McCanns’ faith refuses to fade in search for Madeleine

May 2 2008 by Alan Weston, Liverpool Daily Post

Madeleine McCann in Everton kit _320

A YEAR on from Madeleine McCann’s disappearance, her parents Kate and Gerry still remain positive, determined and upbeat about their campaign.

Through thick and thin, they have stuck to their belief that, unless categorically told otherwise, they still have hope that their daughter will be found alive.

They have also maintained their high media profile, and marked the first anniversary of Madeleine’s disappearance with new campaign posters and a new hotline number for information, along with a flurry of interviews.

On the broader front, the MCanns want an EU-wide quick response system to be introduced to help find abducted children.

France and Greece are the only EU countries to have alert systems as comprehensive as the American Amber scheme, which involves immediate broadcasts on radio and television about missing children and information about possible suspects.

British police forces do operate an alert system, and Belgium and Germany have their own schemes, but the McCanns want a far more co-ordinated response plan across Europe.

A European Parliament declaration demanding the alert system opened for signatures last week, but needs the names of at least half the 785 MEPs before it has formal status as a resolution.

To date, the declaration has attracted 127 names, but needs at least 393 by the end of June.

However, now that the first anniversary has passed, it is likely there will be less intensive media interest in the McCanns and only significant developments will now be covered, rather than the constant barrage of rumour and speculation which has taken so much of the focus away from the real aim of the McCanns’ campaign, which they have reiterated so movingly over the past few days.