Why didn't the Mccann simply phone the European Emergency No 112

[AnneGuedes]

So there wasn't really any excuse for not using their mobile telephone to summon help then Anne.  I wonder if any of them attempted it?

From what we have seen Matthew was down to reception twice, at the beach and up to the Millennium Restaurant on the top road yet he never thought to telephone the police directly or did he?

You dial the 999 and get the 112 or you start dialling the 99 and it changes into 112 ? I'm not used to cell phones, I have none.

[sadie]

It is quite clear from Matthew Oldfield's Rogatory interview that he  knew  that the  receptionist had not called the police at his request

So what did he do  ?   ...  go back and lie to Gerry  ?  ...  did he he say  "yeah, it's OK Ger,  they've rung the police" ?

Or did he say,  " They wouldn't ring the police Ger,  they said we need to search for her a bit first"  ?   (  which appears to be what actually happened )

We dont know what happened, do we?

But it would be mighty hard to tell the parents of a missing child that the receptioin hadn't taken much notice

And many wouldn't say it.

[Carana]

 112: Commission says EU single emergency number must get multilingual
Since December 2008, EU citizens can contact emergency services from anywhere in the European Union by dialing 112, the EU-wide emergency number, free of charge from both fixed and mobile phones. But, only one in four Europeans knows that this life-saving number exists in other Member States and almost three in ten 112 callers in other countries have encountered language problems.


(...)

Language problems: 28% of callers have language problems when they call 112 while abroad, despite the fact that information provided by 21 Member States indicates that their 112 emergency centres should be able to handle 112 calls in English (12 Member States in German and 11 Member States in French).

http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_IP-09-240_en.htm

[AnneGuedes]

9 educated persons equipped with cell phones were alerted at the same time. None of them thought of dialling at least the 999 (a number that existed before WW2).
Matthew, at the main reception, didn't ask to call the emergency number. In the UK he would certainly have called the 999, knowing his call would be dispatched either towards the police, the firemen or an ambulance. He asked to call the police.
Did he think there was no emergency number in Portugal ?
Did he limit himself to obey what he had been asked to do (call the police), taking no initiative ?
Had he yet a doubt about Madeleine being abducted, which would explain he didn't insist with the receptionist and didn't even ask the receptionist to call his boss ?

English is far the most spoken foreign language in the EU and functions as a lingua franca.
Some people, like those from the eastern countries of the EU had traditionally German or French or Russian as a second language. Intercommunication exist in Anglo-Saxon countries of North Europe as it exists in Romanic countries of South of Europe (Romanians, for example, understand and speak Portuguese in a nutshell).

[Carana]

Matthew, at the main reception, didn't ask to call the emergency number. In the UK he would certainly have called the 999, knowing his call would be dispatched either towards the police, the firemen or an ambulance. He asked to call the police.
Did he think there was no emergency number in Portugal ?

Why route through a generic emergency number to only get rerouted? There was no fire, nor any medical emergency. At that point, it was still a worrying case of a young missing child. As far as I'm aware, the first point of contact in a rural area would be the local GNR.

English is far the most spoken foreign language in the EU and functions as a lingua franca.
Some people, like those from the eastern countries of the EU had traditionally German or French or Russian as a second language. Intercommunication exist in Anglo-Saxon countries of North Europe as it exists in Romanic countries of South of Europe (Romanians, for example, understand and speak Portuguese in a nutshell).

Who actually spoke English amongst the GNR officers on the scene?

[sadie]

Who actually spoke English amongst the GNR officers on the scene?

   Well observed Carana

[Mrs. B]

So, we have seen that, in 2012, the number of travelers that were UNAWARE of the existence of the 112 number was 74%, we also know that this number had risen from previous year by 2%, i.e. in 2007 it would have been even less. If there is any credible but conflicting research available to show that the EU study is incorrect, please feel free to provide it. As it stands, it's more than likely that the McCanns & their friends, like the great majority of expats living abroad, aren't aware of its existence.

[AnneGuedes]

Why route through a generic emergency number to only get rerouted? There was no fire, nor any medical emergency. At that point, it was still a worrying case of a young missing child. As far as I'm aware, the first point of contact in a rural area would be the local GNR.

Who actually spoke English amongst the GNR officers on the scene?

In Portugal (same in France ) : you call the emergency nb and an operator/dispatcher alerts the appropriate emergency service (police, firemen, ambulance). In the first case,it's up to the operator to call either the psp (trafic police), the gnr (army, there's gnr in Lisbon for common issues) or the pj (crime).
If the caller says the child is missing from wandering (no abduction sign), then the gnr is called first, but if the child is said abducted (evidence of broken shutters), then the pj is called.
It's been said before, Carana...
In Portugal people say they don't speak a language when they don't speak it well. On TV they have many foreign programs, less expensive than producing national ones, and they're not doubled (too expensive). That's how people brush their English, actually more US English.
Anyhow Silvia Bastista arrived just before the gnr.

[AnneGuedes]

So, we have seen that, in 2012, the number of travelers that were UNAWARE of the existence of the 112 number was 74%, we also know that this number had risen from previous year by 2%, i.e. in 2007 it would have been even less. If there is any credible but conflicting research available to show that the EU study is incorrect, please feel free to provide it. As it stands, it's more than likely that the McCanns & their friends, like the great majority of expats living abroad, aren't aware of its existence.

Had they dialled 999 (which they knew) on their cell phones, they would have be redirected towards 112.
Expats have to know the 112, because it's the unique in Portugal, whereas in the UK 999 is along 112.

[Mrs. B]

Can you provide some back for your claims please, is there a study that shows that most travelers KNOW the 112 number that conflicts the EU statistics as shown above?

In 2007 I don't recall travelers being informed that the possibility of phoning your country's emergency numbers would automatically be transferred. Certainly didn't happen on my mobile in 2007 at least. But perhaps you can show some credible source for that too?

[AnneGuedes]

Read above what those marvellous cell phones can do.
Why choosing the fastest way if the longest one is available ? ;)

[Carana]

In Portugal (same in France ) : you call the emergency nb and an operator/dispatcher alerts the appropriate emergency service (police, firemen, ambulance). In the first case,it's up to the operator to call either the psp (trafic police), the gnr (army, there's gnr in Lisbon for common issues) or the pj (crime).
If the caller says the child is missing from wandering (no abduction sign), then the gnr is called first, but if the child is said abducted (evidence of broken shutters), then the pj is called.
It's been said before, Carana...
In Portugal people say they don't speak a language when they don't speak it well. On TV they have many foreign programs, less expensive than producing national ones, and they're not doubled (too expensive). That's how people brush their English, actually more US English.
Anyhow Silvia Bastista arrived just before the gnr.

I've noticed that quite a few of the younger Portuguese generation seem to use American expressions.

What variation of English do people learn in school? What accents do they learn to understand?

[sadie]

This is another wumming thread.  Jeez!

[Mrs. B]

In 2007? No, I just asked you, who remembers receiving a message informing you of the emergency number on your mobile back then? I certainly didn't, though I do recall receiving a message on one of our phones 2007, welcoming us to Russia when landing in Stockholm. Mobile phone networks were just great back then....

[sadie]

Had they dialled 999 (which they knew) on their cell phones, they would have be redirected towards 112.
Expats have to know the 112, because it's the unique in Portugal, whereas in the UK 999 is along 112.

I didn't know that. Are you sure Anne?

With our extensive travels, nobody had ever made us aware of that .. and a multitude of friends in different countries ... nobody ever told us.

It's very doubtful that any of the tapas nine would know either.