bog standard basic policing leads.

A message for Operation Grange......

No matter how many dead end leads you follow

and how many trips abroad you make

It's blatantly obvious to all and sundry

that all roads lead to Rothley!!! clapping

by Guest 28.10.15 18:24

Their spokesman Clarence Mitchell say there is no evidence she came to harm and the couple are still hopeful she will be found alive.

Same old cliches. Are they buoyed by this latest development?

IMO, any child snatched from her bed at night, not to see her family for over eight years, has suffered serious and irreparable harm. What a stupid statement.

Is this the beginning of the end of OG?

by plebgate 28.10.15 18:35

Ladyinred wrote:Their spokesman Clarence Mitchell say there is no evidence she came to harm and the couple are still hopeful she will be found alive.

Same old cliches. Are they bouyed by this latest development?

IMO, any child snatched from her bed at night, not to see her family for over eight years, has suffered serious and irreparable harm. What a stupid statement.

Is this the beginning of the end of OG?

So after all the money etc. etc. etc. is this what they have been told officially by SY?

by Guest 28.10.15 18:46

plebgate wrote:
Ladyinred wrote:Their spokesman Clarence Mitchell say there is no evidence she came to harm and the couple are still hopeful she will be found alive.

Same old cliches. Are they bouyed by this latest development?

IMO, any child snatched from her bed at night, not to see her family for over eight years, has suffered serious and irreparable harm. What a stupid statement.

Is this the beginning of the end of OG?
So after all the money etc. etc. etc. is this what they have been told officially by SY?

I heard a radio report about an hour ago and the SY officer said they're still looking for a live child. Contradicts what Sir B said a while ago.

by Guest 28.10.15 18:52

Ladyinred wrote:

I heard a radio report about an hour ago and the SY officer said they're still looking for a live child. Contradicts what Sir B said a while ago.

Are they mad?

On what possible basis can they say that?

Is that what OP is? Looking for a live child?

This stinks as we all know.

by Ayniia 28.10.15 18:55

BlueBag wrote:
Ladyinred wrote:

I heard a radio report about an hour ago and the SY officer said they're still looking for a live child. Contradicts what Sir B said a while ago.
Are they mad?

On what possible basis can they say that?

Is that what OP is? Looking for a live child?

This stinks as we all know.

Of course they are. They just IGNORED the dogs "evidence" all these years so what can we expect?!!! nah

by pennylane 28.10.15 18:56

Ayniia wrote:
BlueBag wrote:
Ladyinred wrote:

I heard a radio report about an hour ago and the SY officer said they're still looking for a live child. Contradicts what Sir B said a while ago.
Are they mad?

On what possible basis can they say that?

Is that what OP is? Looking for a live child?

This stinks as we all know.

Of course they are. They just IGNORED the dogs "evidence" all these years so what can we expect?!!!

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by Guest 28.10.15 18:58

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Yes, it's madness.

Clarrie was interviewed outside SY. Full of himself, who does he think he is?

by Carrry On Doctor 28.10.15 19:10

I watched the Sky News live broadcast this afternoon with CM being interviewed by Martin Brunt outside SY HQ.

It appeared that whilst repeating the usual rhetoric, CM was stumbling over his words, rambling on unnecessarily, and what he said was littered with surplus words that screamed I AM TELLING LIES. He seemed quite uncomfortable as opposed the smug confidence we have seen.

Maybe its just my take on things, but there seems to be something brewing (a whitewash some would argue !!). Perhaps all these recent stories are being used to re-enforce the victim status ahead of imminent bad news from Portugal...who knows ?

I do wonder what the 25 officers now deployed elsewhere are thinking. They know the score all right, and their new colleagues will soon know too. It wont (can't) be kept mum, and SY will leak like a sieve.

Would welcome PM's view on all this.

by **sharonl** 28.10.15 19:31

Since it started, all I can see that Operation Grange have done is feed the press and change their stories.

One minute they are only doing a review and are there to support the Portuguese investigation, the next they are ready to make imminent arrests. Then they are working alongside the Portuguese Police, but we hear that Portuguese are reluctant to work them. We see pictures of them in Portugal, obviously staged for the press. We hear that they have been staying in top hotels in Portugal. We hear stories about 30+ officers sifting through reams of paper containing evidence mostly created by dodgy PI's, but what on earth has Operation Grange done to search for Madeleine? There has been no posters, TV appeals, milk bottle adverts, they haven't even investigated that hellish lair in PDL as far as we know. And wasn't the review set up to help the McCanns?

by Guest 28.10.15 20:30

Madeleine McCann: Met reduces officers on case from 29 to four

Kate and Gerry McCann pay tribute to police force’s painstaking work as it announces review of Operation Grange material almost complete

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[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]Met officers have reviewed more than 40,000 documents on Madeleine McCann’s disappearance. Photograph: PA
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Wednesday 28 October 2015 15.58 GMT Last modified on Wednesday 28 October 2015 18.44 GMT

Police are to scale back the investigation into the disappearance of [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.], with the number of officers on the team cut from 29 to four.
The [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] said Operation Grange would now only focus on a “small number of focused lines of inquiry that have allowed them to reduce the size of the Home Office funded team”.
In a statement, police said the vast majority of the work reviewing all the material collated since May 2007 has now been completed and encompasses more than 40,000 documents from UK and foreign law enforcement agencies, as well as various private investigation companies.
No arrests have been made, despite officers investigating 60 people of interest, taking 1,338 statements, collecting 1,027 exhibits and investigating 560 lines of enquiry.
The Met said it had investigated 650 known sex offenders in connection with the case, as well as reports of 8,685 potential sightings of Madeleine around the world, receiving 200 emails a week from members of the public.
The Met’s assistant commissioner, Mark Rowley, said the scale-back had been discussed with Madeleine’s parents, Kate and Gerry McCann. “We still have very definite lines to pursue, which is why we are keeping a dedicated team of officers working on the case,” he said. “We have given this assurance to Madeleine’s parents.”
Rowley said: “The Met was asked to take on this exceptional case as one of national interest. We were happy to bring our expertise to bear only on the basis that it would not detract from the policing of [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] … the Home Office have additionally funded the investigation above normal grants to the Met. That will continue at the reduced level.”
In a statement, the McCanns paid tribute to the “meticulous and painstaking work [the force has] carried out over the last four and a half years”.
“The scale and difficulty of their task has never been in doubt,” the family’s statement said. “Given that the review phase of the investigation is essentially completed, we fully understand the reasons why the team is being reduced. Whilst we do not know what happened to Madeleine, we remain hopeful she may still be found given the ongoing lines of enquiry.”
The four officers who remain on the team will continue to be led by DCI Nicola Wall, the current senior investigating officer, and sit within an existing major investigation team on the homicide and major crime command.

by HelenMeg 28.10.15 20:33

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"The Met said the "vast majority" of the work in its inquiry into Madeleine's disappearance had been completed.It said it was now following a "small number of focused lines of inquiry" which had allowed it to reduce its team's size."

So depends how you interpret this as to whether you are encouraged or discouraged by this. [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]
DCI Wall still in charge.

by HelenMeg 28.10.15 20:44

Like Carry on Doc suggests... something must be brewing! Suddenly there's a flurry of Mc Cann news. The appeal decision is imminent..
What is going on? Certainly it seems that Team Mc Cann are issuing news and so are SY. Why now - why from both sides.

by sallypelt 28.10.15 22:12

Did I just hear Martin Brunt on Sky News, saying there are "60 people of interest" in the McCann case? I was doing other things but could hear the television, but as I wasn't concentrating on the Sky News, I am wondering if I misheard what was being said.

by Liz Eagles 28.10.15 22:20

Here is Pat Brown's take on the latest development

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by Guest 28.10.15 22:57

sharonl wrote:Since it started, all I can see that Operation Grange have done is feed the press and change their stories.

One minute they are only doing a review and are there to support the Portuguese investigation, the next they are ready to make imminent arrests. Then they are working alongside the Portuguese Police, but we hear that Portuguese are reluctant to work them. We see pictures of them in Portugal, obviously staged for the press. We hear that they have been staying in top hotels in Portugal. We hear stories about 30+ officers sifting through reams of paper containing evidence mostly created by dodgy PI's, but what on earth has Operation Grange done to search for Madeleine? There has been no posters, TV appeals, milk bottle adverts, they haven't even investigated that hellish lair in PDL as far as we know. And wasn't the review set up to help the McCanns?

Wherez you bin ..

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Looks like one hell of a ~~liar~~ lair to me big grin

by plebgate 28.10.15 23:24

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by Rogue-a-Tory 28.10.15 23:47

Met investigation
1,338 statements taken
1,027 exhibits collected
60 persons of interest investigated
8,685 potential sightings considered
560 lines of inquiry identified
30 requests made to other countries asking for work to be carried out

But still 48 questions remain unanswered - yelled the vast majority of the UK & Portugal

by worriedmum 28.10.15 23:50

Rogue-a-Tory wrote:Met investigation
1,338 statements taken
1,027 exhibits collected
60 persons of interest investigated
8,685 potential sightings considered
560 lines of inquiry identified
30 requests made to other countries asking for work to be carried out

But still 48 questions remain unanswered - yelled the vast majority of the UK & Portugal

by Guest 29.10.15 7:04

The four officers who remain on the team will continue to be led by DCI Nicola Wall, the current senior investigating officer, and sit within an existing major investigation team on the homicide and major crime command.

Are these officers on the case full time or do they work on other stuff with the existing investigation team?

I can't imagine what they could do full time unless they did proper bog standard policing and followed the bleedin' obvious leads.

by aiyoyo 29.10.15 7:31

Ladyinred wrote:[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

Yes, it's madness.

Clarrie was interviewed outside SY. Full of himself, who does he think he is?

Smart PR move.
Spinning standing right outside of SY to give an impression they have nothing to fear!

by aiyoyo 29.10.15 7:38

Ladyinred wrote:Madeleine McCann: Met reduces officers on case from 29 to four

Kate and Gerry McCann pay tribute to police force’s painstaking work as it announces review of Operation Grange material almost complete

[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]
[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]
[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]Met officers have reviewed more than 40,000 documents on Madeleine McCann’s disappearance. Photograph: PA
[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]
Wednesday 28 October 2015 15.58 GMT Last modified on Wednesday 28 October 2015 18.44 GMT

Police are to scale back the investigation into the disappearance of [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.], with the number of officers on the team cut from 29 to four.
The [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] said Operation Grange would now only focus on a “small number of focused lines of inquiry that have allowed them to reduce the size of the Home Office funded team”.
In a statement, police said the vast majority of the work reviewing all the material collated since May 2007 has now been completed and encompasses more than 40,000 documents from UK and foreign law enforcement agencies, as well as various private investigation companies.
No arrests have been made, despite officers investigating 60 people of interest, taking 1,338 statements, collecting 1,027 exhibits and investigating 560 lines of enquiry.
The Met said it had investigated 650 known sex offenders in connection with the case, as well as reports of 8,685 potential sightings of Madeleine around the world, receiving 200 emails a week from members of the public.
The Met’s assistant commissioner, Mark Rowley, said the scale-back had been discussed with Madeleine’s parents, Kate and Gerry McCann. “We still have very definite lines to pursue, which is why we are keeping a dedicated team of officers working on the case,” he said. “We have given this assurance to Madeleine’s parents.”
Rowley said: “The Met was asked to take on this exceptional case as one of national interest. We were happy to bring our expertise to bear only on the basis that it would not detract from the policing of [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] … the Home Office have additionally funded the investigation above normal grants to the Met. That will continue at the reduced level.”
In a statement, the McCanns paid tribute to the “meticulous and painstaking work [the force has] carried out over the last four and a half years”.
“The scale and difficulty of their task has never been in doubt,” the family’s statement said. “Given that the review phase of the investigation is essentially completed, we fully understand the reasons why the team is being reduced. Whilst we do not know what happened to Madeleine, we remain hopeful she may still be found given the ongoing lines of enquiry.”
The four officers who remain on the team will continue to be led by DCI Nicola Wall, the current senior investigating officer, and sit within an existing major investigation team on the homicide and major crime command.

They didn't seem to mind one bit that the investigation is winding down with no positive news on Madeleine. How can they feel buoyed to pay tributes to HO and Grange Madeleine hasn't been found nor her perpetrator caught. ODD.

by aiyoyo 29.10.15 7:43

worriedmum wrote:
Rogue-a-Tory wrote:Met investigation
1,338 statements taken
1,027 exhibits collected
60 persons of interest investigated
8,685 potential sightings considered
560 lines of inquiry identified
30 requests made to other countries asking for work to be carried out

But still 48 questions remain unanswered - yelled the vast majority of the UK & Portugal

Suddenly we got a wall of information ! All in numbers.

by **Tony Bennett** 29.10.15 8:12

Rogue-a-Tory wrote:Met investigation
1,338 statements taken
1,027 exhibits collected
60 persons of interest investigated
8,685 potential sightings considered
560 lines of inquiry identified
30 requests made to other countries asking for work to be carried out

But still 48 questions remain unanswered - yelled the vast majority of the UK & Portugal

How very useful to have this statistical update.

I remember how excited I was when I read in the press on 4 October 2013 that the Met had:

* now identified 41 'persons of interest' from 5 countries (up from 38 at the previous count), of whom 15 were 'UK nationals'
* processed 21,614 documents out of a total of 39,148 documents they needed to study, and
* had completed 2,123 out of a total of 4,920 'actions' being identified as being necessary.

We were told earlier in 2013 that they were checking over 11,000 mobile 'phone records from 31 countries.

And checking 560 sex offender records.

Where is the update on these? - I am disappointed.

The more sinister and illegal it is, the more enormous will be cover-up operation needed to hide what really happened

Please add your name to the petition calling for a full Home Office report on Operation Grange - thanks:

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by roy rovers 29.10.15 8:16

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Worth reading the Met statement in full (see link above). Some of the wording is interesting:

1. 'the vast majority of the work by Operation Grange has been completed' - How do they know this? Was it was known at the outset?
2. 'This work has enabled us to better understand events in Praia da Luz the night Madeleine McCann went missing' - In what way?

I don't think this is as whitewashy as some believe. Just IMO.

by Angelique 29.10.15 8:27

TB

You wrote:

"The more sinister and illegal it is, the more enormous will be cover-up operation needed to hide what really happened "

Yes the cover up is enormous - £10 million plus is enormous.

But I think it's gone strictly to plan and will wind down on time. Stating they have done all they could.

I think SP documentary was the last throw of the dice too.

by Guest 29.10.15 8:47

Angelique wrote:TB

You wrote:

"The more sinister and illegal it is, the more enormous will be cover-up operation needed to hide what really happened "

Yes the cover up is enormous - £10 million plus is enormous.

I think people have every right to be suspicious about the whole thing.

Especially as the don't appear to have done the bog standard investigative policing.

by Sophiebubbles 29.10.15 8:50

Tony Bennett wrote:
Rogue-a-Tory wrote:Met investigation
1,338 statements taken
1,027 exhibits collected
60 persons of interest investigated
8,685 potential sightings considered
560 lines of inquiry identified
30 requests made to other countries asking for work to be carried out

But still 48 questions remain unanswered - yelled the vast majority of the UK & Portugal
How very useful to have this statistical update.

I remember how excited I was when I read in the press on 4 October 2013 that the Met had:

* now identified 41 'persons of interest' from 5 countries (up from 38 at the previous count), of whom 15 were 'UK nationals'
* processed 21,614 documents out of a total of 39,148 documents they needed to study, and
* had completed 2,123 out of a total of 4,920 'actions' being identified as being necessary.

We were told earlier in 2013 that they were checking over 11,000 mobile 'phone records from 31 countries.

And checking 560 sex offender records.

Where is the update on these? - I am disappointed.

The more sinister and illegal it is, the more enormous will be cover-up operation needed to hide what really happened

Please add your name to the petition calling for a full Home Office report on Operation Grange - thanks:

[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

Maybe the above statistical breakdown quoted by... @Rogatory above and your own accrued info also above from 2013 records are in their minds enough
information for us plebs to placate us from needing a full Home Office report Tony, I have never seen a police outfit clamering to give such detailed info
to the general public as to the 'ins' and 'outs' of any police operation, although I may be wrong........It is as if the feel they have to be accountable to us
for some reason !!!!!!!!! (I hasten to add my twitterings are MOSTLY tongue-in-cheek)