In the TV documentary,
Dispatches: Searching for Madeleine - Chan 4 - 18 October 2007 civilian searches which took place are described by some of those who helped. At 20:00, a Luz resident, describes looking in drainage holes and in the wells
At 21:35 Gary Lig, former police search adviser can be seen inspecting some of the hundreds of dry wells in the countryside around Luz; he states that in these confined spaces of wells with water at the bottom – he would have used people with dual training to go down to inspect them.
At 43:31 concerns about the quality of the initial police search strategy are expressed.
Gary says that there are roles for volunteers who want to help, but he says he would not have been satisfied until his search teams had been in there but his main worry was the large sewers and if there had been any follow up of industrial bins which had been emptied before being thoroughly searched.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=InJLmyakzeEThis programme was broadcast 168 days after Madeleine’s disappearance at a time when madeleine's parents were arguidos and before the forensic results had been returned from the FSS; it illustrates that even at that stage an independent review carried out by professionals was capable of identifying shortcomings in the original investigation.
One of the first things noted were the huge drain outlets leading directly onto the beach (some of which were later searched by two volunteers from Britain who came to Portugal at their own expense to do so); and the other being the wells.
The team of retired police officers in a TV documentary could see obvious omissions in search procedure back in 2007 – one has to wonder why these obvious places were ignored in the PJ searches and instead all available resources directed to support the theory that Madeleine had died in 5a.
