Gonçalo Amaral confirms he will appeal the damages decision to higher Court.

[Carana]

The "missing" pink blanket.

The one Kate gave GNR dog-handlers so they could (at least attempt to) prime their dogs with Madeleine's scent ...

Indeed. And the reports were during his tenure. For some reason, he appears to have "missed" it....

[Carana]

(snip)

I am also convinced that children who are abducted in the future will have a much better chance of be found as a result of the vast experience gained  - and maybe even lessons learned -  by our police force during the course of their investigations into the McCann case.

So worth every penny IMO.

I agree with your entire post, but I've just highlighted your last one.

IMO, the money spent isn't just about finding one missing child, nor even two or three.

Building cooperation, learning more about the obstacles posed by different practices, available resources, legal frameworks and all the rest of it could be crucial in any cross-border investigation.

Joint Investigation Teams (JITs) exist, but are rarely put into practice... the current ILOR process costs a fortune and wastes precious time.

[Carana]

I wouldn't agree with dozens of staff twiddling their thumbs all day because they'd been assigned exclusively to a particular case in which there was no longer anything potentially relevant to investigate. That really would be a waste of taxpayers' money.

There is, however, nothing to indicate that that is what the situation actually is.

Obviously, a high input would be needed by people of varying skill sets to tackle the case at varying points... some of whom may have otherwise been made redundant (at what cost?) and some who were nearing retirement.

IMO, the amount of staff (or their time input) would need to wind down as work progresses, leads have been eliminated, etc., leaving less and less in need of investigation, but with a full trail that fewer trained staff could quickly pick up on if something new emerged.

[Alfred R Jones]

How long with no results will the investigation be allowed to continue with no results.

Cue the cleaning upchewing gum analogy.

Forget the chewing gum analogy, you should see how much it costs to police the notting Hill Carnival for 3 days each year - you'll explode with rage!

[Carana]

Forget the chewing gum analogy, you should see how much it costs to police the notting Hill Carnival for 3 days each year - you'll explode with rage!

I've seen the allegation of £34m per year for the Notting Hill Carnival on blogs, but where was that figure sourced?

[Alfred R Jones]

I've seen the allegation of £34m per year for the Notting Hill Carnival on blogs, but where was that figure sourced?

No idea - it's usually around the £6-8m mark I believe, though I watched a programme on the Met a few weeks ago and they quoted £11m if I recall correctly.  Whatever it is, it's a lot! 

[Alice Purjorick]

I've seen the allegation of £34m per year for the Notting Hill Carnival on blogs, but where was that figure sourced?

Not from the cops !
The declared costs seem to be as Alf has posted.
The document by ACPO that deals with payment for police services has the rather droll title "Paying the Bill"  &%+((£
(Notting Hill is free).

[ferryman]

No idea - it's usually around the £6-8m mark I believe, though I watched a programme on the Met a few weeks ago and they quoted £11m if I recall correctly.  Whatever it is, it's a lot!

5.6 Million.

And that's every year.

http://www.theguardian.com/uk/2002/jun/01/nottinghillcarnival2001.nottinghillcarnival2002

But obviously that must take priority over a missing little girl ....

[stephen25000]

5.6 Million.

And that's every year.

http://www.theguardian.com/uk/2002/jun/01/nottinghillcarnival2001.nottinghillcarnival2002

But obviously that must take priority over a missing little girl ....

and other missing people ?

Or is Madeleine new on a pedestal for you?

[ferryman]

The Nottinghill Carnival isn't the only one ...

[Alfred R Jones]

and other missing people ?

Or is Madeley new on a pedestal for you?

Richard? &%+((£

[stephen25000]

Richard? &%+((£

No, it was predictive text. Amended.

[stephen25000]

The Nottinghill Carnival isn't the only one ...

Wow. 

[Anna]

We appear to be slipping OFF TOPIC.

[ferryman]

So is there independent confirmation that Amaral has been granted leave to appeal?