Portugal’s
most senior policeman has reportedly expressed his exasperation with the “daily
crises” hampering the investigation into the disappearance of Madeleine McCann.
The team trying to find the missing four-year-old has been effectively cut in
half by the sacking of its loose-lipped chief, the departure of his
second-in-line, and requests for holidays from exhausted investigators.
Goncalo Amaral, the head of the Policia Judiciaria in Portimao and coordinator
of the investigation, was kicked off the case by Ribeiro this week after he
launched an astonishing attack on the British police helping with the case,
claiming they were being manipulated by Madeleine’s parents Kate and Gerry
McCann.
Alipio Ribeiro, head of the PJ in Portugal, has now ordered his
officers to knuckle down and warned anyone leaking information to the media
will be sacked.
The police chief is reportedly furious that Amaral made no attempt to contact
him to explain his outburst, and told trusted aides: “There is a crisis every
day, this one is resolved let’s see what tomorrow’s is,” according to the
Portuguese weekly paper Expresso.
It also emerged today that, in addition to Amaral’s sacking and the request by
his second in command, Tavares Almeida, to be taken off the case, the number of
detectives leading the inquiry will be cut in half because of a legal
requirement that they take a holiday.
Six detectives – including Almeida and Amaral – have been working flat out on
the case, according to their union chief.
But under Portuguese law, they have to take at least 15 days’ holiday before
December, as well as lieu days owed to them, on a rotational basis.
That means that until Amaral and Almeida are replaced – and given the complex case
and politically sensitive nature of their jobs, there is no guarantee
replacements can be found quickly – there will be as few as three inspectors
working on the case.
Carlos Anjos, president of the Portuguese police’s union, told the daily paper
24 Horas: “The investigators in question have worked without a rest since the
little girl disappeared and as is natural, that is not healthy.
“Nobody can think clearly if they are exhausted.”
But a source close to the investigation conceded it would inevitably be
compromised by this: “If the work which is normally done by six people is now
done by five, that means less productivity and a greater workload for those who
stay.
“In other words, this is too small a team for the demands of this case, so
naturally, from now on, the investigations slow down.”
And the numbers may remain low for some time, because whichever senior
detective nominated by the PJ directorate may be reluctant to take up the
challenge.
According to Mark Williams-Thomas, a former police child protection officer,
the recruitment pool is small.
He said: “The difficult aspect of that though is that whoever that is, do they
have the qualifications and experience of investigating major crime?
"Portugal
is not a big place so that does create a problem.
“It’s a bit of a poisoned chalice – who’s going to take over a role that other
people are leaving in droves?”
Meanwhile, Portuguese police have defended their theory that Kate and Gerry
McCann are behind the disappearance of Madeleine from their rented apartment in
Praia da Luz in the Algarve
on May 3.
Sources said that when Portuguese detectives shared their theory, which the
McCanns have dismissed as ludicrous, British police brought in not only sniffer
dogs but also equipment used to detect if subsoil has been disturbed, for
example to bury a body.
A legal source close to the inquiry said today: “The Portuguese police had
their suspicions two weeks after Madeleine disappeared due to the alleged
discrepancies between witness statements.
“At that stage they couldn’t do much with their suspicions. It was only when
the British got involved that the inquiry began to move on quite quickly.” |
