STVMcCanns: ‘More must be done to find Maddie’Three and a half years after the disappearance of Madeleine McCann in Portugal, her parents continue their search.
03 November 2010 09:55 GMT
[VIDEO in link above]Kate and Gerry McCann have said they have had enough of "fluffy worthless words", calling again for a full case review over their daughter Madeleine's disappearance.
Exactly three-and-a-half years since Madeleine went missing, the couple said they want "action" and for "somebody to do something". On Wednesday, they launched a petition to lobby the UK and Portuguese governments for a joint or independent review of the case.
Mr McCann, who is originally from Glasgow, said: "Essentially for the last three-and-a-half years the authorities have not been doing anything proactive to help Madeleine.
McCanns: ‘More must be done to find Maddie’
"That is despite our best efforts to encourage them to do so. I don't think it's right that the onus should fall on us, the authorities really should be doing more."
His wife added: "I don't want to be appeased and that's what I feel we're getting at the moment. We need action, I don't need fluffy worthless words. We need somebody to do something.
"Madeleine is still missing, she's a little girl, her abductor is still out there, so by not carrying on we are putting other children at risk. I think more needs to be done."
The couple, from Rothley, Leicestershire, have met with former home secretaries Alan Johnson and Jacqui Smith, as well as current Home Secretary Theresa May, to discuss the issue and to ask for a review of the case.
Mr McCann went on: "There has not been a formal case review and I think for such a serious case like this, and with the profile of it and international aspects, that should be carried out. The onus is on the UK and Portuguese authorities to sort that out.
"I think the best thing is for this case to be solved, and at the moment the authorities are not doing anything proactive to try and do that."
Madeleine was three when she went missing from her family's holiday flat in Praia da Luz in the Algarve on May 3 2007 as her parents dined with friends nearby.
Portuguese police launched a massive investigation with the support of British officers, but the inquiry was formally shelved in July 2008 without reaching any firm conclusions about her fate.
Find Madeleine fundPrivate detectives employed by the McCanns are still investigating the case and as well as the petition, the couple are appealing for continued financial support for the official Find Madeleine fund - as it stands the fund will run out in spring 2011.
Mr and Mrs McCann said they had not given up hope and spoke of their frustration at a lack of help from the authorities. Mrs McCann stated: "Children do get found years down the line. There's no evidence that Madeleine is not out there alive.
"It's just heartbreaking to think that nothing is getting done other than what we are having to do, other than our small team. Obviously a small team has limitations. If we had a review, if we had help from the authorities, the chances of finding Madeleine would be much greater I think.
"We deeply believe it will take us that step closer to finding Madeleine."
The McCanns also spoke about how their family life has been since the disappearance of Madeleine. Mrs McCann said: "Sean and Amelie are great, they are doing really well, they seem to have taken everything on board and coped really well. Maybe that's one of the attractions of youth really.
"We're doing okay, we make the best of it. Life is not normal, I guess it's a new kind of normal."
A Home Office spokesman said: "The Home Secretary has met Kate and Gerry McCann and is deeply sympathetic to their situation.
"The Government wants to ensure that everything feasible is being done to progress the search for Madeleine. The British authorities will maintain a dialogue with the Portuguese and continue to liaise with Madeleine's family on any developments."
