Has Employing PIs Been Worth the Money Paid ?

[Carana]

The PIs had no power to compel witnesses to answer their questions and no power of arrest so exactly what was the point of employing them ?

To help find their missing daughter?

To provide potentially useful information to the police to supplement their overwhelmed investigation?

[Alfred R Jones]

Of course we have discussed at length what Redwood and company may or may not have done to discover Madeleine's fate. However from 2007 until  2011 at least 3 private detective agencies costing probably close to two million pounds had been employed by the McCanns to the same end and yet the evidence available seems to tell us that there was very little achieved in that time to find the child.

Did the organisations employed bring anything to the case or was their employment merely an ill-advised use of precious funds ?

If you had a missing child that the police had given up on searching for and a million plus quid in the bank, what would you do?   Would you ensure that you only employed PIs that you knew in advance would find your child and if so how would you go about ascertaining this in advance?

[faithlilly]

If you had a missing child that the police had given up on searching for and a million plus quid in the bank, what would you do?   Would you ensure that you only employed PIs that you knew in advance would find your child and if so how would you go about ascertaining this in advance?

I'd certainly ask questions with regard to their successes in other cases of missing children cases. Neither Oakley or Metodo3 seem to have had any.

[Alfred R Jones]

I'd certainly ask questions with regard to their successes in other cases of missing children cases. Neither Oakley or Metodo3 seem to have had any.

Had neither enjoyed any success at all in locating missing persons?  Would you perhaps be able to suggest a company that the McCanns should have used instead?

[Miss Taken Identity]

Had neither enjoyed any success at all in locating missing persons?  Would you perhaps be able to suggest a company that the McCanns should have used instead?

Plenty of reputable PI companies in the UK.

[G-Unit]

If you had a missing child that the police had given up on searching for and a million plus quid in the bank, what would you do?   Would you ensure that you only employed PIs that you knew in advance would find your child and if so how would you go about ascertaining this in advance?

First, the million plus quid was mostly donated, so there is a duty of care to spend it sensibly I would have thought. Second, I would use that tried and tested method we are advised to use when employing anyone to do a job of work. Get references from others who have used them. Stage payments. Demand regular updates (writing on a piece of scrap paper that there are between 1-10 people on the investigation as Kevin Halligan is alleged to have done wouldn't have been acceptable to me). To be fair to the McCanns Brian Kennedy didn't help. as a businessman he was taken in just as much as they were, and he was paying these cowboys too.

[faithlilly]

Had neither enjoyed any success at all in locating missing persons?  Would you perhaps be able to suggest a company that the McCanns should have used instead?

No success at all.....unless you know differently ?

[Montclair]

I'm unclear why misleading statements that demean the McCanns are allowed.

The McCanns were never in a position to stop the case from being shelved.

All leads were (considered) exhausted.

The McCanns fought hard for a second enquiry, and were ultimately successful in that.

Maybe you are afraid of true statements that you feel that demean the parents. The McCanns, in accordance with Portuguese law, could have very well asked for the "fase de instrução" to stop the case from being shelved but they chose not to. Ask them why.

BTW, the McCanns did not ask for an inquiry, they asked for a review so that they could get their hands on the evidence in the files that they did not know about.

[Miss Taken Identity]

Maybe you are afraid of true statements that you feel that demean the parents. The McCanns, in accordance with Portuguese law, could have very well asked for the "fase de instrução" to stop the case from being shelved but they chose not to. Ask them why.

BTW, the McCanns did not ask for an inquiry, they asked for a review so that they could get their hands on the evidence in the files that they did not know about.

Exactly!!  They wanted to find out what the police had....or could find out.

[G-Unit]

Exactly!!  They wanted to find out what the police had....or could find out.
[/quote

Hence serving a disclosure order gained on 22nd May 2007 on Leicestershire Police in order to see what evidence they had.

[Mr Gray]

Maybe you are afraid of true statements that you feel that demean the parents. The McCanns, in accordance with Portuguese law, could have very well asked for the "fase de instrução" to stop the case from being shelved but they chose not to. Ask them why.

BTW, the McCanns did not ask for an inquiry, they asked for a review so that they could get their hands on the evidence in the files that they did not know about.

absolute rubbish..nothing unusual

[Miss Taken Identity]

Exactly!!  They wanted to find out what the police had....or could find out.
[/quote

Hence serving a disclosure order gained on 22nd May 2007 on Leicestershire Police in order to see what evidence they had.

Indeed!  they were told where to go.. no.. infact um.. something about one or both being implicated..aw perhaps one of the supporters will help with that  quote- they love accuracy- and I forget it.

[Carana]

First, the million plus quid was mostly donated, so there is a duty of care to spend it sensibly I would have thought. Second, I would use that tried and tested method we are advised to use when employing anyone to do a job of work. Get references from others who have used them. Stage payments. Demand regular updates (writing on a piece of scrap paper that there are between 1-10 people on the investigation as Kevin Halligan is alleged to have done wouldn't have been acceptable to me). To be fair to the McCanns Brian Kennedy didn't help. as a businessman he was taken in just as much as they were, and he was paying these cowboys too.

I'm not aware of PI agencies specialised in the stranger abduction of children. Some do appear to have been competent in parental ones... but because there are clear leads to follow (financial traces, family members, photos, known history, etc). In this case, there were none.

[Benice]

absolute rubbish..nothing unusual

Totally agree.  You would have to be stark raving mad to push for a case to be reviewed or re-investigated if you were guilty of the crime yourself.    And what about their friends who supposedly colluded with them?  Would they agree to such an insanely dangerous course of action - when there was no need for anyone to do anything except keep their heads down and wait for it to disappear into obscurity?   Not a chance.

Mega straw-clutching IMO.

[G-Unit]

Indeed!  they were told where to go.. no.. infact um.. something about one or both being implicated..aw perhaps one of the supporters will help with that  quote- they love accuracy- and I forget it.

It caused extreme alarm because the police had visions of having to release evidence in other cases I expect. The order was altered to exclude law enforcement agencies.

Here is a link; http://www.mccannfiles.com/id130.html