Did the PJ conduct a proper search for evidence at OC?

[Eleanor]

Check the report made for The Sun by Ian Horrocks: he says this 'closing the borders' just doesn't happen and wouldn't have happened in the UK either.

The UK doesn't have Borders.

But you seem to agree that The Portuguese Press is crap.

[Lyall]

The UK doesn't have Borders.

But you seem to agree that The Portuguese Press is crap.

UK papers I meant

It was a child from another country. That's the point.

[AnneGuedes]

Different situation here. A child from another country, and that country just happens to be a country with a notoriously wild tabloid press. If a child goes missing in the UK the police can rely on the papers working with them: I doubt the Portuguese had any such expectation.

If there are procedures in place, like the Amber alert, that's one thing: but if sightings from Timbuktu to Taiwan are going to be splashed across the front pages, that's something else altogether. No police force in the world wants that happening.

Of course. The abducted child European alert is launched only if abduction is certain, or highly probable. The huge publicity lasts only for a few hours, it is counterproductive after a rather short time.
In Portugal, like in France where instruction is under the same principle of secrecy, those missing children cases are treated very discreetly in order to protect the child.

[AnneGuedes]

The original investigation did contact marinas and obtained arrival/departure dates of large numbers of boats.

I often don't understand your ideas, Pegasus, but I must reckon that you read the PJ Files. And we are not so many.

[Eleanor]

Of course. The abducted child European alert is launched only if abduction is certain, or highly probable. The huge publicity lasts only for a few hours, it is counterproductive after a rather short time.
In Portugal, like in France where instruction is under the same principle of secrecy, those missing children cases are treated very discreetly in order to protect the child.

Not in my experience of France.  Portugal just leaks to The Press.

[Silkywhiskers]

Not in my experience of France.  Portugal just leaks to The Press.

An international media specialist too, I see.

Tell me, where did you get your degree?

[Mr Gray]

Anyone any idea why the pj didn't examine the sheets and blankets on the bed for dna...nothing in the files for the results of a dna sweep of the bedclothes

[pegasus]

I often don't understand your ideas, Pegasus, but I must reckon that you read the PJ Files. And we are not so many.

Yes Mr Amarals team checked with Lagos Portimao Vilamoura and other marinas, for each they obtained lists of all boat departures and arrivals, dates, details of all the people on board, their ages, nationalities, over a hundred boats are listed in the files, not bad for a detective who was accused on this thread of not checking marinas :)

[Carana]

Different situation here. A child from another country, and that country just happens to be a country with a notoriously wild tabloid press. If a child goes missing in the UK the police can rely on the papers working with them: I doubt the Portuguese had any such expectation.

If there are procedures in place, like the Amber alert, that's one thing: but if sightings from Timbuktu to Taiwan are going to be splashed across the front pages, that's something else altogether. No police force in the world wants that happening.

I more or less agree with you on that.

My caveat is that the sightings from A to Z took place later, from the equally wild UK press.

However, I do agree that the idea of closing borders wouldn't have been feasible in the middle of the night. Half the country (or more) is open to the sea, and the other half has permeable borders with Spain. Alerting any on-duty border patrols, yes, including the airport, but that's about it.

[pegasus]

It would be a ludicrous thing to criticise Mr Amaral for not closing the borders.
That would involve cancelling hundreds of flights at the various international airports, completely stopping international trade, bringing the army in to police the ever growing queues of cars and trucks at hundreds of border crossings with Spain.

[Silkywhiskers]

The FBI has a Child Abduction Plan which is in standard use worldwide.

The first on the agenda is to clear the parents.

This was never able to be done, 7 years later nothing's changed.

Investigations have to start at the closest point to the victim and work outwards (parents, then to lorry drivers and borders) not outwards working in (lorry drivers, borders, then finally parents).

[Redblossom]

It would be a ludicrous thing to criticise Mr Amaral for not closing the borders.
That would involve cancelling hundreds of flights at the various international airports, completely stopping international trade, bringing the army in to police the ever growing queues of cars and trucks at hundreds of border crossings with Spain.

Im surprised no one has blamed him for not babysitting in the first place! I mean we have had the insinuations  from some posters in this forum he was involved  and/or protecting the abductors, whats a little more schizophrenia to add to the mix!

Gnite all

 

[Mr Gray]

The FBI has a Child Abduction Plan which is in standard use worldwide.

The first on the agenda is to clear the parents.

This was never able to be done, 7 years later nothing's changed.

Investigations have to start at the closest point to the victim and work outwards (parents, then to lorry drivers and borders) not outwards working in (lorry drivers, borders, then finally parents).

wasnt done at the time but according Redwood the parents are in the clear now

[Eleanor]

This is silly.  There are Police Posts at the borders into Spain and some of them are manned, so it would not have been a massive operation to put a check on these.  In fact some vague attempt was made later on, but the Police were more interested in listening to chat shows on the radio than checking cars.

As for boats, they might have checked to see which boats left but they didn't follow through to see where these boats went.

[Silkywhiskers]

This is silly.  There are Police Posts at the borders into Spain and some of them are manned, so it would not have been a massive operation to put a check on these.  In fact some vague attempt was made later on, but the Police were more interested in listening to chat shows on the radio than checking cars.

As for boats, they might have checked to see which boats left but they didn't follow through to see where these boats went.

completely pointless waste of money.   The Algarve is surrounded by sea, how on earth are you going to check all the boats leaving the 1000's of kms of shoreline daily?