# Operation Grange

On 12 May 2011 the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) announced that, at the request of the Home Secretary, it had agreed to bring its particular expertise to the Madeleine McCann case. The then Commissioner, Sir Paul Stephenson, considered the request and took the decision that on balance it was the right thing to do. This was subject to funding being made available by the Home Office, as this case is beyond the MPS's jurisdiction. The Portuguese authorities retain the lead. While the MPS will not provide a running commentary on its involvement, known as Operation Grange, it is felt appropriate to make the remit available to the public and it is available in the related publications. Address and Email:

Major Investigation Team 5, Homicide and Serious Crime Command

Belgravia Police station, 202-206 Buckingham Palace Rd, London SW1W 9SX

Email → operation.grange@met.police.uk Website →Operation Grange

See annoncement →Murder chief for Maddie by News of the World on 09 May 2010:

“Top cop spearheads new probe into the disappearance of Madeleine McCann - BRITAIN'S top murder cop has been lined up to spearhead a new probe into the disappearance of Madeleine McCann, we can reveal. Det Chief Insp Colin Sutton, 49, who has been involved in some of the UK's biggest inquiries - including the murder of →Milly Dowler and the terror reign of the Nightstalker sex beast - is seen as the best man to handle the challenging review. Senior child protection officer Jim Gamble has asked Scotland Yard to take a fresh look at the three-year investigation. He blasted Portuguese cops for their handling of the hunt for Maddie - who vanished aged three from her family's Algarve holiday apartment in 2007. Now the Met Police are set to review all leads in the case, using technology and standards expected in a UK homicide or kidnap. It will delight Maddie's parents, Kate and Gerry McCann. A senior police source said: “They deserve reassurance that everything that can be done has been done.””

Update Operation Grange →on 19-Mar-2014. Extract: “Officers from Operation Grange investigating the disappearance of Madeleine McCann have today (Wednesday, 19 March) issued a further appeal for information. During the course of their enquiries, officers have identified a potential linked series of twelve crimes which occurred between 2004 and 2010, mostly in low season, whereby a male intruder has gained access to mainly holiday villas occupied by UK families on holiday in the Western Algarve. In four cases between 2004 and 2006 [Maddie: 2007] the man sexually assaulted five white girls, aged between 7 and 10 years [Maddie: 3 - 4 years], whilst in their beds. On one of these occasions, he assaulted two girls in the same villa. Whilst not identical, there are many similar aspects to each of the incidents in that in most cases there were no signs of forced entry to the property, nothing was taken, and the intruder appeared in the early hours of the morning between 02.00hrs and 05.00hrs [Maddie: between 21:15 hrs and 22:00 hrs]. The suspect may have been in the villa or looking round the villa for some time before committing the offences or being disturbed either by a parent coming in, or the child waking up….”

Update Operation Grange →22 May 2014 Extract: “…Today, Thursday 22 May, Assistant Commissioner Mark Rowley, head of Specialist Crime and Operations, met with media at New Scotland Yard to update them on Operation Grange, the London based investigation into the disappearance of Madeleine McCann. …AC Rowley confirmed that in the coming weeks there would be specific police activity in Portugal led at all times by the Portuguese authorities (under the auspices of an International Letter of Request or ‘Rogatory letter’), with officers from the Metropolitan Police Service working alongside.

Following a meeting with the media Assistant Commissioner Rowley said: “DCI Andy Redwood, the senior investigating officer, and his team will be in Portugal carrying out various lines of enquiry. Thorough serious crime investigations work systematically through all credible possibilities and therefore it should not be assumed that this substantial upcoming phase of work in Portugal will immediately lead us to the answers that will explain what has happened. What you will see is normal police activity you would expect in any such major investigation. Similarly, this should not be seen as a sign that the investigation is nearing a conclusion. I fully expect that there will be much more work to do when this particular phase of activity comes to an end. It is helpful that any reporting of activity in Portugal is set in this context. We will be updating Mr and Mrs McCann throughout the activity as we have been throughout the investigation. We will not be giving information on when this activity is to occur. The very fact that we are in the position of moving towards substantial activity in Portugal shows that the relationship between the MPS and Portuguese colleagues is working.”

…Assistant Commissioner Rowley reiterated that position today ”…DCI Redwood and his team will not be giving comment. Please allow them the room to manoeuvre and work on what is a live investigation into the disappearance of a young girl. If you get any information ahead of our actions do not publish anything that may give suspects advance notice. The family have also made their wishes clear about allowing us and the Portuguese the room to carry on with our work and this was reinforced this publicly by Kate McCann when Andy and his team were last in Portugal. In my initial letter I asked editors to think twice - that advice stands. We all want the same outcome - to do everything possible to try to find answers for the McCann family…”

Latest News:

→Irish Mirror ( 03-July-2014), Madeleine McCann UK cops slammed by Portuguese politician for “using and abusing” his officers:“Former Portuguese Home Secretary Rui Pereira claimed Portuguese authorities have been ‘subservient’ to the UK…The article in Portuguese daily newspaper Correio da Manha by the former minister, who is now a university lecturer, followed claims by a source close to the investigation that this week’s four day operation in Faro had failed to produce a new lead. The source said: “We’re back where we were seven years ago.” All four men who were interviewed this week are being treated as “persons of special interest” or arguidos. They were invited to be interviewed but there have been no arrests….”

→Express ( 04-July-2014), Madeleine McCann: Portugal police ‘have been used and abused’ by British detectives: “SCOTLAND Yard detectives investigating the disappearance of Madeleine McCann have “used and abused” Portuguese police while working in the Algarve, Portugal’s former home secretary claimed yesterday…”

→IB Times ( 04-July-2014), British Madeleine McCann Police Have 'Used and Abused' Portuguese Officers, Blasts Politician: “Efforts to find Madeleine McCann by British police have been branded “absurd” by a top Portuguese politician…“Could it be that the reopening of the case in Portugal was simply designed to facilitate the cooperation of Portuguese police at the service of British police? If that is true, then there was 'manipulation' of the case. We can conclude, without making conjectures, that it reveals a good helping of subservience which prejudices our national sovereignty as a penal state.””

→Correio da Manhã (05-Nov.- 2014), Maddie case with more questionings and new Arguidos: “…Among the new Scotland Yard suspects, CM found out, are former Ocean Club workers, the resort from where the child disappeared in May 2007, and also residents of Praia da Luz, in Lagos. These are people the British detectives consider suspects of being involved in Maddie's disappearance, following the thesis that the child was abducted during a botched break-in….”

→Daily Mail (11-Feb.- 2015), British police take 67 return flights to Portugal as cost of Madeleine McCann search nears £9million: “…Operation Grange, the special investigation unit into the young girl's disappearance, was set up in 2011 by David Cameron. He set a provisional budget for £5million for the investigation In its first year, the unit cost close to £2million, with the vast majority of expenses attributed to police officer and staff pay. Between 2012 and 2013, the most expensive leg of the investigation to date, £2.8million was spent on transport, salaries, overtime and premises cost. The following year, through to 2014, the Home Office spent £2.6m. …Months after the three-year-old vanished, Leicestershire Constabulary was awarded two grants by the Home Office to help fund their efforts. In 2008 they received £525,000 and were awarded a further £221,000 the following year before the case was handed over to Metropolitan Police. In a statement, the Met said any reduction in overall numbers of staff - from 37 to 34 according to the figures - on the investigation was temporary. It said: 'There has been no change to the level of resources allocated to the investigation and any reduction will be the result of natural wastage. Those individuals will be replaced in the near future.'”

## Age Progression Picture

25 April 2012 →Detectives believe there is a possibility that Madeleine McCann is still alive.

Detectives from the Metropolitan Police Service conducting the investigative review into the disappearance of Madeleine McCann are releasing an age progression image of her as we approach her ninth birthday on 12 May. The image has been created in close collaboration with the family and is being released ahead of the fifth anniversary of her disappearance on 3 May. It shows how we believe Madeleine would look today. The release comes as detectives announce that as a result of evidence uncovered during the review they now believe there is a possibility Madeleine is still alive and are appealing for anyone who is able to provide direct information as to her whereabouts to contact the team.

The investigative review commenced in May 2011 under the leadership of the then commissioner, Sir Paul Stephenson. A murder team within the Homicide and Serious Crime Command was tasked to conduct the review and is led by Detective Chief Inspector Andy Redwood acting to Detective Chief Superintendent Hamish Campbell and Commander Simon Foy. Work of the team involves close collaboration with a senior investigating officer from the Policia Judaria and detectives have been to Portugal several times.

Throughout the course of the review officers have been in close contact with the McCann family who have been assigned a Family Liaison Officer as is standard in accordance with national family liaison policy. The review team are in a unique position in that their task is to compile and review material from three separate strands - the Portuguese investigation, inquiries by UK law enforcement agencies, and the work of private investigators/agencies. Officers are now methodically going through that material which they believe amounts to around 40,000 pieces of information equating to approximately 100,000 pages.

DCI Andy Redwood said: “From the outset we have approached this review with a completely open mind, placing Madeleine McCann at the heart of everything we do. We are working on the basis of two possibilities here. One is that Madeleine is still alive; and the second that she is sadly dead. Based on the former we are releasing the age progression image today with a specific appeal. If you know where Madeleine McCann is now or you have new direct information/evidence about what has happened to her then please contact us.“

## Organisation Background

Top Officers:

- Chief of Met Sir Paul Stephenson (until July 2011)
- Chief of Met Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe (since July 2011)
- Commander Simon Foy
- Detective Chief Superintendent Hamish Campbell (until Jan. 2014)
- Detective Chief Inspector Andy Redwood (until 22-Dec-2014)
- Detective Chief Inspector Nicola Wall (starting Dec-2014)
- Assistant Commissioner →Mark Rowley

see also →PICTURES OF PEOPLE INVOLVED IN THE INVESTIGATION OF MADELINE MCCANN

The →Startup Background of Operation Grange in The Sunday Express on 26 September 2010:

Uncle quits Maddy fund Sunday Express (paper edition) Key McCann out as strategy gets revamp The print edition of the Sunday Express concluded with the following paragraphs: 'The McCanns met Home Secretary Theresa May over the summer to ask for a review of all the evidence in the case by a hand-picked team of Scotland Yard officers. Former police detectives David Edgar and Arthur Cowley have made repeated visits to Portugal and have a new photo fit of a suspect which has not yet been released to the public.' This information was previously reported by James Murray, in his article, 'New image of Maddie McCann abductor', published in the Sunday Express of 30 May 2010. In August, I contacted the official Find Madeleine campaign team and was informed that they were not aware of any immediate plans to release the image to the media.

See also at →McCannFiles: “Met. Police Review / Kate Commons Inquiry”

See also: Wikipedia

- →Operation_Grange
- →Homicide and Serious Crime Command;

See also Wikipedia on Police Organisations

- →Metropolitan Police
- →Scotland Yard
- →Crown Prosecution Service

See also further circumstances and connection with the Portuguese authorities:

- →Met. Police Review / Portuguese Connection
- →Public Ministry Reopens Investigation
- →Letter rogatory
- →CETS
- →Hague Service Convention

See also critics by →The Interrupted Investigation, 21 July 2013:

The Scotland Yard Review/Investigation has already taken two and a half times as long as the entire original PJ inquiry – despite having the nine most significant witnesses within their jurisdiction and with all the initial legwork having been done for them. The result? As Gerry McCann so memorably put it – “They've got nothing!”

See also →The Portugal Resident Newspaper on 25.Feb.2014: “New tensions in long-running Madeleine inquiry”

## OG's Suspects

Suspect 1A/1B (2 different e-fits of the same person)

The Number One Suspect (1A,1B) belongs to the Smith's Sighting.

Sea also: Oakley International.

Crimewatch: Reporter: Their attention quickly turned to another sighting which could now be the key to the entire mystery. It was here that at 10pm that an Irish family witnessed another man carrying a child. They saw him come down the hill from the Ocean Club heading that way towards the beach. Could this have been Madeleine and her abductor. Redwood: He was a white man with brown hair and the child that he had in his arms was described as being about 3 to 4 years of age with blonde hair, possibly wearing pyjamas. A description very close to that of Madeleine McCann. Reporter: Two of the witnesses helped create E-fits of the man they saw. Today for the first time we can reveal the true significance of these images. Redwood: This could be the man that took Madeleine but very importantly there could be an innocent explanation. The e-fits are clear and I ask the public to look very carefully at them and if they know who this person is please come forward.

On 27 Oct. 2013 The Sunday Times published the article 'Madeleine clues hidden for 5 years', in which it states that the Oakley report, which contained the E-fits, had been supressed for 5 years by the McCanns. Full article here: → themaddiecasefiles. See also →Daily Mail: “Why were Maddie suspect E-fits kept SECRET for five years? Images and evidence of sighting uncovered by private detectives were suppressed.”. Also in →Huffingtonpost: “Madeleine McCann Suspect E-Fit 'Produced By Former Spies In 2008 And Suppressed By Parents'.”

Note: It looks as if the 2 e-fits are made with different software. 1A is heavily pixelated (more amateurish) whilst 1b looks more professional (Efit-V software used for 1b?)

Suspect 2a

E-fit by Tasmin Milburn Sillence: → PJ-Files

Crimewatch: Reporter: <snipped> One witness saw a fair haired man near the McCann’s apartment twice. On the first occasion she saw him standing on the path that runs behind the block. The second time near the entrance of the Tapas restaurant looking towards apartment G5a. Redwood: Well there is a number of incidents on either, on both the day that Madeleine went missing and days leading up to her disappearance where one man or two were seen lurking around the apartments. Now there may be a completely innocent explanation for that but we really need the public to help us to identify who these men are. ”

Suspect 2b

This photofit could be from the Tranmer sighting.

Aktenzeichen XY: “A few hours later a woman observes something. She’s visiting her aunt who lives above the McCann’s apartment. The woman who was looking over the balcony saw a man with short blonde hair. He shut the gate very carefully as if he didn’t want to be seen or heard. We don’t know if these sightings are linked. ”

The gate belongs to the Apartment Matthew and Rachel Oldfield were staying (next do Apartment 5A).

Suspect 4a (charity collector)

This is the e-fit by Iris Morgan, former owner of a Villa in Praia da Luz: → PJ-Files

Crimewatch: “Redwood: Yes, on the afternoon that Madeleine disappeared between 3.30 and 5.30 there were 4 charity collector events where 2 men went to residential apartments in streets very close to her apartment. And certainly on one of those events at 4 pm there’s an e-fit that the public can look at now. A man with black hair.”

Suspect 4b (charity collector)

This is the e-fit by Paul Gordon, a previous occupant of Apartment 5a: → PJ-Files

Crimewatch: “Redwood: Yes, and this was actually the week before Madeleine disappeared. In the apartment where she was staying, a man, and the e-fit is in front of the public now, again with black hair, went up the rear steps and approached a gentleman on the balcony. And again there are certain elements of both that event and the event on the 4pm on the day with the e-fit we’ve shown prior to this that have resonance between each other. Really important for us to identify who these individuals are. ”