£11 Million spent - time to end?

A FORMER Flying Squad chief yesterday urged Scotland Yard to consider winding down its hunt for Madeleine McCann — adding: “You can’t keep chasing shadows.”

John O’Connor said the spiralling cost of the four-year investigation and the seeming lack of progress meant the Met must now ask itself whether resources should be focused elsewhere.

He added: “If there are no firm leads, and by that I mean no substantial operational things like active surveillance on suspects, then I’d have thought they should be considering winding it down now.”

His comments come as a Sun investigation today reveals the Met’s inquiry into Madeleine’s disappearance from the Portuguese resort of Praia da Luz in May 2007 has cost taxpayers almost £11million.

At the current rate it will top £12million by April — more than double the £5million promised by David Cameron when Operation Grange was launched in May 2011.

The task force, which at its height was 37 strong, has yet to make a single arrest.

Tens of thousands of pounds have been spent on flights to Portugal and to investigate other sightings around the globe.

Mr O’Connor added: “You can’t keep chasing shadows. Chasing sightings all over the world. It depends on whether the detectives are making any real progress. For me it needs to be reviewed by a senior officer.

“The Met’s rank and file would be thinking, ‘Are there more recent cases that could be progressed with the right resources?’ It’s about priorities.”

The initial Portuguese investigation into three-year-old Madeleine’s abduction was marred by blunders.

Officers made the catastrophic mistake of deciding parents Kate and Gerry were the key suspects — and so failed to take elementary steps to secure evidence that might have caught the real abductors.

They failed to seal off the family’s apartment, allowing the crime scene to become hopelessly contaminated.

They also failed to put out a global missing persons report for five days and did not bother to set up checkpoints in and around the Algarve.

In July 2008 the Portuguese authorities admitted there was no evidence against Kate and Gerry and said the unsolved case was to be closed.

Then in May 2011, following a campaign by Kate and Gerry that was backed by The Sun, the PM told Scotland Yard to launch its own investigation, called Operation Grange.

It cost around £2million in its first year. By 2013 that had risen to £4.8million — then £7.4million in April 2014.

The figure stood at £9.8million in April and is now thought to have reached £10.8million. It is projected to hit £12.2million by April 2016.

In 2014 alone Met staff took 67 return flights to Portugal at a cost of £16,000. The bulk of the rest of Grange’s costs come from salaries, overtime and premises expenses.

There are currently 30 police and support staff working on the hunt for Madeleine, who would now be 12. The inquiry is headed by Detective Chief Inspector Nicola Wall.

In March the soaring costs and lack or progress prompted Met Police Federation chairman John Tully to question whether the investigation should continue. He said: “We no longer have the resources to conduct specialist inquiries all over the world which have nothing to do with London.

“It is surprising to see an inquiry like the McCann investigation ring-fenced. I’ve heard a few rumblings of discontent about it from lots of sources.”

A source close to the McCanns said yesterday: “Kate and Gerry are eternally grateful to the Metropolitan Police for making Operation Grange possible.

“They are pleased so many officers are still looking for Madeleine.”

There are currently 155 children on the Missing Kids UK website, including Madeleine. Research shows an average of £2,415 is spent investigating a missing child.

tom.wells@the-sun.co.uk

£2,414 average per missing child? £2.2 million by April 16 on Madeleine...
If my child was missing, you'd hear me alright.

After many months of calm we suddenly get the Twitter account flooded with porn, the psychic who has solved the case and an ex-copper demanding that the investigation be closed down.

Is someone getting jittery?

So who lives here (voice of Keith Lemon)? All papers sing from same sheet and print O'Conner article,which asks the question who he is working for and who his PR is? Cameron to visit Portugal (not according to our papers....sorry look it's here http://www.thisiswiltshire.co.uk/news/13635397.Cameron_heads_to_Spain_and_Portugal_over_EU_renegotiations/interesting choice of countries don't you think? And also good for thisiswiltshire leading the news.
Ex detective O'Conner voices opinion! For whom? Stop wasting cash on chasing windmills and fight jihadist terrorists,cash being diverted from achievable missions (wasn't it ring fenced? Paid direct from government!In which case it's extra to needs and helps retain jobs!). Where's Clarence when you need him.

Closer to home love is all around or at least a truce of sort. CMoMM don't talk dirty about Cristobel and she don't talk dirty about them. Blacksmith has called everyone a looney , taken his ball back and will start a McCann free site. Can someone tell me who is through this keyhole!!!

Well looking at the picture of the Former flying squad officer (when did the police last use that term..back in the days of the Sweeney I should imagine) methinks he would probably sell his granny for a pound...

Yes, I think OG is possibly close to catching the perps and the perps are terrified imo

This John O`Connor is one of `the clowns` described on `The Truth For Madeleine` website article entitled `New Clowns, Same Old Circus` from 2011. Is this Stevo`s website? Not sure.


http://truthformadeleine.com/2011/05/new-clowns-same-old-circus/

"As we have seen, four clowns—Hames, O’Connor, Barrett, Davies—had already made their minds up that the Portuguese Police were inept before they knew the details of the investigation. All were ex-Metropolitan Police.
But the clowns weren’t all from 10 Broadway. Some were from the most famous part of Westminster: Tony Blair, Gordon Brown, David Miliband and others."

Though I do like this line from the Mail

After the Portuguese inquiry was shelved as ‘unsolved’,

So the McCann's were not "declared innocent" then?

And then this

Since the girl, who would now be 11, vanished, every possible theory has been explored, including that she was kidnapped by a paedophile, killed during a botched burglary and her body dumped, snatched by traffickers and sold to a childless couple and that she wandered out of the apartment and died in a tragic accident.

Yup every other possibility has been dismissed...except one...the most obvious one..

Mimi wrote:

Officers made the catastrophic mistake of deciding parents Kate and Gerry were the key suspects — and so failed to take elementary steps to secure evidence that might have caught the real abductors.

tom.wells@the-sun.co.uk

They're getting their defence in early, "They can't solve it because the Portuguese bungled the original investigation so they're fitting us up."

On a positive note, if this case was unsolvable, it would have been re-shelved after the review or when the budget hit £5 million. With the amount of money already spent, it would be a massive embarrassment to the police forces and governments involved to admit failure at this stage.

Poe wrote:

Mimi wrote:

Officers made the catastrophic mistake of deciding parents Kate and Gerry were the key suspects — and so failed to take elementary steps to secure evidence that might have caught the real abductors.

tom.wells@the-sun.co.uk

They're getting their defence in early, "They can't solve it because the Portuguese bungled the original investigation so they're fitting us up."

On a positive note, if this case was unsolvable, it would have been re-shelved after the review or when the budget hit £5 million. With the amount of money already spent, it would be a massive embarrassment to the police forces and governments involved to admit failure at this stage.

Exactly Poe.  the article just flannel to sell a few more papers!

Poe wrote:

Mimi wrote:

Officers made the catastrophic mistake of deciding parents Kate and Gerry were the key suspects — and so failed to take elementary steps to secure evidence that might have caught the real abductors.

tom.wells@the-sun.co.uk

They're getting their defence in early, "They can't solve it because the Portuguese bungled the original investigation so they're fitting us up."

On a positive note, if this case was unsolvable, it would have been re-shelved after the review or when the budget hit £5 million. With the amount of money already spent, it would be a massive embarrassment to the police forces and governments involved to admit failure at this stage.

"catastrophic" sounds like a Gerry word. He has his favourites i.e. "incredible" - we ought to start a thread on Gerry words !

The Sun facebook comments are all anti the McCanns. Interesting.

Did Mitchells new PR company have anything to do with this I wonder..

The Express just chipped in as well.

http://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/602422/Madeleine-McCann-Metropolitan-Police-Operation-Grange-arrests

The good old flying squad.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/flying-squad-in-corruption-scandal-1289684.html

http://www.crimesharetv.com/commander.htm

Commander Crimeshare. 

Sounds like a right pratt.

I personally think the Mc's are desperate now to try and get everything shut down and wound up.

Just seen this comment on the Mail website, which I reckon Gerry wrote himself.

I have previously worked with Gerry, and he is one of the nicest people who I have had the pleasure to meet; my heart goes out to both of them. However, I think that this has gone on long enough, and now needs to be wound up. Maddie is sadly not the only missing child, and this case overshadows all of the others

Andrew wrote:http://www.crimesharetv.com/commander.htm

Commander Crimeshare. 

Sounds like a right pratt.

I did notice these 2 sentences on that website -

John’s career with the Metropolitan Police Force spanned 30 years, operating in the Murder, Counterfeit Currency and Fraud Squads. Most of his service was spent in the Criminal Investigations Department (CID).

The fraud squads bit in particular jumped out at me.  I wonder if he's still helping the CID, perhaps in a part time role if he's retired, although I hope he's not part of the "corruption story" in your previous post.

May be PM could let us know if retired cops can still work part time in the police force.

Maybe Commander Crimeshare can help solve this farce.

All that experience and knowledge behind him.

Dogs, Commander?

Well done Andrew, cheers.

costello wrote:Well done Andrew, cheers.

I reckon the moderator is having a kip.

Or deliberately allowing them of course.