Operation Grange

Mo wrote:It won't be long now before we hear if OG is to close the case or if an extension has been applied for. What are people's thoughts with regards to the closure - will there be an outcry from people resulting in an enquiry or do people think it will just go away after a couple of weeks?  I'm thinking that once OG close the case from this end Gonçalo Amaral will publish his first book in English followed by his second one.

No outcry,it'll be todays headlines and tomorrow's fish and chip paper,I've long said a simple statement along the lines of person or persons unknown removed Madeleine from apartment 5a leaving no clue as to her whereabouts.Lets not forget though that the PJ recently said that their investigation is not dependent on SY shutting up shop,so it could well drag on awhile yet,OG that is.

Heisenburg wrote:

Mo wrote:It won't be long now before we hear if OG is to close the case or if an extension has been applied for. What are people's thoughts with regards to the closure - will there be an outcry from people resulting in an enquiry or do people think it will just go away after a couple of weeks?  I'm thinking that once OG close the case from this end Gonçalo Amaral will publish his first book in English followed by his second one.

No outcry,it'll be todays headlines and tomorrow's fish and chip paper,I've long said a simple statement along the lines of person or persons unknown removed [a living? ] Madeleine from apartment 5a leaving no clue as to her whereabouts.Lets not forget though that the PJ recently said that their investigation is not dependent on SY shutting up shop,so it could well drag on awhile yet,OG that is.

ETA purple = my comment.

Heisenburg wrote:

No outcry,it'll be todays headlines and tomorrow's fish and chip paper,I've long said a simple statement along the lines of person or persons unknown removed Madeleine from apartment 5a leaving no clue as to her whereabouts.Lets not forget though that the PJ recently said that their investigation is not dependent on SY shutting up shop,so it could well drag on awhile yet,OG that is.

Well put.

Six month extension, preceded by a flurry of stories about xyz lead which already came up in 2007, but is presented as new.

Sept or Oct is the date. Let's see what comes of that.

It won't carry on anyway.

That's what Andrew said the other day

purple ronnie wrote:

JohnnyH wrote:Sept or Oct is the date. Let's see what comes of that.

It won't carry on anyway.

That's what Andrew said the other day

Yes he did say something similar. I have read this thread.

It's my understanding as well that the funding runs out at that time. Can they continue again? There must be a point when it stops?

I gather with the emoji you're thinking I might be 'Andrew'? A lot of people are 'Andrew' by the sounds of things recently.

Locking for a moment (apologies again to the freedom of speech brigade) to put the Spartacus / Andrew posts on their own topic.

P.S. See https://maddiemccannmystery.forumotion.co.uk/t2024-what-s-in-a-name#94124

The end is nigh imo,with the Sun once again telling us that the supreme court saying the McCanns are not "formally in the clear" with SY finding not a trace of what as happened,suspicion will always remain imo.It wouldn't surprise me if SY don't announce sometime soon its wound up OG unless some new evidence emerged.All imo of course.

And then they give the PJ the go-ahead?

Surely "not formally in the clear" is supposed to be interpreted as "in the clear, but the paperwork has not been done"?

I am not at all convinced this is going to end the way we want, I am still thinking of the "getting an answer for Kate and Gerry" type of comment that was made, that was much too cosy for my liking.

mumof6 wrote:Surely "not formally in the clear" is supposed to be interpreted as "in the clear, but the paperwork has not been done"?

I am not at all convinced this is going to end the way we want, I am still thinking of the "getting an answer for Kate and Gerry" type of comment that was made, that was much too cosy for my liking.

Too right it is.

So Op Grange asked for further funding from the Home Office - but still we haven't heard that it has been granted. Why is it taking so long?

Helenmeg wrote:So Op Grange asked for further funding from the Home Office - but still we haven't heard that it has been granted. Why is it taking so long?

My guess they will announce it next week. The 29th if they want it to be under the radar.

Cutting it it bit fine, though. Those poor detectives will be worrying in case they have to go back to doing a proper job.

Looks like you were right ... certainly taking time to announce it

Helenmeg wrote:Looks like you were right ... certainly taking time to announce it

They sure are!

Existing funds last till end of September...they are really cutting it fine. If they dont grant additional funding perhaps they will just remain silent on the subject.

This 'silence' and delay in announcing a decision has to be for a reason - must be to build tension. They are not still deciding - it will have been decided way before now...
so why are they being all theatrical??

I suspect that no money money is going to be forthcoming, but the powers that be want to play it down. It isn't at the top of most peoples minds so an update on the Met website might be all we get, followed by a low-key statement to the press. There is no reason at all why the Met or indeed the Home Office need to explain the reasons for this. Its not in the public interest, however interested the public might be.

You just might be right about that, Froggy but do you believe the media will just leave it at that after 10 years of largely non stories unlike any other case before?

Admittedly, the Ben Needham case did show just what you say. SYP were supposed to have come back and explained/detailed the ~70 forensic finds yet AFAIK they haven't?

No case is as big as this one though and that's before the GA factor. Are we to assume he will go away quietly if OG UK just shut everything down or in fact will it stir Portugal in to action?

I disagree. If they wanted to play this down then they would have immediately responded to the request for funding - yes or no. As it is they have forced the eyes of the world to monitor this - and wait for their answer. So IMO this 'long wait' is to do the opposite of 'play it down' . Let us see...

You could argue it is the press that have made sure eyes are on OG/Home Office about this.....

I'm sure OG would rather not have everyone waiting with bated breath!

Everyone is playing a game... in the full glare of the media - using the media - Look how OG have used the media in the past - especially in the days of Redwood. It was a farce back then and still is.

It wasn't until Dec of last year that any confirmation of funding was made.

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/madeleine-mccann-probe-chasing-important-9389490

Can`t see Mark Rowley`s last report from April on here.

http://news.met.police.uk/blog_posts/ac-mark-rowley-reflects-on-the-tenth-anniversary-of-the-disappearance-of-madeleine-mccann-56775

"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. "

Doesn`t sound hopeful to me.

The Express carried the story as well last December.

But the new line of inquiry has been deemed serious enough to warrant a six-month extension of Operation Grange, the £12m forensic investigation into the case which was launched by David Cameron five years ago, and was expected to close in autumn. 

http://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/739610/Madeleine-McCann-investigation-new-lead-Scotland-Yard-operation-Grange-last-roll-dice