Madeleine McCann: Home Office funds missing inquiry extension until March

The Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) has been granted for more money for its investigation into the disappearance of Madeleine McCann. In April the force said it was investigating “significant” leads that Assistant Commissioner Mark Rowley described as “very worthwhile”. Funding had originally been agreed up until the end of September. Now after a fresh application, it has received more cash to pursue one final line of enquiry in the £11 million Operation Grange. An extra £154,000 has been approved for the inquiry, the Home Office confirmed to Police Professional. A Home Office spokesperson added: “Following an application from the Metropolitan police, the Home Office has confirmed funding for Operation Grange until the end of March 2018. “As with all applications, the resources required are reviewed regularly and careful consideration is given before any funding is allocated.” Three-year-old Madeleine vanished from the family`s holiday apartment in Praia da Luz in Portugal on May 3, 2007. Her disappearance sparked one of the most high-profile, and costly, police investigations of recent times. The MPS investigation has been active since 2011, but the number of detectives working on the case was cut from 29 to four in 2015.