The reason why Spanish police searching for Jay Slater won’t let UK forces help find the missing Brit in Tenerife has been pinpointed by an ex-Met Police detective. Lancashire Police offered Spain’s Guardia Civil help just days after the apprentice bricklayer was reported missing.
Jay, 19, vanished after travelling to the village of Masca in the north west region of the popular holiday island after partying at NRG music festival.
Peter Bleksley, a former detective at London’s Metropolitan Police, explained that police forces around the world are reluctant to accept offers of outside help.
He told Express.co.uk: “Policing is all about control, the world over. They control people in demonstrations, crowds at football matches, crime scenes, witnesses and suspects.
“The minute you let another law enforcement agency into your enquiry you start to surrender that element of control, and the police don’t like that. That will be why they declined assistance from Lancashire Police.”
Officers from the Guardia Civil in the Canary Islands have scoured the village and Rural de Teno Park for Mr Slater, from Oswaldtwistle, Lancashire.
The last known sighting of Mr Slater was on June 18 by a woman who said she saw him walking out of the village. Mr Slater’s pal Lucy Law said she received a frantic call that day, during which Jay said he was in the middle of nowhere, needed a drink and had one percent battery left on his phone.
Lancashire Police, which led the search for missing mum Nicola Bulley, said in a statement issued on June 21: “First and foremost, our thoughts are with Jay’s family at this time. They must be going through the most distressing ordeal not knowing what has happened to their loved one.”
The force added it had offered to support the Guardia Civil, but the Spanish force said it was “satisfied” it had the resources needed to locate missing Jay.
Mr Bleksley implied the police search for Ms Bulley may also have been a factor. Lancashire Police has been criticised over its response to the disappearance of the mortgage advisor who went missing while walking her dog along the River Wyre at St Michael’s on Wyre, Lancs., in January 2023.
Her body was found by members of the public after multiple police searches. An inquest ruled Ms Bulley died as a result of accidental drowning.
The ex-detective said: “Lancashire Police have not covered themselves in glory recently when it comes to missing person cases.” He went on to say that finding people who have disappeared can be exceptionally challenging, with officers tasked with filtering out false reports of sightings but needing to consider all lines of enquiry.
Mr Bleksley said “armchair sleuths” on social media make the task of finding a missing person even harder. He said: “People are spreading gossip and rumours online which are hurtful to families.”
Mr Slater’s family has been subjected to cruel online trolls, spreading claims and counter-claims. His relatives have said they are doing their best to ignore social media, but Mr Bleksley suggested doing so is not always easy.
He said: “It’s a human instinct to want to cling to any ray of light so families will look at this stuff. I would advise against it, but it’s understandable why they would dive into it. They’re hoping for something. It’s hope that keeps you going in a case like this.”
Express.co.uk has contacted Lancashire Police for comment, and we were directed to their statement made on June 21, included above.