Verified answer

I think Nutsters and a couple of others make a good point in noting that there was a huge culture gap between the Portuguese police and the holiday making McCanns in terms of expectations.

That said, the PJ seem to have made a complete mess of it from the start. They should have immediately sealed the area and alerted border controls and they should have questioned the parents to put them in the clear as soon as possible. They stalled and wasted time and seemingly just hoped the case would go away, and when it didn't they decided, too late, to cast suspicion the parents.

The actions of Gonçalo Amaral, both on the case and since, are beyond contempt and of course we now know what he is capable since he's been convicted of falsifying evidence, covering up for three of his officers who were accused of torture in another missing child case.

Also, I've got to say, I find it curious that many who have very strong feelings about this case actually don't know basic details. I've read that the children were adopted before now and even on this question there are people making false statements about the case (eg - 'it's been three years now') - if people don't know the basic facts why should anyone give credit to anything else they have to say?

I think the the Portuguese Police started the inquiry as would the UK police and made some progress - then the McCanns started 'bullying' the police with there out bursts of 'innocents' and the UK media latched on to it - and then the Portuguese Police 'backed off' (big mistake) not wanting to cause an incident between them and the UK. The Portugese Police are not stupid - and there inquiry found that the McCanns did have someting to answer to - and held them for a time under there rules (I've forgotton the word they used) and the McCanns with the help of the UK media tried to make the Portugese Police look silly - thats why the police 'backed off' and let them go.

They and the media would never have been allowed to 'bully' the police in the UK with a case such as this. To many times in the past people have 'protested there innocents' and been found guilty (appearing on TV and acting all upset) and later on have been convicted of that crime.

If the Portuguese Police had not caved in - and held them for longer giving them more time to carry on there inquiry - we may have seen a very diffiernt result to this very sad story. Are they involved ? - who knows - its seems to be all to late now with any evidience they had maybe of no use now.

The public dislike toward them both is because 'they allowed' all this to happen - by putting there own 'fun 1st' and not looking after the children properly.

In the end the police were just glad to see the back of them and let them go. As I've said on other postings on this subject - there's something wrong about this case - it just does'nt add up at all.

To understand the Portuguese police you have to understand Portuguese people, specifically parents,

I hope you can accept that or my answer is wasted here.

In portugal children stay with their parents, NO MATTER how late it gets, stay with their extended family which is common as several generations live under one roof or they employ a babysitter.

When the mccanns first contacted the police these down-to-earth coppers couldn't believe what they were hearing.

They thought at first the mccanns weren't right in the head.

" Our daughter's been snatched.....

we were minutes away, wining/dining using a checking on our children every 1/2 hour, everybody else does it, we didn't want a baby-sitter as we didn't want to leave our kids with strangers, same as eating down the bottom of the garden "......

Now keystone cops or not.

Can anyone really blame them for being a bit slow at first?

No one wants to think the worst.

They thought maddie would pop-up soon enough.

They didn't realise it would turn into the crime of the century.

The Portuguese police have been criticised way too much for their handling of their investigation into Maddie going missing. First of all, let's remember that in their culture, it is literally unheard of for parents to leave such young children alone - it goes against their culture. So, I think they were ill equipped from the beginning and this slowed up the initial searches and it took time for them to get their team together. I also believe that the way the McCanns treated the police didn't help - they were disrespectful from the beginning with their constant criticising and complaining - whilst the natives and other holiday makers took time out to search for Maddie - her parents were busy jogging and updating their blog each day!

There is a lot of bad feeling towards the McCanns in Portugal - their Maddie posters are regularly defaced and on a recent visit Gerry McCann was jeered at by the locals.

I honestly feel sorry for the locals - the resort and the community were plunged into the limelight for all the wrong reasons, their authorities were constantly criticised by team McCann - all because two parents couldn't be bothered to take their children out with them - in a country which adores children and are happy to accommodate them everywhere.

i do no longer think of the PJ have been inept that is been a complicated case from the start the McCann's and their acquaintances trampled everywhere in the scene of the crime so a great form of forensic replaced into contaminated. whilst Goncalo Amarals e book comes out i ask your self whether this might reopen the case, it's going to be exciting to study what he has to declare. He known because it the actuality of the lies.

You can't disregard the parents, they are central to the Portuguese police responses.

In hindsight, blood tests on the twins would have been extremely useful that night. Initially they didn't believe the parents could have been responsible and that gave them the time. Madeline's DNA was found in their rental car, the pixies didn't put it there and the police didn't accidentally stumble on it.

Today they have a good idea what happened, but they didn't suspect everyone at the start and that is bad police work as the killers are still free.

I believe the child was neglected the people on trial should be the parents.

Shes been gone 3 years now is it? It should be a cold case by now and it should of been closed long ago. Child should be presumed dead and the parents should stop getting so many donations for such a worthless cause.

It was a meaningful cause , for the first year or so , but its just bloody stupid now.

I bet in 3 or 4 years time new evidence will suggest they were to blame. And if it doesn't , i will eat my hat.

These two have admitted giving their children on various occasion medication to sleep so they could go out on the town, i suggest that no normal caring parent would do this, everything about this case points to these two being cold and calculating in the way they have paraded themselves, i amongst many am not convinced of their innocence and cannot understand those who have sent them money whilst the matter is still very much open and the main suspects regarding the evidence that has been found is them

They should have ignored the political pressure they were under and made the McCanns talk when they had them in Portugal. Their worst hour was being conned by the McCanns friends to wild goose chase Robert Murat

Would have been a lot more effective if the McCanns had cooperated and answered a few questions instead of hotfooting it out of the country.