By Rod Chaytor 10/01/08

Kate and Gerry hope Madeleine’s lasting legacy will be a Europe-wide warning system which will spring into action when a child goes missing.

Their spokesman Clarence Mitchell said yesterday: “In America, if a child goes missing in San Diego or wherever, within minutes alerts are flashing up across freeways and hoardings all over the country – right to New York.

“In Europe there’s nothing like that, despite the EU’s desire for one Europe.”

He added: “If, God forbid, Madeleine were never to be found, if some sort of legacy for her were the introduction of a proper system in Europe which would mean that no other family were ever in this dreadful position again, then at least some good would have come out of this appalling situation.

“This is the issue which is the closest to Gerry and Kate’s heart at the moment, it really is.

“They don’t want any other parent to go through this.”

Referring to the long delay in the Portuguese contacting their Spanish counterparts after Madeleine vanished, Mr Mitchell said: “They want to feel that if another child goes missing in Europe, that nation’s police force will be alerted quickly and in turn will alert all the other forces in the surrounding countries.”