Kate and Gerry McCann have been urged by Portugal’s most senior detective to take part in a reconstruction of what happened on the night of their daughter’s disappearance.

The couple have so far refused to return to Praia da Luz to re-enact their movements in the hours before Madeleine vanished on May 3 last year. Portuguese police had appealed for them to return last month and have now asked them to take part on May 14 and 15.

Alipio Ribeiro, the national director of the PolÍcia Judiciária (PJ), said yesterday that it was “very important” that the McCanns, who live in Rothley, Leicestershire, return to Portugal.

“If operations were decided on, which would justify the presence of the parents in Portugal, it would be very important for them to accept that participation within the Portuguese legal regulations,” he said.

The couple left the Algarve two days after being made official suspects on September 7. A Portuguese judicial source said that it was not possible to issue an arrest warrant to compel them to return.

The McCanns have said that they were considering the request but were concerned about taking part while they were still classified as official suspects. They have also questioned the reasons for holding a reconstruction more than a year after the crime.

Mr Ribeiro said that officials had not decided whether to bring charges or drop the investigation after the continuing review of evidence. “At this stage, nothing has been determined regarding possible charges or closing the case,” he said. “The PJ continues to gather and analyse all available evidence.”

However, the Attorney-General, Fernando Jose Pinto Monteiro, appeared to signal that the investigation could be shelved. Mr Monteiro said that the closure of the case was “nothing which should shame the police”.

He added: “These kind of crimes are extremely difficult to investigate. There are a million missing children per year throughout the world and not even 20 per cent are found. It may be that we find out yet. Let’s wait until the end.”

He said that prosecutors could stop the release of evidence in the case, which is due to be made public in August. “We will analyse the state of the case and see whether it is necessary or not to request an extension.”

Mr McCann, 39, has said he feared that the police files will never be made public because of exemptions applying to the release of information in serious cases such as child trafficking. “If trafficking is mentioned, then the files will remain secret for ever, the same with organised crime,” he said. “For us that’s certainly a possibility with Madeleine.”

The McCanns have said that they want to see the police reports so their private detectives can carry out their own investigation. “What we want is the files to be opened and to see what is being done. We’d like to know who has been eliminated and on what grounds they have been eliminated, who hasn’t been eliminated and what leads are still being followed, so we can know what’s being done,” Mr McCann said.

“Because the police won’t tell us this, we have been forced to compile all the evidence again ourselves. We are begging all witnesses to come forward, even if they have already spoken to police.”

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