McCanns 'fell out' with police over search for Madeleine

A Home Office report details the "turbulent relationship" between the McCanns and Portuguese and British law enforcement.

By Martin Brunt, Crime Correspondent  (RIP Brenda Leyland)

The parents of Madeleine McCann claimed they were treated badly by Portuguese police from the start of the investigation into her disappearance, according to a secret Home Office report.

They eventually fell out with UK authorities too and later did not share with police information gathered by their own private investigators.

The revelations are contained in a report ordered by the then Home Secretary Alan Johnson who wanted to know if it was worth getting Scotland Yard involved after Portuguese officers closed their first investigation.

The report said: "It is clear that from the beginning the McCanns felt there was a lack of clarity and communication on the part of the Portuguese police.

"Despite the involvement of British consular staff, they were, by their own accounts, left for long periods without any updates or communication with the investigators.

"They state they were taken to the police station on more than one occasion and then left for hours waiting to speak to someone who never materialised.

"They describe this situation as inhumane, with no real consideration for their emotional and physical wellbeing."

The report, written by the Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre, also said too many UK law enforcement agencies had rushed to help and caused chaos, and that frequent criticism of the Portuguese investigation led to accusations the UK was acting like "a colonial power".

The report said: "Clearly, the McCanns have had a turbulent relationship with both Portuguese and UK law enforcement. They now openly acknowledge that there is a distinct lack of trust between all parties."

Even before the end of the first Portuguese investigation, Kate and Gerry McCann used money collected by their Madeleine Fund to hire private investigators. They continued to use them for the three years before Scotland Yard got involved.

The report said: "It is clear that the McCanns and the private investigators working on their behalf have gathered a large amount of information during the course of their enquiries. This information does not appear to have been shared fully with the Leicestershire constabulary or the Portuguese authorities.

"It is imperative that they are encouraged and persuaded to share this information."

The report led to Scotland Yard launching a review and later its own investigation in 2011.

It recommended the setting up of a UK national centre for missing children to better coordinate the response when British children go missing abroad. That has never happened.

Mr Johnson supported the report's recommendation, but was voted out of office in the 2010 General Election.

He said: "Nothing's happened in the ensuing 10 years that suggests that if it happened again it would be an any better, more coordinated response."

:: Watch the documentary Searching For Madeleine on Sky 1 on Tuesday, 2 May at 10pm, and on Sky News on Wednesday, 3 May at 8pm.


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There's not really much point in having a national centre for British children who go missing abroad when, to my knowledge, there hasn't been any for ten years.

It could be a good idea to have international co operation though with one designated person from each country?

Was this Home Office report leaked by the McCanns or by the Home Office?

Get'emGonçalo wrote:

They eventually fell out with UK authorities too and later did not share with police information gathered by their own private investigators.


The report said: "It is clear that from the beginning the McCanns felt there was a lack of clarity and communication on the part of the Portuguese police.

Indeed there was. Maybe Martin Brunt would like to remind us how long it took Leicester Police to pass on the crucial Gaspar statements to the Portuguese police.

Total farce Brunt & you know it.

This was Jim Gamble's report, was it not?

Patience wrote:This was Jim Gamble's report, was it not?

It was indeed.  Reported in The Telegraph in 2014 (so we have more re-cycled news)

7:38PM BST 01 Sep 2014

British police forces competing to been seen to be helping find Madeleine McCann hampered the investigation and has had a long term negative effect, a secret Home Office report found.

The unpublished report by Jim Gamble, former head of the Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre (CEOP), found that so many UK agencies got involved it damaged relations with Portuguese police.

The report, commissioned by former Home Secretary Alan Johnson in 2009, was delivered in 2010 and led to the Metropolitan Police reopening the investigation into Madeleine's disappearance, but was never released.

For the first time details have been briefed to Sky News, revealing that Mr Gamble criticised the Association of Chief Police Officers decision to put Leicestershire Police in charge of the operation because the McCanns lives in the county, despite the fact the force was ill-equipped to deal with such a big investigation.

Mr Gamble said that within weeks of Madeleine going missing in May 2007 the Portuguese were given advice by CEOP, the Metropolitan Police, the Serious Organised Crime Agency and the National Police Improvement Agency.

The Crimestoppers charity published its own appeal hotline and different Government ministers – No 10, the Home Office and the Foreign Office – were demanding briefings from the various agencies.

Mr Gamble said: “All of us, including myself at CEOP at the time, your first gut reaction is you want to help, a child has gone missing … so everyone came with best intention, that created a sense of chaos and a sense of competition, people putting their hand up and wanting to help and in many instances in my opinion wanting to be seen to help.

“If we look at it honestly there were some in leadership roles who wanted to represent their organisation to be seen to take a lead role and be seen to provide critical input in this and that made it difficult for a small, regional force like Leicestershire.

“It was unhelpful … I've no doubt relationships from the outset with the Portuguese were impacted by it and I think that had a long term negative effect on the investigation and I think to this very day the Met investigation team that's engaged now are still having to manage and massage that relationship and perhaps to be fair to the Portuguese, mend some fences that were trodden on in the early days.”

He has refused to discuss the content of his report, but leaked details reveals that the intervention of multiple British police forces and crime agencies led to "frustration" and "resentment" among the Portuguese police who believed that their British counterparts were on the side of the McCanns.

Because of the challenges to the way the Portuguese police were investigating Britain was warned that they should not try to act as a "colonial power".

Discussing the investigation Mr Gamble said that the initial Portuguese police response to Madeleine’s disappearance was "haphazard".


“There was chaos, and as it went on it was haphazard which was alien to the more structured police you would expect here in the UK. There was not a sense of order.

“In the first instance the parents should be your Number One suspects. In most cases in the first few golden hours as you collect evidence you can then rule them in or out.

“And that was one of the huge flaws in this, that people didn't focus on clearing the ground beneath their feet in those chaotic first few hours that led into the haphazard first few weeks.

“When I carried out the scoping review there was no evidence that some of the critical information and the analysis of which could have led to intelligence and to leads had been followed up.”

One of Mr Gamble’s recommendations in his report was the establishment of a national centre for missing children which could combine the resources of the best experts and technology.

However, this has not been set up and therefore the British authorities are no better equipped to deal with a similar situation than they were in 2007, Mr Gamble warns.

However, despite the failings Mr Gamble remains confident that Madeleine's case will be solved.

“Someone knows … I genuinely believe in my lifetime we will find out what happened. Relationships, loyalties change, and at some stage some person will come forward.”

{...)

The Home Office – which declined to release the report under Freedom of Information laws – declined to comment.

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RosieandSam wrote:

Patience wrote:This was Jim Gamble's report, was it not?

It was indeed.  Reported in The Telegraph in 2014 (so we have more re-cycled news)

7:38PM BST 01 Sep 2014

British police forces competing to been seen to be helping find Madeleine McCann hampered the investigation and has had a long term negative effect, a secret Home Office report found.

The unpublished report by Jim Gamble, former head of the Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre (CEOP), found that so many UK agencies got involved it damaged relations with Portuguese police.

The report, commissioned by former Home Secretary Alan Johnson in 2009, was delivered in 2010 and led to the Metropolitan Police reopening the investigation into Madeleine's disappearance, but was never released.

For the first time details have been briefed to Sky News, revealing that Mr Gamble criticised the Association of Chief Police Officers decision to put Leicestershire Police in charge of the operation because the McCanns lives in the county, despite the fact the force was ill-equipped to deal with such a big investigation.

Mr Gamble said that within weeks of Madeleine going missing in May 2007 the Portuguese were given advice by CEOP, the Metropolitan Police, the Serious Organised Crime Agency and the National Police Improvement Agency.

The Crimestoppers charity published its own appeal hotline and different Government ministers – No 10, the Home Office and the Foreign Office – were demanding briefings from the various agencies.

Mr Gamble said: “All of us, including myself at CEOP at the time, your first gut reaction is you want to help, a child has gone missing … so everyone came with best intention, that created a sense of chaos and a sense of competition, people putting their hand up and wanting to help and in many instances in my opinion wanting to be seen to help.

“If we look at it honestly there were some in leadership roles who wanted to represent their organisation to be seen to take a lead role and be seen to provide critical input in this and that made it difficult for a small, regional force like Leicestershire.

“It was unhelpful … I've no doubt relationships from the outset with the Portuguese were impacted by it and I think that had a long term negative effect on the investigation and I think to this very day the Met investigation team that's engaged now are still having to manage and massage that relationship and perhaps to be fair to the Portuguese, mend some fences that were trodden on in the early days.”

He has refused to discuss the content of his report, but leaked details reveals that the intervention of multiple British police forces and crime agencies led to "frustration" and "resentment" among the Portuguese police who believed that their British counterparts were on the side of the McCanns.

Because of the challenges to the way the Portuguese police were investigating Britain was warned that they should not try to act as a "colonial power".

Discussing the investigation Mr Gamble said that the initial Portuguese police response to Madeleine’s disappearance was "haphazard".


“There was chaos, and as it went on it was haphazard which was alien to the more structured police you would expect here in the UK. There was not a sense of order.

“In the first instance the parents should be your Number One suspects. In most cases in the first few golden hours as you collect evidence you can then rule them in or out.

“And that was one of the huge flaws in this, that people didn't focus on clearing the ground beneath their feet in those chaotic first few hours that led into the haphazard first few weeks.

“When I carried out the scoping review there was no evidence that some of the critical information and the analysis of which could have led to intelligence and to leads had been followed up.”

One of Mr Gamble’s recommendations in his report was the establishment of a national centre for missing children which could combine the resources of the best experts and technology.

However, this has not been set up and therefore the British authorities are no better equipped to deal with a similar situation than they were in 2007, Mr Gamble warns.

However, despite the failings Mr Gamble remains confident that Madeleine's case will be solved.

“Someone knows … I genuinely believe in my lifetime we will find out what happened. Relationships, loyalties change, and at some stage some person will come forward.”

{...)

The Home Office – which declined to release the report under Freedom of Information laws – declined to comment.

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So the HO declined to release the report, yet Sky News somehow managed to get hold of it.

I wonder who could have leaked it? 

See the FOI request (sumbitted by Tony Bennett) which was denied:


This request is about factual matters relating to a report prepared by Jim Gamble, former boss of CEOP, about the Madeleine McCann case

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