Countries must work together to find missing children

A CHARITY founder said Kate McCann faced an uphill struggle in her attempt to improve how police across Europe respond to reports of missing children.

Catherine Meyer, who formed Parents and Abducted Children Together (Pact), said different methods of policing made creating a trans-Europe policy difficult.

Ms Meyer, whose charity is dedicated to raising awareness of abducted children, said Europe was 20 years behind the US on the issue.

Speaking about how little was done by police to secure borders in the 24 hours after Madeleine was reported missing, she said: “In America, for instance, there is a whole system that would prevent all this.”

Ms McCann has called for a Europe-wide quick response system to react to reports of child abductions.

Speaking as the family prepare to mark 100 days since Madeleine vanished, she said British child protection measures should be enforced across the continent. These include the compulsory sex offenders’ register and Criminal Record Bureau checks for employers.

Speaking about child abductions, former Irish MEP and chairwoman of the Irish Centre for Parentally Abducted Children, Mary Banotti, said: “Above all, the need for a speedy and immediate response from all concerned must be emphasised. The first 24 hours are the most important, though children have been found, often with their appearance considerably changed, many years after the abduction.”

Ms McCann has said that the US — where her husband, Gerry, travelled last month — is way ahead in its policies for handling child kidnappings.

Ms Meyer, who is the wife of former British ambassador to the US Sir Christopher Meyer, said she had been campaigning on the issue for “quite a while”.

But she said the involvement of the McCanns would add momentum to calls for governments to work together.

She said she had met the McCanns on several occasions to exchange information: “I think it is fabulous that they are doing this because often you do need a human face to take on an issue, something that is more gripping for the general public.”

Ms Meyer said Portuguese privacy laws, which apparently stopped officers issuing a description of Madeleine’s clothing, highlighted the cross-border challenges.

She added that even in the UK, the way police forces record abducted and missing children varies dramatically.