Kate McCann admits in her book that private criminal investigations in Portugal were illegal.

[slartibartfast]

The authorities didn't appear worried about Mrs Murat's intervention ...

There are Portuguese private investigators who advertise their services ...

I would imagine that as long as they operated within common law, and did not interfere with witnesses, suspects or the official case ... their circumstances would be similar to anywhere else in the free world.
Seems to be the case as no one has yet given a citation which proves otherwise.

As in..

PRIVATE detectives hunting for Madeleine McCann are to quiz an Irish family who may have been the last to see her alive. Martin Smith, his wife and children told cops they saw a man carrying a little blonde girl in Praia da Luz on the night Maddie vanished. Investigators from the Metodo 3 agency hired by Maddie's parents Gerry and Kate are preparing to travel to Ireland to interview them. The family, from Drogheda, Co Louth, believe they saw the man taking the sleeping tot down to the beach at the Portuguese resort.

[Mr Gray]

As in..

nothing wrong with that as they were no longer of interest to the active investigation...wahts the problem with pulling out all the stops to find out what happened to Maddie....people undergoing medical treatment often look at alternative therapies...no one complains

[Alfred R Jones]

Read the thread sir. I asked a specific question that has been evaded.

What, like you've just evaded mine?

[Alfred R Jones]

As in..

So, was PIs interviewing the Smiths in Ireland technically breaking Portuguese law?

[slartibartfast]

So, was PIs interviewing the Smiths in Ireland technically breaking Portuguese law?

Looks like it.

[Alfred R Jones]

Looks like it.

I thought the law (whichever law this is, which has yet to be ascertained) only covered interfering with an investigation on Portuguese soil...? 

[Alice Purjorick]

As long as those people act within the law there is absolutely nothing wrong with helping the police...you are totally wrong re the vigilante scenario...vigilantes punish...the police regularly rely on help searching from ordinary individuals...your criticism is just another thinly veiled attack on the mccanns

I have made no criticism of the McCanns neither overtly nor covertly nor indeed sir any criticism of anyone on this forum.
I have asked some questions made some statements and have asked posters generally for their opinions. It is the opinions of the posters I am interested in.
What I perceived the thread to be addressing was not helping the police at their request or offering help to the police but hiring people to do the polices work for them without reference to the police. Now would you like our justice system to follow that model?
It really is quite a simple question and can be answered without spurious reference to the McCanns.
You seem to believe sir that anyone who asks a valid question is somehow opposed to the McCanns. That would seem to be a curious stance to take.

[Alice Purjorick]

What, like you've just evaded mine?

Well sir if that is how you choose to construe it.
I thought I had been plain.
No matter, I apologise and withdraw from the conversation.

[Mr Gray]

I have made no criticism of the McCanns neither overtly nor covertly nor indeed sir any criticism of anyone on this forum.
I have asked some questions made some statements and have asked posters generally for their opinions. It is the opinions of the posters I am interested in.
What I perceived the thread to be addressing was not helping the police at their request or offering help to the police but hiring people to do the polices work for them without reference to the police. Now would you like our justice system to follow that model?
It really is quite a simple question and can be answered without spurious reference to the McCanns.
You seem to believe sir that anyone who asks a valid question is somehow opposed to the McCanns. That would seem to be a curious stance to take.

My opinion is that this thread and your support of the perceived Portuguese law re PI's in Portugal  is a thinly veiled attack on the mccanns.There are countless private security firms in the uk doing police style work..the police could not function without help from the unqualified public..I don't see any point in your objection

[Mr Gray]

Not really the same at all, the P.I.s were looking for evidence about Madeleine's disappearance, had they found a good lead, it would have become inadmissible as it had been obtained illegally as far at Portuguese law is concerned.

rubbish.you don't even know exactly what Portuguese law is

[stephen25000]

In order that there can be absolutely no misunderstanding what you are suggesting, are you advocating that if any individual, provided he is rich enough, and believes the police are not up to the job, should be free to hire unauthorised civilians to do the job for him?
That sir is more or less condoning vigil[ censored word]m. Do you actually believe that should be permissible within any society? Or is the view just expedient for you in the terms of the current debate?

..and here is an example of what happens when people take the law into their own hands, and think they are above it.

http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2013/nov/28/vigilante-lee-james-life-murdering-bijan-ebrahimi

.......and what would have happened in this case, if the people working for the mccanns had targeted somebody as an abductor,. who was perfectly innocent, and good law abiding people had taken the law into their own hands ?

[slartibartfast]

My opinion is that this thread and your support of the perceived Portuguese law re PI's in Portugal  is a thinly veiled attack on the mccanns.There are countless private security firms in the uk doing police style work..the police could not function without help from the unqualified public..I don't see any point in your objection

From what has been posted, the Portuguese don't have the concept of criminal P.I.s. It may have escaped your notice, Portugal is another country with different laws.

[Mr Gray]

..and here is an example of what happens when people take the law into their own hands, and think they are above it.

http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2013/nov/28/vigilante-lee-james-life-murdering-bijan-ebrahimi

.......and what would have happened in this case, if the people working for the mccanns had targeted somebody as an abductor,. who was perfectly innocent, and good law abiding people had taken the law into their own hands ?

once again you don't understand what is going on..we are talking about investigating..not acting as judge and jury

[Alfred R Jones]

Not really the same at all, the P.I.s were looking for evidence about Madeleine's disappearance, had they found a good lead, it would have become inadmissible as it had been obtained illegally as far at Portuguese law is concerned.

It would be good if we could get to the bottom of what this law actually states wouldn't it?  For example, if someone had spotted Madeleine walking with a strange man down a street in Amsterdam and followed them to a specific location, where they then challenged the man, who then ran off, would that be illegal interference and therefore inadmissible?

[Mr Gray]

From what has been posted, the Portuguese don't have the concept of criminal P.I.s. It may have escaped your notice, Portugal is another country with different laws.

and you do not know what those laws are...but base your ignorant opinions on what has been posted