Met Assistant Commissioner Mark Rowley gives update on the search for Madeleine McCann.

[Robittybob1]

...and of course Brietta, no matter how much you would like to type to the contrary, if there was no abduction as many people believe, the case will not be solved by looking for someone who doesn't exist.

How do you know.  Were you there?

[pathfinder73]

LOL.  What are they doing then?  What does this work entail in your view?

The timeline will give them answers. Proving the BS ones is a good start on whom to track.

[misty]

STATEMENT

[Assistant Commissioner Mark Rowley]
As an investigation team we are only too aware of the significance of dates and anniversaries. Whatever the inquiry, we want to get answers for everyone involved.
The disappearance of Madeleine McCann is no different in that respect but of course the circumstances and the huge public interest, make this a unique case for us as police officers to deal with. In a missing child inquiry every day is agony and an anniversary brings this into sharp focus. Our thoughts are with Madeleine's family at this time - as it is with any family in a missing person’s inquiry - and that drives our commitment to do everything we can for her.
On 3rd May 2017, it will be 10 years since Madeleine vanished from her apartment in Praia Da Luz, a small town on the Algarve. In the immediate hours following her disappearance, an extensive search commenced involving the local police, community and tourists. This led to an investigation that has involved police services across Europe and beyond, experts in many fields, the world’s media and the public, which continues to this day. The image of Madeleine remains instantly recognisable in many countries across the world.
The Met’s dedicated team of four detectives, continues to work closely on the outstanding enquiries along with colleagues of the Portuguese Policia Judiciária. Our relationship with the Policia Judiciária is good. We continue to work together and this is helping us to move forward the investigation.
We don't have evidence telling us if Madeleine is alive or dead. It is a missing person’s inquiry but as a team we are realistic about what we might be dealing with - especially as months turn to years.
Now is a time we can reflect on an investigation which captured an unprecedented amount of media coverage and interest. The enormity of scale and the complexity of such a case brings along its own challenges, not least learning to work with colleagues who operate under a very different legal system. The inquiry has been, and continues to be helped and supported by many organisations and individuals. We acknowledge the difference these contributions have made to the investigation and would like it known that we appreciate all the support we have and continue to receive.
Since the Met was instructed by the Home Office to review the case in 2011, we have reviewed all the material gathered from multiple sources since 2007. This amounted to over 40,000 documents out of which thousands of enquiries were generated. We continue to receive information on a daily basis, all of which is assessed and actioned for enquiries to be conducted.
We have appealed on four BBC Crimewatch programmes since April 2012. This included an age progression image which resulted in hundreds of calls about alleged sightings of Madeleine; an appeal for the identity of possibly relevant individuals through description or Efit; and information sought relating to suspicious behaviour or offences of burglary. These programmes collectively produced a fantastic response from the public. The thousands of calls and information enabled detectives to progress a number of enquiries. This was in addition to over 3,000 holiday photographs from the public in response to an earlier appeal.
The team has looked at in excess of 600 individuals who were identified as being potentially significant to the disappearance. In 2013 the team identified four individuals they declared to be suspects in the case. This led to interviews at a police station in Faro facilitated by the local Policia Judiciária and the search of a large area of wasteland which is close to Madeleine's apartment in Praia Da Luz. The enquiries did not find any evidence to further implicate the individuals in the disappearance and so they are no longer subject of further investigation.
We will not comment on other parts of our investigation - it does not help the teams investigating to give a commentary on those aspects. I am pleased to say that our relationship with the Portuguese investigators is better than ever and this is paying dividends in the progress all of us are making.
We are often asked about funding and you can see that we are now a much smaller team. We know we have the funding to look at the focused enquiry we are pursuing.
Of course we always want information and we can't rule out making new appeals if that is required. However, right now, new appeals or prompts to the public are not in the interest of what we are trying to achieve.
As detectives, we will always be extremely disappointed when we are unable to provide an explanation of what happened. However the work carried out by Portuguese and Met officers in reviewing material and reopening the investigation has been successful in taking a number of lines of interest to their conclusion. That work has provided important answers.
Right now we are committed to taking the current inquiry as far as we possibly can and we are confident that will happen. Ultimately this, and the previous work, gives all of us the very best chance of getting the answers – although we must, of course, remember that no investigation can guarantee to provide a definitive conclusion.
However the Met, jointly with colleagues from the Policia Judiciária continue the investigation into the disappearance of Madeleine McCann with focus and determination.

Thank you, Heri, for taking the time to show the full statement here over 3 posts.

[Montclair]

As long as a culprit as not been found, arrested and tried, the McCanns can never be considered eliminated from the investigation. That is basic police work. Even Leicester police said that.

BTWit is a Portuguese investigation and the parents have not been cleared although the case was shelved.

[Alfie]

The timeline will give them answers. Proving the BS ones is a good start on whom to track.

They've been working on the timeline for 4 years now, trying to prove it's bullshit?  How exactly in your view? 

[stephen25000]

How do you know.  Were you there?

You say there was a burglar.

How do you know there was Rob ?

[Brietta]

Excuse me? You need to start living in the real world. Police won't tell you who they are after because it will screw up their case. The one significant line of inquiry is the man with the LONG-SLEEVED child. Amaral was on it 10 years ago. Both SY and the PJ will be working together on that one significant line of inquiry.

That really is denial.  If you have an interest in Madeleine McCann's case being resolved look not to the past which has been checked out by ...

• Rebelo
• the Policia Judiciaria and New scotland Yard

Just as they all did ... they checked the evidence and progressed from there discarding that which was redundant and moved to the next progression. Just as the investigation is o longer interested in the latest four arguidos ... no-one is the slightest bit interested in the original three.

Maybe we will find out if the lead they are following now was available to investigators in 2007 or is as a result of later information becoming available ... I think you will find that whatever, the length of pyjama sleeves will not come into it.

[misty]

That really is denial.  If you have an interest in Madeleine McCann's case being resolved look not to the past which has been checked out by ...

• Rebelo
• the Policia Judiciaria and New scotland Yard

Just as they all did ... they checked the evidence and progressed from there discarding that which was redundant and moved to the next progression. Just as the investigation is o longer interested in the latest four arguidos ... no-one is the slightest bit interested in the original three.

Maybe we will find out if the lead they are following now was available to investigators in 2007 or is as a result of later information becoming available ... I think you will find that whatever, the length of pyjama sleeves will not come into it.

snipped
MR: So, we have got some critical lines of enquiry that are definitely worth pursuing and I’m not going
to go into further detail on those. Another I would say though is, these lines of enquiry we have to
date, they are the product of information available at the time and information that has come from
public appeals that we have done.

[Brietta]

...and of course Brietta, no matter how much you would like to type to the contrary, if there was no abduction as many people believe, the case will not be solved by looking for someone who doesn't exist.

The terminology really does seem to concern you.  Fortunately neither the PJ or NSY seem to be weighted down by preconceived ideas ... they are actively following the evidence.
As far as I am concerned my hope is, that is to Madeleine McCann.  You appear to hope they will desist.

[Brietta]

The timeline will give them answers. Proving the BS ones is a good start on whom to track.

If the "timeline" will give answers ... why do you suppose it hasn't already?

[Alice Purjorick]

That really is denial.  If you have an interest in Madeleine McCann's case being resolved look not to the past which has been checked out by ...

• Rebelo
• the Policia Judiciaria and New scotland Yard

Just as they all did ... they checked the evidence and progressed from there discarding that which was redundant and moved to the next progression. Just as the investigation is o longer interested in the latest four arguidos ... no-one is the slightest bit interested in the original three.

Maybe we will find out if the lead they are following now was available to investigators in 2007 or is as a result of later information becoming available ... I think you will find that whatever, the length of pyjama sleeves will not come into it.

Then Mr Rowley said in various formats in various places during the interview:

"we are open minded because we don’t have definitive
evidence about what happened to Madeleine".
Which is executive speke for "we don't have much of a clue".
It's in the document Heri so kindly posted.

[misty]

Then Mr Rowley said in various formats in various places during the interview:

"we are open minded because we don’t have definitive
evidence about what happened to Madeleine".
Which is executive speke for "we don't have much of a clue".
It's in the document Heri so kindly posted.

The investigators may not yet know what happened to her but they haven't said they don't know who was responsible for whatever happened.

[pathfinder73]

They've been working on the timeline for 4 years now, trying to prove it's bullshit?  How exactly in your view? 

OG work on the case not you but the significant one passed on connects to the Smith family sighting. The man knew he was seen by many eye witnesses so he had to change the time.

[Brietta]

As long as a culprit as not been found, arrested and tried, the McCanns can never be considered eliminated from the investigation. That is basic police work. Even Leicester police said that.

BTWit is a Portuguese investigation and the parents have not been cleared although the case was shelved.

I think that is a description of how you would like things to be ... it does not match with the reality of the present investigation.

Somewhere within all that negativity is a missing person perhaps waiting to be found ... and a family who have been deprived of her presence readying themselves for the tenth anniversary of the last time they saw their little girl.
Give a little thought to the victims in this case and consider your opinions may very well be wrong.

[carlymichelle]

As long as a culprit as not been found, arrested and tried, the McCanns can never be considered eliminated from the investigation. That is basic police work. Even Leicester police said that.

BTWit is a Portuguese investigation and the parents have not been cleared although the case was shelved.

exactly it is a pourtugese  investigation  not  uk