So what actual searching was there?

[faithlilly]

Usually one of the areas subject to intensive searching and forensic analysis is the crime scene itself.

The last location in which Madeleine was seen was her bed.

What happened to the toy she took to bed with her and on which an abductor may have left a trace ... was it bagged as evidence?

The sheets and bedding on which she lay and on which an abductor may have left a trace ... after initial collection of hair ... were these bagged for evidence?

Advances in scientific techniques helped solve the three decades old murder of Elaine Doyle  http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/scottish-news/elaine-doyle-murder-former-soldier-3711592

Nothing like that will ever be possible as far as Madeleine McCann's case is concerned.  Even her pink blanket which she took to bed with her became a forum myth and the bedding was taken to the laundry by MW cleaners.
Not even the curtains which SY had re-analysed date from the 3rd May.

It's strange that while the McCanns are lauded by supporters for doing everything possible to find Madeleine, they fail to analyse what they didn't do, and as intelligent people, would have known were important, like insisting Cuddlecat was sent for analysis, making sure  that the windows and shutters weren't tampered with, that the twins were taken to a hospital and tested for sedatives etc etc.

[Admin]

It is said Mr Amaral did not speak English.

Perhaps he didn't pay attention at school?

There was a language barrier in Luz when Madeleine went missing ... else why the requirement for translators?

Could it be that the police investigators were from another area, an area which was predominantly Portuguese speaking since after all, the country was Portugal?

[faithlilly]

It is said Mr Amaral did not speak English.

Perhaps he didn't pay attention at school?

There was a language barrier in Luz when Madeleine went missing ... else why the requirement for translators?

In the almost nine years have the McCanns, two very intelligent people, even attempted to learn to speak Portuguese ?

[ShiningInLuz]

...
( I believe they regularly excluded Portuguese journalists )
...

Do you have any idea where you got that from?

It seem such a strange approach for an incident that occurred in Portugal.

[stephen25000]

It is said Mr Amaral did not speak English.

Perhaps he didn't pay attention at school?

There was a language barrier in Luz when Madeleine went missing ... else why the requirement for translators?

Did the mccanns pay attention at school learning Portuguese, or were they incapable of doing so ?

[ShiningInLuz]

It is said Mr Amaral did not speak English.

Perhaps he didn't pay attention at school?

There was a language barrier in Luz when Madeleine went missing ... else why the requirement for translators?

Mr Amaral did not live in Luz, so he is irrelevant to the language spoken in Luz.

The GNR and PJ officers drafted in did not live in Luz, so they are irrelevant to Luz.

The statements made are required, legally, to be in Portuguese, hence the first question 'do you speak Portuguese' and if you say no, there is a legal obligation to provide a translator.

The statements by staff etc taken in Portuguese simply tell us which staff were Portuguese.  They do not tell us whether these people could or could not speak English, as there was no requirement for English in a Portuguese statement.

That leaves the statements taken from other staff, guests, searchers etc.  These required a translator because those people spoke no Portuguese, only English.

The vast bulk of people in Luz speak English.  Most can't speak Portuguese.  Neighbours struggling with English in Luz is a myth.

[ShiningInLuz]

Could it be that the police investigators were from another area, an area which was predominantly Portuguese speaking since after all, the country was Portugal?

The staff interviews appear to have been conducted in the main by 11 PJ officers drafted in from Lisbon.

I don't think the language barrier arises because of this but rather how much chance they have to converse in English.  I would expect the bulk of PJ officers to be involved in Portuguese-speaking cases, and I would expect them to socialise with other Portuguese people.  Therefore any English learned would decay through disuse.

GNR officers on the Algarve are somewhat different.  The coal face officers have, in my personal experience, been able to hold simple conversations in English, though I will stress the 'simple'.  Presumably they get enough cases in English to retain some capability.  As soon as they move away from the coal face, I would expect their English to decay through disuse.

That leads us to the 2 chappies responding that night.  They were on night patrol in Odiaxere, and the GNR covers the rural areas of Portugal.  I believe Lagos has a PSP force, but it doesn't really matter.  Outside of Luz, where English is the dominant language, the area is predominantly Portuguese speaking.

The McCanns got 2 chappies more comfortable speaking in Portuguese with a translator on hand.  It would have been weird if they had chosen to converse in limited English.

Luz speaks English.  The McCann experience of Luz was English.  The OC speaks English. The McCann experience of the OC, staff and guests alike was English.

So a search was NOT hampered by an inability to speak Portuguese, NOR is it reasonable to deduce that the McCanns thought it would.  They had never hit a Portuguese barrier before.

[slartibartfast]

They could have used actors for the friends,  they would have had the parents there it was the parents they wanted to examine wasn't it?

When the documentary was made in Portugal,  the McCann's went and a couple of the friends not all of them,  they still managed to do a reconstruction.

IMO they wanted to check the timings of the T9 and those who came into contact with them, this is not a PR exercise for TV, this is part of the investigation.

[Benice]

It's strange that while the McCanns are lauded by supporters for doing everything possible to find Madeleine, they fail to analyse what they didn't do, and as intelligent people, would have known were important, like insisting Cuddlecat was sent for analysis, making sure  that the windows and shutters weren't tampered with, that the twins were taken to a hospital and tested for sedatives etc etc.

Strange for anyone to expect the McCanns to think and behave like policemen at such a traumatic time - but apparently  have no such expectation at all of the police to think and behave like policemen  - especially when it came to cordoning off the area and the collection of evidence for forensics.

Shouldn't it have been the PJ who insisted that Cuddlecat was taken away for analysis, also the pink blanket,   the bedding etc etc.?    Why didn't the police immediately arrange for the twins to  be taken to hospital - as whether or not drugs had been used was surely a factor in the case at that time?   The McCanns questions to the PJ on that night and then later via their FLO's re the use of drugs appear to have received no response.   

The McCanns were not policemen and could not be expected to behave like them.     On the other hand the policemen who did attend should have known better as it was their job to do what you suggest and more - and not the distraught parents.

[Alice Purjorick]

I've read plenty of posts on this forum in the last year or more and have never seen any, so can only conclude that you're talking rubbish.

Talking rubbish about "mythical" ?
OK you believe it's rubbish. So you must by default think the original post and it's content were true.Which roughly was:
Madeleine McCann disappeared on 3rd May 2007; no trace of her has been found since;the last independent sighting of her was about 18;30 to 18:45 on the day of her disappearance; relevant Portuguese law enforcement agencies searched for her; the McCann's rang Jon Corner to have the disappearance in UK media early doors (G McCann submission to Leveson Inquiry); the case was archived not knowing what if any crime had been committed.
That fixes an agreed datum lets move forward from there.

[ferryman]

Strange for anyone to expect the McCanns to think and behave like policemen at such a traumatic time - but apparently  have no such expectation at all of the police to think and behave like policemen  - especially when it came to cordoning off the area and the collection of evidence for forensics.

Shouldn't it have been the PJ who insisted that Cuddlecat was taken away for analysis, also the pink blanket,   the bedding etc etc.?    Why didn't the police immediately arrange for the twins to  be taken to hospital - as whether or not drugs had been used was surely a factor in the case at that time?   The McCanns questions to the PJ on that night and then later via their FLO's re the use of drugs appear to have received no response.   

The McCanns were not policemen and could not be expected to behave like them.     On the other hand the policemen who did attend should have known better as it was their job to do what you suggest and more - and not the distraught parents.

Bang-on right, Benice.

Especially as a certain dog-handler (whose name I am not allowed to mention) expressly said in his rogatory interview that he had requested that the toy be forensically analysed.

He had no knowledge of forensic results.

He wouldn't have.

It was never forensically analysed.

[Anna]

Can we please try to return and adhere to the topic of the thread. Thank you.

[ferryman]

Talking rubbish about "mythical" ?
OK you believe it's rubbish. So you must by default think the original post and it's content were true.Which roughly was:
Madeleine McCann disappeared on 3rd May 2007; no trace of her has been found since;the last independent sighting of her was about 18;30 to 18:45 on the day of her disappearance; relevant Portuguese law enforcement agencies searched for her; the McCann's rang Jon Corner to have the disappearance in UK media early doors (G McCann submission to Leveson Inquiry); the case was archived not knowing what if any crime had been committed.
That fixes an agreed datum lets move forward from there.

OK Gerry was in the Tapas restaurant at the time of the Smith sighting.

And we can reasonably infer from the fact that Martin Smith produced an e-fit (after initially refusing) that he changed his mind about the man the Smiths all saw that night being Gerry.  There would be no earthly point in producing an efit of a man anyone thought was Gerry.

And in that statement to the Irish gardia police, Mr Smith said that he had canvassed the opinions of his whole family with him that night and that all his children disagreed with him (including his daughter Aoife, whom I took to be the person to produce the second e-fit).  But in fact, the second e-fit was produced by his wife, who also must now be convinced that the man is not Gerry.

[slartibartfast]

OK Gerry was in the Tapas restaurant at the time of the Smith sighting.

And we can reasonably infer from the fact that Martin Smith produced an e-fit (after initially refusing) that he changed his mind about the man the Smiths all saw that night being Gerry.  There would be no earthly point in producing an efit of a man anyone thought was Gerry.

And in that statement to the Irish gardia police, Mr Smith said that he had canvassed the opinions of his whole family with him that night and that all his children disagreed with him (including his daughter Aoife, whom I took to be the person to produce the second e-fit).  But in fact, the second e-fit was produced by his wife, who also must now be convinced that the man is not Gerry.

Of course, Martin Smith may not have changed his mind but was badgered to produce an e-fit so eventually, produced one as he remembered it.

[Alice Purjorick]

OK Gerry was in the Tapas restaurant at the time of the Smith sighting.

And we can reasonably infer from the fact that Martin Smith produced an e-fit (after initially refusing) that he changed his mind about the man the Smiths all saw that night being Gerry.  There would be no earthly point in producing an efit of a man anyone thought was Gerry.

And in that statement to the Irish gardia police, Mr Smith said that he had canvassed the opinions of his whole family with him that night and that all his children disagreed with him (including his daughter Aoife, whom I took to be the person to produce the second e-fit).  But in fact, the second e-fit was produced by his wife, who also must now be convinced that the man is not Gerry.

Slightly off topic still but:
Provided we can prove what time the Smith sighting was and there are two independent (to T9) witnesses who can verify Gerry being in the Tapas Bar at exactly that time I'll buy that much of it.