To think the Met spending £5 million on Maddie McCann is unfair on others who have missing children

[Ilovemyself]

I know how retched I would feel if I were in the McCanns position, and would want no expense to be spared in the hunt for answers.

But I can't help but think that this case has been so high profile that other cases must have funding cut or not even be followed up as the budget is limited.

I honestly don't know what the answer is, but it does seem this case has benefitted in ways others wouldn't.

I feel bad for thinking its unfair on others, but just can't help wondering how other victims of serious crime feel.

[Ilovemyself]

I just think that some of this is the Met trying to score brownie points. There is no real precident set on our force negotiating with overseas agencies and if the Portuguese are about to go broke do you think they care about spending more money on this.

[StealthPolarBear]

I may be being naive but surely the pice are held to account for the money they spend and have to justify where the money has gone

[propertyNIGHTmareBEFOREXMAS]

Agree, Kob. The money would be better used supporting living children existing in hardship.

[themaltesecat]

Ilovemyself, do you have any clue how much shit this country is in financially? What interest it is charged daily on its huge debt? How none of the main political parties has the first fucking idea how to rectify the problem?

Five million pounds is fucking chickenfeed. And if it helps to identify one person who has harmed a child and stop him from harming another, it's a bargain.

(I still don't understand, and never will, how the McCanns left three very young children alone, but I expect they've more than tortured themselves enough on that score.)

[FreudiansSlipper]

so something having to give is the chance to fully investigate a missing child who may still be alive (which the police believe is the case) being reunited with her parents

[Salmotrutta]

If they uncover leads to other cases in the course of this (and they very well might) then it's worth it.

There could be a ring of abductors etc. so they may find out all sorts of useful evidence.

[BarbarianMum]

And how would that work? Do you want the police to give it to the kids themselves, or donate it Banardos, or hand it back to government with a note?

The police get a budget for fighting crime. They get a certain amount of autonomy in deciding which crimes to pursue. They do not get to hand it over to some other good cause. 'You know what its not easy to catch burglars, lets give some money to the homeless instead'

Or do you think politicians should be able to dip into police budgets if they don't agree with how they allocate money? oh wait, they do

[Ilovemyself]

I am not saying the money shouldn't be spent. I just wonder about other cases. Like the girl whose father took her illegally abroad ( I think it was Egypt) and is now claiming that he doesn't know where she is. Nothing seems to being done there, but the probability of her being safe and well is a lot higher.

That case must be a lot less costly to fix.

[kilmuir]

yanbu

[CloudsAndTrees]

There are children who could be saved with that cash

Yes, and Madeline McCann is one of them.

She is as deserving as any other child, and she could well be alive so I don't understand why people think the money could be better spent elsewhere.

[Blu]

YANBU. I feel as if I should get my own child abducted in order to get my fair share of police time.

For heaven's sake, Op. the police don't look at an advert or a 'find Madeleine' T Shirt stretched over some beer gut and think 'oh yeah, better spend £5m'. They look at the investigation, the potential to make progress and other factors. They doubtless also spend £5m on cases that are not in the press.

I find your thread title pretty tasteless, to be honest.

[janey68]

Of course YANBU because there is not a bottomless purse. I also am quite sceptical about there being a positive outcome in terms of what actually happened. I suspect over the next few years we'll see a number of people traced and interviewed, a few leads followed up ( all at a very slow and cumbersome pace because other authorities are not going to jump at cooperating) Its highly unlikely these 'leads' will determine anything conclusive and tbh the millions would have been far better spent on cases with more chance of positive outcomes.
But I suspect that's a highly unpopular view on MN where it seems unacceptable to say anything which can be construed as in any way negative about the mccanns !

[tupuedes]

Well at least this thread will keep all the hysterical daily express readers busy tonight.

[Ilovemyself]

Blu. Do you not think that the Met are a force that need to gain some repeat after the Stephen Lawrence claim recently amongst others.

They may not look at a t shirt, but those in charge may well think that it is good PR.

If it were that simple the poor girl in Egypt would be back with her mother rather than with family members who legally she shouldn't be with. This is why I think that down may be more politically motivated.

[FreudiansSlipper]

cases where family members have taken children abroad are very different different countries have different laws when parents divorce and over custody it is not always a simple kidnap case

as far as i am aware it is against the law in every country to kidnap a child that is not known to you

[CloudsAndTrees]

I know nothing of this case, but if what you said is correct, the girl in Egypt was taken by a parent. Thats a completely different thing which is not at all comparable.

[JennySense]

Barbarian Mum the "really big place" view is actually not true -
searchingforkeith.forumcircle.com/viewtopic.php?t=81 explains [ab is Keith's brother who works tirelessly to campaign for the case to be reopened]
Apologies for the hijack - just needed to correct this :)

[JennySense]

And I just hope that we see a resolution for the McCann family.

[Ilovemyself]

But the Girl in Egypt is to all intents and purposes kidnap. Her father illegally took her out of this country.

He ha no legal right to do so and is now deliberately not bringing her back or telling the authorities where she is.

In any case, we should also be spending the same amount to try and follow it up but are not which I feel is wrong.

[KobayashiMaru]

Of course she is as deserving, but tell that to the trafficked children who haven;t had millions spent on looking for them already, the ones who are living in hell. She isn't more deserving because she's well known and middle class, and the case has already had more spent on it than thousands of other missing children combined.

[BarbarianMum]

That's really interesting, thanks.

[apollo1234]

I fully support £5m of UK taxpayer money being spent on a Portuguese crime, in fact there are thousands of unsolved crimes across the globe, why aren't the Met investigating these?? We shouldn't be leaving foreign crimes in the hands of foreign police, all non British police are obviously incompetent and are letting the guilty run free.

[Ilovemyself]

Appollo1234. How do you think the victims of other kidnappings feel. Or the parents whose partner has illegally taken them out of the country.

I am not saying they don't deserve the money being spent I am simply saying that there are other cases that don't seem to be followed with the same verve.

This is not a dig at the mccanns. It is a question about the system

[expatinscotland]

Ilovemyself, what an apt nickname.

No, I don't think you know how wretched you would feel in their position. It's a good thing, too, but as a pretext for hoiking up your judgeypants, a poor show.

YABU.