Roll out the McCanns! Somebody mentioned the word "abduction."!!!

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Above: Kate and Gerry McCann in Strasbourg, June 2008


Well, the UK finally gets around to introducing an alert system for missing children.

Sky News April 4th

"Police will unveil a new nationwide alert system for enlisting the public to help them rescue abducted children next month."

An alert system has been active in some member states of the EU for some time now. In fact, Portugal was the second country after Hungary, to introduce an alert system in 2002, in accordance with an EU directive. (SOS Madeleine McCann blog )

In June 2008, the McCanns went to Strasbourg to gather support for a Europe-wide system, based on the American Amber Alert. They presented a written declaration to the Commission, but this was not their own work, rather it had been drawn up by Edward McMillan-Scott, then Vice-President of the European Parliament, but presented by the media-savvy, media magnets, the McCanns.

The McCanns had simply tried to hijack an initiative that had already been working its way through the European Parliament for some time, turn it into something else and claim it as their own.

"McCann wanted to seize “a policy that is already being enforced”

"The McCann couple launched a public relations campaign, trying to 'seize' a policy that is already being enforced..." accused the member of the European Parliament, Carlos Coelho, member of the Christian-Democrat group in the European Parliament and Party colleague of President Barroso. And this MEP knows what he is talking about, as he was among the 54 deputies who had adopted, in a committee session, the European strategy concerning children’s rights, a document which was approved on January 2008.

The “written declaration” to which McMilan-Scott agreed to associate Kate and Gerry McCann thus does not contain anything new, when compared with the legislative project of the European institutions." (Duarte Levy and Paulo Reis)

The McCanns in Strasbourg in 2008 were rather like the man who knocked my door the other day, trying to interest me in double glazing, to whom I pointed out my rather new windows! But oh dear! How were those crusading, never mind that we left our children alone "responsible parents," received? Those ungrateful deputies and journalists just kept asking questions about the night Madeleine disappeared and some even asked about the children having been left alone, which irritated our saintly duo immensely!

Gerry retorted that they had neither neglected nor abandoned Madeleine and that going over that old ground was boring! (Duarte Levy and Paulo Reis)

Oh yes, Gerry! Been there, done that, lost a child, but hey, let's not go over that old boring stuff!

In December 2006, an extraordinary meeting of the member states approved an initiative of the European Commission to reserve certain numbers (Starting with 116 ) for a Europe-wide alert system for missing children. This was the system which had been in operation in France since 2006 and had proved to be effective in several cases. (August 2007: abducted 5 year-old French child recovered within hours.)

Back to SkyNews:

"The network, comparable to the amber alert system in the United States, will be compatible with other European countries for the first time."

Well, hallelujah! By January 2009, 10 out of the 17 member states of the EU had adopted the European Alert system, the UK as we know, not having been amongst them, in spite of the fact of having the greatest number of missing children. (SOS Maddie blog)

But sky News tells us that the McCanns have been campaigning for such a system since their daughter disappeared! Well, no they haven't! They took up being poster children for McMillan-Scott's campaign in June 2008, when other member states had been operating an alternative system since 2006!

Since 2006, the French system, known as "Alerte Enlèvement," which is the system now introduced across most of the EU territory and finally in the UK, has recovered many missing children through rapid response to reported cases of abduction. The success of the system, according to Rachida Dati, former French Justice Minister, is due to there being very strict criteria for launching an alert. Four criteria must be met.

"Quatre critères doivent toutefois être réunis pour que le plan soit déclenché : il doit s'agir d'un enlèvement avéré, et non d'une simple disparition, même inquiétante ; la vie ou l'intégrité physique de la victime doit être en danger ; le procureur de la République est en possession éléments d'informations dont la diffusion permettrait de localiser l'enfant ou le suspect ; et la victime doit être mineure." (Duarte Levy)

1) It must be a confirmed abduction and not just a disappearance, however worrying.

2) The victim's life or physical safety must be at risk.

3) The Public Prosecutor must be in possession of sufficient information which, if broadcast, would help to locate the child or the suspect.

4) The victim must be a minor.

So, why is the press wheeling out the McCanns today in relation to this alert system, when they had nothing to do with its inception or its introduction? This is the system that they unsuccessfully tried to replace with McMillan-Scott's version of the American Amber Alert.

And would an alert have helped to find Madeleine in May 2007, given the above criteria?

1) Not met. There was no evidence of an abduction.

2) Maybe. If Maddie was still alive after 10pm on May 3rd, it is highly likely that she would be in physical danger.

3) Not met. The information available would not have helped locate Maddie or the alleged abductor. Small child, last seen in her bed, not there now, man seen carrying a bundle that could have been a child. Description: an egg with hair!

4) Met. One out of four ain't bad? No, it ain't good!

So, there they are today, the "responsible parents," who left three very young children alone in an unlocked apartment in a foreign country, being presented as the instigators of a system they tried to replace with one that wasn't even their own, one they just tried to hitch their wagon to! I guess they will draw more public sympathy than a photo of Rachida Dati, the French Justice Minister who developed the above four criteria which their own child's case didn't meet! Hey ho!

Enfants Kidnappés: no agreement on a European alert

La mise en place d'un système européen commun d'alerte dans les cas d'enlèvement d'enfant suscite encore des difficultés. Réunis à Cannes, sous la présidence de Rachida Dati, les ministres de la justice des Vingt-Sept se sont engagés mardi 8 juillet à améliorer la coopération entre leurs Etats, mais n'ont pu se mettre d'accord sur le modèle du dispositif créé en France en février 2006, que Mme Dati souhaitait étendre à l'ensemble de l'Union européenne.

The setting up of a shared European alert system in cases of abducted children is still giving rise to difficulties. Meeting in Cannes on Wednesday, under the presidency of Rachida Dati, the Justice Ministers of the Twenty-Seven set themselves to improving co-operation between their States, but did not manage to reach agreement on the model of the system created in France in February 2006, which Mme Dati wanted to see extended throughout the European Union.

La ministre française a présenté à ses collègues, sur DVD, l'exercice "alerte enlèvement" organisé le 12 juin par la France, en collaboration avec la Belgique, le Luxembourg et les Pays-Bas. Selon le scénario retenu, une petite fille de 6 ans, luxembourgeoise, était enlevée vers 13 heures en gare de Tourcoing. La diffusion d'un message d'alerte et la collaboration des services de police permettaient l'interpellation du ravisseur à Dordrecht (Pays-Bas) en début de soirée.

The French Minister presented to her colleagues, on DVD, the, "abduction alert," which was organised on June 12th by France in collaboration with Belgium, Luxembourg and the Netherlands. According to the scenario played out, a little six year-old girl, from Luxembourg, was abducted at around 1pm in the Tourcoing station. The broadcasting of an alert message and the collaboration of police forces allowed the arrest of the kidnapper in Dordecht (Netherlands) by early evening.

En France, le plan "alerte enlèvement" a été mis en œuvre avec succès à six reprises. Il requiert notamment la participation des agences de presse et des sociétés de radio et de télévision. Il ne peut être déclenché que par le procureur de la République, en cas d'enlèvement avéré d'un enfant mineur dont la vie ou l'intégrité physique est en danger.

Les parents de la petite Anglaise Madeleine McCann, enlevée dans un complexe touristique au Portugal il y a un an, se sont faits les défenseurs d'une procédure européenne. Ils estiment qu'elle aurait pu aider les enquêteurs portugais, qui se préparent à clore une procédure qui a donné lieu à de multiples controverses.

In France, the, "abduction alert," plan has been successfully put into operation six times. It requires notably the involvement of news agencies and radio and television companies. It can only be launched by the prosecutor of the Republic, in the case of a proven abduction of a minor child whose life or physical safety is in danger.

The parents of the little English girl, Madeleine Mcann, abducted from a tourist complex in Portugal a year ago, have made themselves defenders of a European procedure. They consider that it would have helped the Portuguese investigators, who are preparing to close a case which has given rise to many controversies.

La généralisation du plan aux autres Etats de l'Union, soutenue officiellement par la Commission, s'est heurtée à l'opposition de l'Allemagne, au grand regret du commissaire français Jacques Barrot qui a repris le dossier. "Chez nous, on publie des photos d'enfants disparus, mais seulement quand c'est vraiment nécessaire", a déclaré la ministre allemande de la justice, la sociale-démocrate Brigitte Zypries, qui a ajouté : "Il ne faut pas lancer une alerte européenne quand un enfant a disparu depuis deux heures. La grande majorité d'entre eux rentrent à la maison au bout de deux ou trois jours." Prenant acte de ce refus, Mme Dati a souhaité que les pays, dont la plupart disposent d'un système de recherche, mettent en relation leurs systèmes d'alerte. "Nous allons essayer de rendre ces systèmes complémentaires", a-t-elle dit. (le Monde)

The implementing of the plan in the other States of the Union, officially supported by the Commission, met with opposition from Germany, to the great regret of the French Commissioner, Jacques Barrot, who has taken over the case. "In Germany, we publish photos of missing children, but only when it is really necessary," stated the German Justice Minister, the Social-Democrat Brigitte Zypries, who added: "A European alert should not be launched when a child has been missing for two hours." The great majority of them return home after two or three days." Taking note of this refusal, Mme Dati wished for the countries, most of which use a system for searching, to bring together their alert systems. "We are going try to make these systems complimentary," she said. (le Monde)

http://www.kidnapping.be/france/index.html

9/07/08

SOS Madeleine McCann: European Ministers have rejected, "The Madeleine Alert."

http://sosmaddie.dhblogs.be/

La mise en place d'un système d'alerte Amber européen a été rejetée, hier, par les ministres de la Justice de l'Union Européene (UE), au cours d'une réunion informelle, à Cannes, France. “Nous ne devrions pas lancer une alerte européenne quand un enfant a juste disparu pendant quelques heures,” a dit la ministre de la Justice allemande aux médias. “La grande majorité d'enfants retournent à la maison après deux ou trois jours.” Cependant, les ministres de justice de l'UE ont convenu sur la nécessité d'une coopération plus étroite entre les forces de police et les systèmes d'alerte déjà utilisés dans des pays de l'UE.

The setting up of a European Amber alert system was rejected yesterday by the Justice Ministers of the European Union (EU) in the course of an informal meeting in Cannes, France. "We should not launch a European alert when a child has just been missing for a few hours," the German Justice Minister told the media. "The great majority of children return home after two or three days." However, the EU's Justice Ministers agreed on the need for closer co-operation between police forces and the alert systems already being used in some EU countries.

Selon le “MailOnline”, au cours de cette réunion, “Bruxelles rejette l’appel des McCann pour un système d'alerte européen pour les enfants disparues”. L'annonce “a été bien accueillie” par Kate et Gerry, qui ont fait campagne pour un système d'alerte de l'UE à adopter par chacun des 27 pays : “Cette annonce est très encouragent, car il souligne le fait qu'il y a un désir au niveau européen pour que les choses s'améliorent,” a dit Clarence Mitchell, le porte-parole de la famille McCann, au MailOnline.

According to the, "MailOnline," in the course of this meeting, "Brussels rejects the McCanns' appeal for an European alert system for missing children." The announcement, "was well received," by Kate and Gerry, who campaigned for an EU alert system to be adopted by each of the 27 countries: "This announcement is very encouraging, because it stresses the fact that there is a desire at European level for things to improve," Clarence Mitchell, spokesman for the McCann family, told the MailOnline.

La ministre française de la Justice, Rachida Dati, a invité ses homologues à adopter le système utilisé par Paris, car, selon elle, il a fonctionnait à six reprises sur six. “Quand il s’agit de protéger les enfants en Europe, aucune ressource ne devrait être épargnée,” a-t-elle dit. “Nous devons absolument rassembler tout ce que nous avons.”

Au Parlement européen, une “déclaration écrite,” signée par un groupe d’eurodéputés et soutenue par les McCann est parvenue à rassembler, jusqu'à aujourd'hui — le dernier jour — 351 signatures. Pour être prise en compte, la déclaration écrite aurait dû recueillir 393 signatures, soit la majorité des membres du Parlement européen, après quoi elle aurait été transmise au Président, afin d’être citée en procès-verbal et archivée.

The French Justice Minister, Rachida Dati, invited her counterparts to adopt the system used by Paris, because, according to her, it worked six times out of six. "When it comes to protecting Europe's children, no resource should be spared," she said. "We must absolutely gather together everything we have."

In the European Parliament, a, "written declaration," signed by a group of Euro-deputies and supported by the McCanns gathered 351 signatures up to today - the last day. To be considered, the written declaration would have to have collected 393 signatures, being the majority of the members of the European Parliament, after which it would have been forwarded to the President, to be quoted in the minutes and archived.

Enfants Kidnappes: the McCanns travel to Strasbourg on Tuesday 17th June.

The McCanns in Strasbourg.

Enfants Kidnappés

16 juin 2008

Les parents McCann se déplacent au Parlement Européen.

Les parents de Madeleine McCann se déplacent, demain, au Parlement Européen à Strasbourg afin d'essayer de convaincre 182 eurodéputés de soutenir la création d'un système d'alerte européen pour enfants disparus. "Jusqu'à présent nous avons recueillis 211 signatures. Précisons qu'il faut 393 signatures de députés européens afin d'atteindre la majorité simple au Parlement" a avancé le porte-parole de Kate et Gerry McCann, Clarence Mitchell.

Madeleine McCann's parents travel to the European Parliament in Strasbourg tomorrow, to try to convince 182 Euro-deputies to support the creation of a European alert system for missing children. "We have so far gathered 211 signatures, and we need 393 signatures from Euro-deputies to reach a simple majority in the Parliament," Kate and Gerry McCann's spokesperson, Clarence Michell stated.

Dans une visite d'un jour, le couple va s'entretenir avec quelques députés en privés et ils vont lancer un appel afin que ceux qui n'ont pas encore signé le fasse, en finissant la journée par une conférence de presse. "Kate et Gerry sont confiants. Ils pensent réussir à réunir les 182 signatures qui manquent" a ajouté le porte-parole. La déclaration écrite avait déjà été présentée par les McCann et un groupe d'eurodéputés le 10 avril dernier à Bruxelles et exhortait les États membres de l'UE d'adopter un système d'alerte pour enlèvement d'enfants au niveau européen, similaire au système en place aux États-Unis. Les forces de l'ordre pourraient ainsi lancer une Alerte Enlèvement en utilisant les médias et si des accords sont établis avec les pays voisins, permettre une réponse rapide au niveau transfrontalier en cas de disparition inquiétante. Les députés n'ont plus que deux sessions parlementaires pour souscrire au projet et signer le document.

During a one-day visit, the couple will meet with a few deputies in private and they will launch an appeal for those who have not yet signed, to do so, ending the day with a press conference. "Kate and Gerry are confident. They think they will get the 182 missing signatures," their spokesperson added. The written declaration had already been presented by the McCanns and a group of Euro-deputies on April 10th in Brussels, urging the EU's member Sates to adopt, at European level, an alert system for abducted children, similar to the system in place in the United States. Police forces could thus launch an Abduction Alert, using the media and if agreements were reached, with neighbouring countries, allowing a rapid response at cross-border level in the case of a worrying disappearance. The deputies have only two more parliamentary sessions to support the draft and sign the document.

Les McCann n'ont strictement rien à voir dans le projet d'Alerte Enlèvement Européen.

Soyons clair, les parents McCann n'ont strictement rien à voir dans ce projet. Il s'agit purement et simplement d'une tentative de récupération médiatique. La déclaration présentée le 10 avril dernier au Parlement Européen n'a pas été rédigée ou suggérée par le couple McCann. Les initiateurs de ce projet sont: Edward McMillan-Scott, Roberta Angelilli, Glenys Kinnock, Evelyne Gebhardt et Diana Wallis. Le document invite les États membres à conclure des accords de coopération avec tous les États frontaliers afin de se donner les moyens d'agir et de réagir rapidement. Les parents de Madeleine ont obtenu le droit d'associer leur nom à un noble projet pour lequel ils n'ont pas apporté la moindre pierre à l'édifice!!!

The McCanns have absolutely nothing to do with the draft European Abduction Alert.

Let's be clear, the McCann parents have absolutely nothing to do with this draft. It is purely and simply an attempt to recapture media attention. The declaration presented to the European Parliament on April 10th was not drafted or suggested by the McCann couple. The originators of the draft are: Edward McMillan-Scott, Roberta Angelilli, Glenys Kinnock, Evelyne Gebhardt and Diana Wallis. The document calls on the member States to complete their agreements of cooperation with all neighbouring States in order to give themselves the means to act and to react rapidly. Madeleine's parents obtained the right to associate their name with a noble project for which they have not added the smallest stone to the building!!!

Contenu de la Déclaration écrite sur la coopération d'urgence pour retrouver les enfants disparus:

Le Parlement européen,

• vu l'article 116 de son règlement,

A. considérant que l'enlèvement d'enfants compte parmi les plus inhumains des crimes,
B. considérant que de tels crimes sont de plus en plus nombreux en Europe et qu'ils peuvent entraîner le franchissement de frontières par les victimes,
C. considérant que les chances de sauver la vie d'un enfant enlevé diminuent avec le temps,
D. considérant qu'il n'existe ni système d'alerte européen pour les disparitions d'enfants ni systèmes locaux ou nationaux dans une bonne partie de l'Union européenne,

Contents of the written Declaration on immediate cooperation to find missing children.

The European Parliament.

• Regarding article 116 of the procedural rules,

A. Whereas child abduction is amongst the most inhuman of crimes,
B. Whereas such crimes are becoming more and more numerous in Europe and they can involve the victims' being taken acroos borders,
C. Whereas the chances of saving the life of an abducted child decrease with time,
C. Whereas there exists neither a European Alert system for missing children nor a local or national system in a good part of the European Union.

1. invite les États membres à mettre en place un système d'alerte pour les enfants disparus, dont le déclenchement impliquerait l'envoi immédiat aux médias concernés, à la police des frontières, aux douanes et aux services de police, des renseignements suivants:

• l'identité de l'enfant disparu, ainsi qu'une photo, dans la mesure du possible,
• des informations concernant la disparition et le ou les ravisseurs soupçonnés,
• un numéro de téléphone de contact et des informations (le 116 000 s'il fonctionne);

2. invite les États membres à conclure des accords de coopération avec tous les États frontaliers afin de se donner les moyens de lancer l'alerte rapidement sur les territoires concernés;

3. demande la mise en place d'une organisation commune chargée d'aider et de former les organismes nationaux;

4. charge son président de transmettre la présente déclaration, accompagnée du nom des signataires, à la Commission et au Conseil.

1. Calls on the member States to put in place an alert system for missing children, for which the triggering would involve the immediate sending to the appropriate media, the border police, customs, police forces, the following information:

• the identity of the missing child and where possible a photo.
  

• information concerning the disappearance and the suspected abductor or abductors.

• a telephone number and contact information (116 000 if this is operational)

2. Calls on member States to complete an agreement of cooperation with all bordering States, in order to give them the means to rapidly launch the alert in the appropriate areas.

3. requests the setting up of a common organisation responsible for helping and training national bodies.

4. instructs its president to place the declaration, accompanied by the names of the signatories, before the Commission and the Council.

Denise Pipitone

Le 10 avril dernier, alors que le couple McCann s'adressait à la presse après avoir discuté avec quelques députés européens, le Commissaire pour la Justice, la Liberté et la Sécurité, et vice-président de la Commission Européenne, Franco Frattini, tenait une réunion dans une salle voisine de celle où se trouvait le couple McCann portant sur les enlèvements d'enfants. L'exemple cité fut celui de Denise Pipitone, kidnappée en septembre 2004, et dont les kidnappeurs ont probablement voyagé à travers tout le pays avant de quitter ses frontières. Notons que dans ce cas-ci, la petite Denise est probablement toujours en vie. Il s'agissait d'une conférence sérieuse portant sur la coopération entre États membres. Franco Frattini étant un fervent défenseur d'un système d'Alerte européen. En 2006 déjà, le Commissaire faisait référence à un outil de coopération européen en la matière. Il a proposé un système d'Alerte européen à établir par chaque pays membre de l'UE au lieu d'une législation du Parlement européen.

Denise Pipitone

On April 10th, while the McCann couple were addressing the press after having discussions with a few European deputies, the Commissioner for Justice, Liberty and Security, and Vice-president of the European Commission, Franco Frattini, was holding a meeting in an adjacent room to the McCann couple, about child abductions. The example cited was that of Denise Pipitone, kidnapped in September 2004, whose kidnappers probably travelled the length of the country before crossing its borders. We note that in that case little Denise is probably still alive. It was a serious conference bearing on the cooperation between member States. Franco Frattini is a fervent defender of a European Alert System. In 2006, the Commissioner was already referring to a mechanism for European cooperation on the subject. He proposed a European Alert system be established by each member country of the EU instead of legislation by the European Parliament.

Franco Frattini a souligné que l'abolition des frontières en Europe ne devait " pas signifier l'abolition des frontières pour les criminels ". Il a ainsi ajouté que " l'Europe sans frontière " devait " protéger les victimes, les enfants et garantir une justice rapide et efficace ". Le vice-président de la Commission Européenne a souhaité que le dispositif "Alerte enlèvement" français devienne "un système européen". Ayant salué publiquement l'initiative française, Franco Frattini a demandé à Rachida Dati "de présenter le modèle français dans quelques semaines aux autres pays" de l'UE, afin qu'ils " puissent adopter le même système " a-t-il conclu. Le ministre de la justice française a affirmé le souhait de bâtir " un espace judiciaire européen plus concret et plus efficace ". L'adoption du futur traité simplifié en 2009 devrait faciliter cette construction par le développement des " équipes communes d'enquêtes " qui permettent " des interpellations et des investigations plus importantes, plus efficaces et plus rapides ", a précisé Rachida Dati.

Franco Frattini stressed that the abolition of borders in Europe must, "not mean abolition of borders for criminals." He also added that, "Europe without borders," must, "protect the victims, the children and guarantee rapid and effective justice." The vice-president of the European Commission hoped that the French, "Abduction Alert," system would become, "a European system." Having publically recognised the French initiative, Franco Frattini asked Rachida Dati, "to present the French model to other countries of the EU within a few weeks," so that they,"can adopt the same system," he concluded. The French Justice Minister confirmed the wish to build, "a more solid and effective European judicial area." The future adoption of the simplified treaty in 2009may facilitate this construction by the development of, "joint investigation teams," making, "interrogations and serious investigations more efficient and more rapid," stated Rachida Dati.

Comme on peu le voir, les parents de Madeleine n'ont pas placé la moindre virgule dans ce projet. Nous aurions préféré qu'ils fassent pression sur leurs "AMIS" afin qu'ils participent à la reconstitution demandée par la PJ plutôt que d'assister à un show médiatique. Je me demande si Piera, la maman de Denise, trouverait inutile, absurde ou déplace de faire une reconstitution 4 ans et 9 mois après l'enlèvement de sa fille avec tous les acteurs impliqués permettant de voir qui faisait quoi, où, comment et de quelle manière ?!!

As might be said, Madeleine's parents have not placed a single comma in this draft. We would have preferred them to put pressure on their, "FRIENDS," to participate in the reconstruction requested by the PJ rather than attend a media show. I wonder if Piera, mother of Denise, would find it useless, absurd or misplaced to do a reconstruction, with all the involved players, 4 years and 9 months after her daughter's abduction, allowing it to be seen who did what, where, how and in what way? !!

Enfants Kidnappés 12/06/08 - Trying out the Abduction Alert system between four European countries.

(Rachida Dati, French Justice Minister)

According to Enfants Kidnappés, the police in four European countries, Belgium, Luxembourg, The Netherlands and France, carried out a simulation exercise recently, to test out how well the system, already in place, works to help find children who have been abducted and thought to have been taken across national boundaries.

Enfants Kidnappés 12/06/08

12 juin 2008

Alerte Enlèvement: Victoria a disparu

Il s'agit d'un exercice commun du plan "Alerte Enlèvement", mis en place en février 2006 en France pour aider à résoudre rapidement des affaires de disparitions d'enfants, entre la France, la Belgique, le Luxembourg et les Pays-Bas. Victoria, une petite luxembourgeoise, a échappé à la surveillance de son oncle en gare de Tourcoing cet après-midi. Un témoin affirme avoir vu la fillette en compagnie d'un homme. D'après ses dires l'individu a poussé Victoria dans une voiture immatriculée aux Pays-Bas qui s'est ensuite dirigée vers la frontière belge…

Abduction alert: Victoria has disappeared. It is a shared exercise of the, "Abduction Alert," plan which was set up in February 2006 in France, to help to rapidly resolve cases of missing children, between France, Belgium, Luxembourg and The Netherlands. Victoria, a little Luxembourg girl, slipped away from her uncle's supervision in the Tourcoing train station this afternoon. A witness confirms having seen the little girl in the company of a man. From what was said, the individual pushed Victoria into a car registered in The Netherlands, which then headed towards the Belgian border.

Ces faits ne se sont heureusement pas produits dans la réalité. Il s'agit juste du scénario imaginé par les autorités policières et judiciaires de quatre pays : la Belgique, la France, les pays Bas et le Luxembourg. Scénario destiné à tester un système d'Alerte Enlèvement.

Fortunately, these events did not arise out of a real situation. It was just a scenario created by the police and judicial authorities of four countries: Belgium, France, The Netherlands and Luxembourg, a scenario intended to test out an abduction alert system.

Le faux plan "Alerte Enlèvement" a été déclenché à 14h30, une heure trente après l'enlèvement imaginé. L'exercice a pour objectif de coordonner l'action des services de police et de justice des pays participants, et d'évaluer notamment les obstacles linguistiques à la bonne diffusion du message d'alerte et à l'échange d'informations.

The fake, "Abduction Alert," plan was triggered at 2.30pm, an hour and a half after the imagined abduction. The objective of the exercise was to coordinate the activity of the police forces and judicial authorities of the participating countries, and especially to evaluate language barriers to the effective diffusion of the alert message and the exchange of information.

Le plan doit fonctionner dans les pays frontaliers.

Interview (20minutes)

Pourquoi étendre «alerte enlèvement» aux pays frontaliers ?

J'ai pris l'initiative de proposer ce dispositif à nos voisins après l'enlèvement du petit Enis à Roubaix en août 2007. Si le ravisseur était passé en Belgique, le dispositif se serait arrêté à la frontière. L'intérêt des enfants est que le plan puisse continuer de fonctionner dans des pays transfrontaliers.

The plan must work in neighbouring countries.

20 minute interview. (With Rachida Dati, France's Justice Minister)

Why extend the, "abduction alert," to neighbouring countries?

I took the initiative of suggesting this operation to our neighbours following the abduction of little Enis in Roubaix in August 2007. If the abdcutor had crossed into Belgium, the operation would have stopped him at the border. It is in the interests of children that the plan can continue to work across national borders.

Quel est l'objectif de cette simulation ?

Il s'agit d'abord de convaincre nos partenaires européens. Nous avons procédé de la même manière avec l'interconnexion des casiers judiciaires qui était une initiative franco-allemande : six pays sont aujourd'hui effectivement connectés et six autres s'y préparent. Certains pays comme la Belgique ou les Pays-Bas utilisent des dispositifs d'alerte en cas d'enlèvement, mais aucun ne va aussi loin que le nôtre.

What was the objective of the simulation? It was first of all to convince our European partners. We have worked in the same way with the sharing of criminal records, which was a French-German initiative: six countries are now effectively connected and six others preparing to be. Some countries, like Belgium or The Netherlands use alert operations in cases of abduction, but none goes as far as ours.

Y a-t-il des points de blocage chez nos voisins ?

La simulation doit servir à démontrer à tous l'efficacité et donc l'utilité d'un tel dispositif. Le Luxembourg, les Pays-Bas et la Belgique participeront avec nous de manière active à la simulation, tandis que l'Espagne, le Portugal, l'Allemagne, la République tchèque et la Suède seront présents en tant qu'observateurs.

Are there any sticking points with our neighbours?

The simulation may serve to demonstrate to everyone the effectiveness and therefore the usefulness of such an operation. Luxembourg, The Netherlands and Belgium will actively participate with us in the simulation, while Spain, Portugal, Germany, the Czech Republic and Sweden will be present as observers.

Quand souhaitez-vous qu'« alerte enlèvement » soit opérationnel dans ces pays ?

C'est un dispositif que la France leur propose. Il ne s'agit pas de contraindre nos partenaires à adopter un dispositif unique en la matière : certains d'entre eux disposent, en effet, déjà de leur propre mécanisme de recherche et d'aide à l'enquête. L'objectif est de les inciter à ne pas limiter la mise en oeuvre de ces plans aux seules frontières de leur territoire national. Il y aura début juillet une présentation de cet exercice à l'ensemble de nos partenaires. Le fait que la France prenne la présidence de l'Union européenne est un atout pour la poursuite de ce projet.

When do you want the, "abduction alert," to be operational in these countries? It is an operation which France is proposing to them. It is not to compel our partners to adopt a single system on the subject: some indeed already have their own system for search and assistance in an investigation. The objective is to encourage them not to limit the setting up of these plans only to their own national borders. At the beginning of July, there will be a presentation of this exercise to an assembly of our partners. The fact that France takes up the presidency of the European Union is an advantage for the continuation of this project.

Au niveau national, envisagez-vous d'améliorer le dispositif existant ?

Je considère que le système est assez efficace. Il y a des conditions strictes pour déclencher cette alerte : ce doit être un enlèvement avéré et non une disparition, avec des informations précises pour permettre de localiser le ravisseur, la victime doit être mineure, sa vie ou son intégrité physique doit être en danger et il faut le consentement des parents. A six reprises, « alerte enlèvement » a été utilisé, à chaque fois avec succès.

At a national level, do you envisage improving the existing system?

I consider that the system is effective enough. There are strict conditions for triggering that alert: it must be established to be an abduction and not a disappearance, with accurate information to help locate the abductor, the victim must be a minor, his life or his physical integrity must be in danger and there must be parental consent. On six occasions the, "abduction alert," has been used, each time successfully.

It is reported that Kate and Gerry McCann will be in Strasbourg next week, to encourage more MEPs to sign up to the Europe-wide Amber alert system. As the above article reports, several European countries have already been working with a cross-border alert system and others have been observing the recent exercise to test out the effectiveness of the system.

I really doubt that the alert system would have helped or been triggered by Madelein McCann's disappearance. Rachida Dati, the French Justice Minister lists the strict conditions for triggering an alert:

• It must be an established abduction and not a disappearance.
• There must be accurate information to help locate the abductor.
• The child must be a minor.
• The child's life must be in danger or the child must be at risk of physical harm.
• There must be parental consent.

So, would the circumstances of Madeleine's disappearance have met these strict conditions?

1. The Portuguese police are still investigating abduction as one of the possible scenarios, but there does not seem to be absolutely clear evidence of an abduction: no trace, apparently, of the abductor was found in the apartment and there was no evidence of forced entry.
2. At the time, Jane Tanner reported having seen a man carrying, "a bundle, which could have been a child," though later this was improved to a man carrying a child wearing pyjamas like Madeleine's. The vague information given at the time would not have helped locate an abdcuctor.
3. Madeleine is a minor.
4. If Madeleine had been abducted, her life would surely have been in danger.
5. I am sure the McCanns would have consented.

In my opinion, criteria 1 and 2 were not met by the circumstances of Madeleine's disappearance and so an abduction alert would not have been triggered. There was no accurate description of a possible abductor, no description of a possibly suspicious vehicle and a lack of physical evidence in the apartment. So, what information could have been disseminated in an alert message?

• A small blonde child was last seen in her parents holiday apartment. She is not there now.
  

• A man was seen, near the apartment, carrying a bundle which could have been a child.
  

What might an alert message have said, then? Stop every vehicle crossing the border in which there is a small blonde child? Maybe! But then, if Madeleine had been transported in an abductor's vehicle, the chances are that she would not be sitting looking at the scenery. No doubt she would have been hidden. What then? Stop and search every vehicle crossing the border? Not a very useful exercise I think!

In my opinion, it would be a much more useful exercise for the McCanns to be warning other parents about the dangers of leaving small children alone, rather than their supporting the introduction of a European alert system, which would not have helped nor been triggered in the circumstances of their daughter's disappearance. Also, it appears that work towards a European abduction alert system has been progressing nicely for some time without the McCanns' help. So, given that Madeleine's disappearance would not have triggered an alert, and there were already moves to set up a Europe-wide system, I really don't understand the McCanns' involvement.

http://www.kidnapping.be/alerteenlevement/index.html

12/06/08