my experience of the portuguese police

[Yorkiegirl]

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oh yorkie

that you were under possible suspicion of murder. I did not know that.

They did what ! For christs sake.

• yorkie, I never knew they did that to you.

OMG that sounds horrendous

God I hope they have got better too for that little girl!

That's awful. Fingers crossed that they've improved.

That's awful

my experience of the British reporting of the portuguese police in order to sell more papers on the back of a tragedy is pretty poor as well.

what happened, Yorkie?

the poor McCanns presumably have to say positive things about the police there to keep them on side, as it were?

keeps it in the news though MrM

Yorkiegirl, that really must have been terrible for you, but even in the UK, a sudden unexpected death, no matter how "natural" has to be investigated. It was horribly insensitive of them to tell you that though...

And ask Mr Menendez's family what they think of the organisational skills of the British police force. >

disagree - why would that sell more papers? the media know how important they (the media) are in cases like this and are angry they haven't been utilised as they would have been in UK.

It's pretty common police practice anywhere to ask people the same questions more than once, since the variations can be useful.

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yes DC, it is.

Am simply pointing up the absurdity of "UK police good, portuguese police bad"

it sells papers as a) it appeals to the little Englander mentality v johnny foreigner that ALWAYS sells well, and b) it deflects criticism from anyone else involved.

I have such experience of being a former police officer and interviewed hundreds of people. When one doesn't have much to go on, and there is a 'suspect' available, one has to eek out as much as possible from them. Part of that is repeat questions for discrepancies. Not a uniquely portuguese practice.

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Oh my goodness, YG, how utterly traumatic.

MrMariella - what's your point b referring to? deflects criticism from whom?

That leteer sounds the icing on the cake. How tactless and obtuse of them

so who is the suspect, Mr Mariella?

and were you a UK police officer?

no you didn't YG, but you were suggesting 'repeat questioning' was evidence of poor police practice.

My point is that it is standard practice.

dinny - UK.

and b) refers to anyone else, and yes including the parents. To me that would be wrong and tasteless as well as cruel. But blaming lax police practice deflects ANY poss. criticism of them.

The McCanns have not criticsied the portugese police - at present - all cases are different I guess.