The parents of Madeleine McCann were said to be 'very upset and disappointed' by the resignation of Jim Gamble, the chief executive of the Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre (Ceop).

Mr Gamble, a former senior police officer, resigned on Monday over plans to merge Ceop into a National Crime Agency. 

Betrayal: The parents of Madeleine McCann (left) and Sarah Payne have expressed their anger over the resignation of Ceop boss Jim Gamble over merger plans. They claim the merger will put children at risk

He said the move was not in the best interests of children and young people.
Sara Payne, the mother of murdered eight-year-old Sarah, went further, accusing ministers of 'betrayal'.

Mr and Mrs McCann said it was 'extremely saddening' that Mr Gamble thought he had to quit.

They said in a statement: 'We are certain that he will be a huge loss to the field of child protection

Knowing how committed Mr Gamble is to this cause, it is extremely saddening that he feels unable to continue to lead Ceop, apparently as a consequence of the proposed Governmental changes.

'The search for our daughter Madeleine has been greatly enhanced by the work carried out by the team at Ceop.

'We would like to thank Mr Gamble for all of his efforts, both for Madeleine and for all missing and exploited children.

'In this challenging economic climate, we urge the Government to remember the value of our children and the importance of the invaluable work which is necessary to protect them against the devastating crimes of child abduction and exploitation.'

Home Secretary Theresa May has pledged her support for efforts to protect children, but said in a statement that the country did not need a 'new quango'.

Mrs May said: 'The government recognises the importance of child protection and wants to build upon the work of Ceop, but does not necessarily feel this is best done by creating a new quango.'

A Home Office spokesman added that child protection would always be an 'absolute priority' for the Government.

Well respected: Jim Gamble was previously head of the Northern Ireland anti-terrorist intelligence unit

He said there were 'no plans' to undermine the work of Ceop or 'threaten its vital and important work'.

'We propose to build on Ceop’s invaluable work tackling sexual exploitation of children by placing it centre stage in the fight against all forms of serious and organised crime,' he said.

'We are determined that plans for the National Crime Agency will enhance all our capabilities and discussions are ongoing about how that will be done.

'Ceop already delivers excellent work as part of the Serious Organised Crime Agency and the Government is clear this work must continue.'

But victims groups and children's representatives attacked the proposals.

Mrs Payne, whose daughter was abducted and murdered by paedophile Roy Whiting in 2000, said Mr Gamble's departure was a 'devastating blow' for child protection.

In a joint statement with Shy Keenan and Fiona Crook - who jointly set up the campaign group The Phoenix Foundation - she said: 'We cannot begin to describe how disgusted we are with our own Government for betraying him and for betraying all of our children.

'This cannot be allowed to happen, we must stand up and fight, we must do what is right for the protection of our children against the crimes of paedophiles.'

Ceop, which was set up in 2006, was responsible for tracking paedophiles online and bringing them to court.

It is currently affiliated to the Serious Organised Crime Agency (Soca). But under Home Office proposals, the agency will become part of a larger National Crime Agency in 2013.

A Ceop spokesman said it was not in 'the best interests of children and young people for Ceop to be assimilated into the National Crime Agency, as was announced a short while ago'.

He added: 'This direction of travel does not seem to have changed and Ceop's chief executive, Jim Gamble, has therefore offered his resignation to the Home Secretary with a four-month notice period.'

Mr Gamble was previously head of the Northern Ireland anti-terrorist intelligence unit in Belfast and deputy director of the National Crime Squad.

He was involved in a public row with Facebook earlier this year after the site initially refused to install an anti-paedophile 'panic button' on its site, before the site finally bowed to public pressure.

The application has been downloaded tens of thousands of times since it was launched in July.

to 'look again' at the need for an independent child protection agency.

She said: 'I am concerned that placing Ceop permanently within a larger law enforcement agency would not allow it to prioritise children and could lead to an imbalance in its approach by placing a disproportionate emphasis on criminal justice outcomes.

'The safety of our children is paramount. I therefore urge the Government to look again at the need for a unique and independent child protection organisation.'