What absolute nonsense! After fruitlessly searching for Madeleine the best way the material witnesses could think of to assist the police was to produce a timeline of their movements.
Do you think they shouldn't have done that?
With hindsight maybe not. They could individually relate the facts as they remember them to the Police as and when requested. The Police are capable of realising that a small discrepancy in a time is normal. The important point (if it's an abduction) is to establish the last time the missing child was seen. What the collusion with a group timeline has done, in the eyes of the PJ, rightly or wrongly, and commented on in the Chief Inspector's report is to make it appear that none of the group individually are telling the truth (that's according to them not me). This then arouses suspicion. I'm sure the same situation repeated in the UK would also create the same difficulties.
I'm struggling to see a case where group witness collusion is encouraged or seen as helpful.
My own personal opinion, which I am free to express legally, is that I concur with Jassi's comments above.Of course that doesn't mean I'm correct and no inference can be taken from the fact, that like you, I have formed my own opinion of events based upon the available evidence.