MISSING Madeleine McCann could be found alive, Britain’s most senior police officer said.

Sir Paul Stephenson said it was right for Scotland Yard to agree to Home Secretary Theresa May’s request for help, and said there was “always a chance” the young girl could be found alive.

His comments come after the decision to involve the Metropolitan Police was described as a “ludicrous” move that would deny other victims of crime the chance of justice while using up valuable police resources.

But the Commissioner, a former Merseyside police assistant chief constable, said it was not unique for the Met to lend its expertise, saying a team was sent to Antigua in 2008 to help investigate the murders of British couple Ben and Catherine Mullany.

Two years ago, Scotland Yard was also asked to help Jersey police investigate the disappearance of two people missing since the 1980s, which resulted in one being found alive.

But the review, which will be funded by the Home Office, has already sparked fierce criticism.

Last week, Lord Harris, a member of the Metropolitan Police Authority (MPA), said: “While no one doubts the desirability of doing what can sensibly be done to find out what has happened to Madeleine McCann, I can imagine that the senior leadership of the Metropolitan Police are not exactly happy about this.

“It embroils their officers in a high-profile investigation, where the chances of success are unclear, and which will divert limited resources away from other matters.”

Madeleine’s parents, Liverpool- born Kate McCann, and her husband, Gerry, welcomed the move.

Madeleine went missing from her family’s holiday flat in Praia da Luz in the Algarve on May 3, 2007, just before her fourth birthday.