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Kate McCann - 'Madeleine did not leave the Algarve'

katemccann2Kate McCann believes her daughter Madeleine was not taken far from Praia da Luz after she disappeared shortly before her fourth birthday in May 2007 and vowed that she and her husband would never give up hope of finding their daughter  

The 47-year-old, who now is an ambassador for the Missing People charity, said that her research suggested that children were not usually taken far from the place they were abducted.

Kate McCann believes her daughter is still in the Algarve because her kidnapper would not have taken her "a million miles" from their holiday apartment.

In the nine years since Madeleine McCanns disappearance sparked a worldwide alert, there have been 8,658 ‘sightings’ from all over the world which have been followed up by Metropolitan Police officers as part of Operation Grange which to date has cost in excess of £10 million.

Madeleine’s mother believes her daughter never left the country and that the Praia de Luz resort is the where she "feels closest" to her.

"I've always said Praia da Luz is the place where I feel closest to her. It's all only speculation, but we've learned that's usually the case.

"We will never give up. You couldn't settle if you thought about giving up. I want an end, an answer - whatever that it is."

Kate McCann is heading a campaign sponsored by the Royal Mail to get a million people in the UK registered for a child rescue alert system which sends early warning messages to mobile phones or tablets.

The alert system could have mobilised people at the time of Madeleine's disappearance which despite thousands of hours of police work, remains an unsolved case.

Operation Grange was launched in 2011 and last year was scaled down from 29 officers to four with Scotland Yard saying that “the vast majority of the work of Operation Grange has been completed,” and despite interviewing over 60 people of interest, no arrests have been made.