Police raise concern over £1m newspaper reward

The detective leading the hunt for two missing schoolgirls has raised concern over the £1m reward which two national newspapers are offering, suggesting it may lead to a series of "wild goose chases".

The Daily Star and Daily Express have jointly promised the reward for information leading directly to the safe return of the two 10-year-old friends who went missing from their homes in Soham, Cambridgeshire on Sunday.

Criticising the move, Detective Superintendent David Hankins said that the promise of such a substantial sum of money could encourage crank callers and ultimately hinder police efforts to recover the girls by wasting time.

Although he did not go so far as to condemn the newspapers' initiative, he said: "It will send officers off on wild goose chases.The downside is we will get pranks and people who are using the opportunity in the hope they'll get some of that money."

Det Supt Hankins indicated that Express Newspapers had not liaised with Cambridgeshire Police before pledging the million-pound reward on the front page of both papers yesterday.

Martin Townsend, the editor of the Sunday Express, defended the decision to offer money for vital information and denied that it had been made without consulting the police.

"Our only thought in putting up the amount was for the girls' safety and to try and solve this dreadful dilemma for everybody," he said.

"There's always going to be some risk of cranks and false calls but surely some of that is worth it if it brings these two little girls home.

The Sun and the News of the World have also put up a joint reward for £150,000.