Scotland Yard to get involved in McCann search

SCOTLAND YARD will “bring their expertise” to the search for missing Madeleine McCann, the Home Office said last night.

The move comes after Kate and Gerry McCann made an impassioned appeal for Prime Minister David Cameron to help them revive the search for their missing daughter.

A Home Office spokesman said: “The Prime Minister and the Home Secretary have today agreed with Sir Paul Stephenson that the Metropolitan Police will bring its particular expertise to this case.”

The spokesman added that the Government hopes Scotland Yard can bring a new perspective to the case and the Home Office will be providing “the necessary financial support”.

He went on: “The Government’s primary concern has always been and remains the safe return of Madeleine.

“Although she disappeared in Portugal, and the Portuguese retain the lead responsibility in the case, law enforcement agencies here have continued to follow up leads and pass information to the Portuguese authorities as appropriate.”

He added: “Clearly, the detail of what that will entail will be a matter of operational judgment and it would not be appropriate to discuss at this stage.”

In a statement, the McCanns welcomed the “review” and thanked the government for committing such a significant resource as the Met to the search for their daughter.

“We welcome the government’s response,” they said.

“This is clearly a step in the right direction.

“The expertise of the Metropolitan Police is renowned and we are reassured by our government’s commitment to the search for Madeleine.

“We would like to thank Mr Cameron and the Home Secretary for committing such a significant resource as the Metropolitan Police to begin this review process.

“We would also like to thank the general public for the way in which they have continued to support our campaign to find Madeleine.”

No details of what Scotland Yard’s involvement will entail are being released while the search continues.

Speaking at yesterday's press conference to mark the publications of their book Madeleine, Gerry McCann, 42, called for David Cameron to intervene, saying: “We’ve met three separate home secretaries, and we’re still not sure what the government has actually done.

“The Prime Minister does have it in his power to pick up the phone and speak to his counterpart.”

Earlier in the day, Kate McCannn revealed she believes her other two children may have been drugged on the night Madeleine vanished.

In a media blitz to mark Madeleine’s eight birthday, Kate McCann, 43, told BBC radio that she had to check twins Sean and Amelie as they did not wake despite a noisy, frantic search taking place in the apartment for Madeleine, who was aged three at the time.

Appearing on BBC Radio 4’s Woman’s Hour, she was asked if she believed her other children had been drugged. “On the night I just remember the twins lying in the cot and not moving — with lights going on and people moving around.

“There was a lot of noise and they just didn’t move and I remember several times checking for chest movements. I did feel it was a bit strange that they were not moving, let alone waking up. I did consider with Madeleine perhaps she had been given something too.”

The couple hope that the book will revive public support and boost their dwindling fund for private detectives to search for their daughter.

The book is being translated into Portuguese, and Gerry McCann said he hoped it would be widely read in Portugal to help clear up some long-standing cultural misunderstandings.