By Sarah Womack Social Affairs Correspondent
A Europe-wide missing-child alert system would have "without doubt" saved Madeleine McCann, an expert on child abduction said.
Lady Catherine Meyer, who founded a charity to tackle child abduction, called for a single Europe-wide telephone number that parents could ring the moment their child went missing.
A Europe-wide alert system may have helped to find missing Madeleine McCann
The system, similar to the Amber Alert in the United States, would flash the child’s details up on television and motorway signs. All ports and airports across Europe would also be alerted. Lady Meyer, wife of Sir Christopher Meyer, the former British ambassador to Washington, said: "I am without a doubt sure that if an Amber Alert was in place when Madeleine McCann went missing she would have been found, without a doubt."She added that British police were "decades behind" America in terms of acting with speed and efficiency to find missing children. "Police say child abduction doesn’t happen in Britain, they say 'there are just one or two highlighted cases’, but it does happen here," she said. "It is just not reported properly."A spokesman for the McCanns said: "Kate and Gerry fully support any effort to increase co-ordination across Europe in the case where a child has gone missing.
"In America they have the Amber Alert system for sending children’s details across the country quickly.
"They welcome anything that can lead to greater co-ordination across Europe that can help to stop other children going missing in the future."
He added: "They know Catherine very well and have had discussion with her about this."
The European Commission launched a Europe-wide missing-child hotline number, 116000, in February last year, but so far only Belgium, Denmark, Greece and Portugal have adopted the scheme.
The Commission’s vice-president, Franco Frattini, said he was disappointed with the progress made at a national level.
"Only four member states showed goodwill until now."
Lady Meyer, founder of Parents and Abducted Children Together (Pact), said that since the US Amber Alert system was set up 1996, following the abduction and murder of nine-year-old Amber Hagerman, 393 missing children have been successfully recovered.
Lady Meyer also called for a single body to co-ordinate child abduction across the UK and Europe and for the European Union to take a tougher stance on children abducted abroad by members of their own family.
Lady Meyer’s sons, Alexander and Constantin are now adults.
But in an interiew in 2003 with the Daily Telegraph she said she had seen them for only 25 hours since they were abducted by her former husband Hans-Peter Volkmann nine years earlier.
He defied a court order by keeping them in Germany when they went there on holiday without their mother.
German courts repeatedly denied her access, although she received backing from courts in Britain and France and support from politicians in Europe and the US.
Her legal battle to get access to them cost her £200,000 - she had to sell her flat, lost her job and several times came close to suicide.
She wrote a book about her experience, entitled They Are My Children, Too: A Mother’s Struggle For Her Sons.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2008/03/06/nmadeleine106.xml
253 comments:
«Oldest ‹Older 201 – 253 of 253Rosie. Sort of ..yes. This is what he said.
docmac said...
Alsabella leave those up. I am going into the lion's den to ask Mum21 exactly what she means. I hope her teeth are out, otherwise she's going to spit them across the room!
11 March 2008 22:57
I have only been on Alsabliar's site to post today haven't bothered reading it or felicity, because in my opinion they have lost the plot and have allowed themselves to become totally obsessed and 2345 is getting worse! I cannot believe some of things I have seen written about that poor little girl Mari-Luz bless her little heart, we all know what happened quite why they feel the need to keep repeating the gory details is beyond me they are disgusting.
Rosie. I could go and reply to his post. I could even find out who is cloning me.
But to be honest with you...I cannot be bothered.
I swore I would never again post on Alsabella's blog...and I meant it.
Mum
I think that was an attempt at him being funny.
For a 60 year old he certainly is immature.
he is about as funny as toothache anyway.
You got that right Rosie.
I cannot be bothered with people like that...they are beyond help.
I haven't even bothered to look tonight and will not for a while, I find the place bad for the soul.
I do not like phoney's cheats and liars and they are all there, it is a pity the decent posters over there cannot see how badly they are being taken for a ride, still that is for them to worry about.
Those two blogs are like a pit of vipers.
They do not realise we can get their IP numbers they are idiots and they do not understand that we can check IP numbers out, they make a mistake in thinking that we are as silly and as gullible as the posters they are folling on Alsabliar's site!
Perhaps they should get up a bit earlier?
Rosiepops,
I got it and replied.
Thank you.
It is very interesting indeed.
ST
Supertroll
I thought yo umay think so!
There may be something else too!
Well Rosie. I think i will get myself to bed. After all an old lady like me needs her sleep so she can get on with her knitting tomorrow.:-)
Good Night to you.
Rosie,
I am very curious now.
ST
Supertroll
these mails are taking forever to come through, I haven't receieved your reply yet and I have sent you another.
Mum I am just going to email you
Mum
Ok i'll email you tomorrow evening, out all day tomorrow, but want to tell you something.
Sleep well take care and stay safe xxx
ST
Just had a quick look. Seems that they dont get the meaning of libel.
And here's a laugh. Viv has said that they are exposing the truth. Dear oh dear. There is not one whit of evidence for any of the libellous claims that she and the others (if they exist) make.
Apparently there is a failure to understand that the accusations being made are libellous and are only made with the intent of discrediting the McCanns.
If they want justice, they should try focusing on the truth and not wild conspiracy theories and conjecture.
Diane
You must be psychic I was just reading your post about the fire.
seems strange to me lighting a fire in may June July August lol mind you after the dreadful summer we had last year, who knows? Just hope we don't have more floods!
Rosie,
Sorry that was my fault, I didn't do the email verification.
It has been sent now.
ST
Diane
you have that right, did you know that Felicity is apparently trained in law? I find this hard to believe as she certainly has no comprehension on the law of libel!
I reckon she got her law degree from the same place she got her parrot!
Rosie
I dont even know why I went and looked. Looked for a whole 2 minutes and sadly it is 2 minutes I cant get back.
Just a waste of time. Wish I could say I wont do it again but probably will get led to it again.
I blame you ST. Until you mentioned it, I had no intention of going for a look.
Rosie
RSPCA says dont abuse poor animals. So lets go easy on the parrot.
Actually the parrot probably got its law degree at the same place as Felicity/Viv.
Well given the pointless and repetitive nature of the posts,I reckon maybe its the parrot posting.
Naughty naughty Nanday!
You are going to get you mistress into so much trouble!
ST
supertroll
I got it twice! lol
We have alarms going off here the wind is setting them off, I hope this is not going to go on all night i have to get up early in the morning, I have meetings all day.
LOL a parrot with a law degree
"whose a clever boy then?"
Supertroll
maybe Nanday is doing the cloning?
Perhaps nanday is a cuckoo in disguise?
Nice chatting.
Got too much to do and it is getting late over there.
So good night to you.
May Madeleine be found soon.
Diane
good day to you too, hope it cools down a little for you.
I too pray that she will be found soon, I have not given up hope on her.
take care xxx
Supertroll
I am off to bed now.have an early start tomorrow.
Good night sleep wel take care xxx
God Bless Madeleine xxx God Bless Shannon xxx
xxx God love and take care of little Mari-Luz and I pray her parents and family are given the strength to get through this terrible time xxx
Goodnight everybody,
Its late and I have to get up early in the morning.
Rosie, I think I have sent you again a duplicate email. Sorry about that. I will talk again tomorrow.
Viv, put the parrot to sleep!
Regards
ST
Before I go,
When I said put the parrot to sleep, I meant back in the cage until tomorrow because its late.
I am saying this because I will probably be accused of being cruel to animals in some mad Viv post.
ST
Hi, Ladies - know you're all gone - glad to hear you're all safe. Diane, I hope you are feeling better.
Mum 21, Rosie and I will protect you against that docmac character (but personally, I think you can handle him very well). See him run - the coward.
I went and read Dr. McCann's blog tonight - he said something about a march being planned - two parents with missing sons are going to be in attendance. He also said that the families of missing children need more support (I'm sure he was talking about emotional support).
He also wrote a heartfelt note about Mari Lus.
Now, for the amber alert - it may very well not have saved Madeleine.
In Canada and the US we have the Amber alert and it has been credited with saving the lives of a few children. Does it always work? Of course not.
Janegt - I think you may be right - I think the McCanns are not ready to face the fact that Madeleine MAY be in that reservoir.
hi Calcite
Feeling a lot better thank you.
I dont know if Gerry & Kate cant fact the thought of Madeleine being in the dam, or if it is something different. Of course they dont want her to be in there, they want her to be alive. And I would agree with them that if the search was only focusing on the dam, then that would be a bad thing. But people are still looking for Madeleine and will continue to until she is found. Maybe it really is just a focus thing and G & K just view this as another thing to prevent people looking for a living Madeleine.
Either way, it must be a terrible time for them as the dam is searched. And their frustration with Madeleine not being found must be reaching breaking point. They have done so much to try to find her but it has all gone nowhere. It is heartbreaking.
Hi, Diane - glad you're feeling better.
About Madeleine, you could be very right - hadn't thought of it that way.
I read you're a Brian's (the psychic) fan - me too. He can be so amazing - in some cases he's right on in others sadly enough - he's not.
You know, I can't seem to get this computer to refresh - I have to back out and then come back in.
Stupid - have to ask the brillant ones around here if they've figured it out.
Calcite
Not sure I am a Brian fan but I do visit his website. He thinks that Madeleine is still in Portugal, infact still in PDL. He also thinks that Murat is involved and that Madeleine is alive.
I think if she is still there, then she is no longer alive and hasnt been for some time. So only time will tell.
I have looked at some of his other cases and he is at times very close to the truth.
What I like best about Brian's web pages is that people from all over the world are sending information to him. And some of the things people find are amazing. Not that they are right but a lot of it bears investigating.
It was Brian's early postings that got me. But now he seems to be caught up in the whole media thing, as there is just too much info and so much sent to him. He cant be objective anymore, as he has just too much info on it.
Did you read Brian the night Mrs. Healey came on his site? It was a very heartfelt comment she wrote.
I also admired when he refused to get involved in allowing the anti-mccann on his site. I thought "you go boy - way to go".
I despise it when people write that they don't think Kate is reacting the "normal" way a mother of a missing child should and it is not the way they would be reacting if their child went missing. As if any of them know how one would react!!
I was obviously the kid on the playgrounds that defended the kids against the bullies - I guess I've been doing it all my life and continue to do it today.
How many times on DE HYS did we hear that Gerry and Kate were going to be charged for their daughter's death? How many times did we hear that people had heard the medical staff resigned when Gerry went back to work? How many people were supposedly in the know that Gerry was going to be suspended/fired from the hospital? He returned to work fulltime.
I am hoping that these same people who are making dire predictions, make it a 100% failure rate.
Calcite
These people just make it up. It is wishful thinking on their part to try to justify the cruel vicious things they say. And the other thing with some of the truly demented ones is that it makes them feel important. In reality, they are making fools of themselves
Thing is, there has been so many false things written about the McCanns that only a fool would believe any of them as fact. Yet, there appears to be a great many fools out there.
I automatically turn off when I read about someone that has information that cant be said allowed, or wait and you will see it. Well I have waited and waited and nothing has happened.
The McCanns wont be charged because there is not enough evidence. And that is not because they are criminal masterminds with half the world involved in a conspiracy but because they are innocent.
Diane - I also agree about your comment about British police - they are the very best.
My experience with the Canadian police (even though I think they do copy a lot of the British procedures) has not been all that positive. Which probably explains why I have such a bad attitude towards the sloppy PJ.
Now for the examples:
1) One night I could hear a woman crying hysterically outside so I went to her - it was one of our neighbours. She and her husband had had a fight and he had battered her.
Obviously, I took her into my home - called the police. They came over to my house, and their attitude to do this day was amazing. They pretty well told me that this couple were regulars. This was when Canada has just come up with 0% tolerance of any violence. I was horrified.
Another example, my daughters (they were toddlers) and I witnessed a 16 year old being beaten up by some other kids at our Light Rapid Transit. I pressed the emergency button.
Hold and behold, the kids who were doing the beating ended up on the train with us. The next morning, I called to find out the condition of the kid and asked if they needed a witness. The answer was No because the kid beaten up did NOT want to press charges. The person I spoke did NOT seem to be very interested.
About six months later, a similar incident happened but this time the witness went to the paper. What an uproar!
I really get sick of the accusations. It must break Kate & Gerry's heart when they read those evil things written about them.
This whole situation has made me aware of just how stupid a lot of people are. I have often thought that especially over certain opinion polls but Madeleine's disappearance and the resulting aftermath proves that many people are incapable of separating fact from fiction. They think it is CSI or a soap opera. And so many cant even reason properly. For eg, if one newspaper report has 100% DNA evidence and the next one has only match to family, how can a person still believe the first report. Surely, it tells a reasoning person that what is in the paper is wrong at least half the time. So then we reason, must not be any DNA evidence or else G & K would be charged. Stupid people instead reason that obviously Govt interference is preventing the McCanns from being charged, as there was a 100% DNA match.
This is how stupid the anti's are. They have shown this type of reasoning over and over again. Leaping to ridiculous conclusions based on false and misleading press reports.
I agree with you - IN MY NOT SO HUMBLE OPINION, I think the McCanns are innocent and have been the punching bag by vicious, mean people.
Calcite
The problem that the police have is that we form our opinions of them based on our dealings with them. If the officer we deal with isnt friendly, or doesnt seem to care, we often use this against the whole force. There are good and bad officers everywhere.
There are often officers who dont care about domestic violence etc. In Aust there is a big push to prevent all violence against children and women. A new initiative is coming out soon. The new govt means business but there will be some police who will go to a domestic and have the same attitude. Even the fact it is called a domestic belittles the violence of the situation.
It could be this way with the PJ as well.
Has there ever been a case where someone has bben tried by the public/media, before?
I know all these people have suddenly become "DNA", forensics, and let's not forget the woof, woof experts and they're usually the same ones. Must be nice to be so intelligent.
I hope your next dealings with the Canadian police force (mounties hey) will be better.
better still, hope you dont have to deal with them again.
Calcite
Yes to the media question.
Look up the Lindy Chamberlain case. It was a disgrace. She was even found guilty but the forensics were falsified. Not one of our finer moments.
We all believed her to be guilty because of the media reports. After all, the press and the police said that dingo.
I found a good article about the power of the press by the Seven Day adventist church (Lindy and Michael were 7 dayers) and how religion was used by the press against the couple.
http://adventist.org.au/about_adventists/
misconceptions/lindy_chamberlain
You will find many similarities between the McCanns and the Chamberlains. Lindy has even come out in support of Kate and Gerry, saying that they are being persecuted.
Now to write in English.
The press and the police said that a dingo would never take a baby. BUT a toddler was attacked in the same campsite only 2 weeks earlier and another scare only days earlier.
The press and the police both knew and they LIED. It wasnt such a good story.
I agree - I too feel sorry for Kate and Gerry.
I've posted notes of support on their Find Madeleine site. I guess it must have been Kate's birthday recently - someone on the site wished her a happy birthday. What a sad birthday it must have been!
My family says I obsessed with this case - they may be right. I hope whoever took this little girl suffers all the woes I can possibly think of.
Calcite
I think you know my opinion on the woof woof's. They do a terrific job but as proven by that article I posted, they are not very reliable when there is no body to find. Too many outside influences.
And even the difference between a body being there and not being there cannot be understood by those idiots. Dogs can give false positives if there is no body and never has been, as in the previously mentioned article.
Lets face it, the anti's have no real arguments because they are not privy to any evidence which they need. They also dismiss anything that doesnt meet with their theories, as for eg the evidence about the dogs. They keep citing the Jersey case. Yes, there are bodies there, so the dogs will be reasonable accurate. But the thing is, how many times did the dogs indicate something that wasnt there. It is not the number of hits they have but the number of hits vs the number of indications they gave. That is what is needed to make an informed decision and that information will not be given out.
I remember Lindy's case - and the people all over the world were so horrible to her. I didn't know what had happened to the family after she and her husband were proven innocent (after their lives and their baby's life were destroyed)until you told me.
I thank god in this case, so many outstanding, wonderful people have come to support the McCanns either financially or emotionally and been very public about it. Good for them!!
Calcite
I also get the obsession accusations.
When I found out about Mari Luz, I sat on the couch and cried. My daughter said, Dont cry Mummy, I still love you. Which of course made me cry more.
I am not really obsessed but I find it preys on my mind. I also find that by discussing it, it doesnt quite as much. I am able to put it all into perpective. Especially the guilt thing. I feel guilty that I have my daughter and Kate doesnt have hers. I have a special relationship with my daughter, as Kate has said she had with Madeleine.
So I have read up on the gratitude thing. I am grateful for my daughter and son, grateful for my partner, my life, everything. Being grateful really does improve my outlook on life and I enjoy things more.
Diane, I am going to sign off - I have to go to bed - it's almost 10:00 here and I am just beat.
Good nite, Diane - I see the new kid on the blog didn't sign up tonight. Hopefully, you won't get any midnight visitors if you decide to stay on.
Take good care of yourselves - all of you.
Night Calcite. Sleep well.
I will check every now and again, just in case.
I have got heaps of work to do, but its very hard, so I let myself get sidetracked. Need to stop procrastinating and get on with it.
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