I don't think burglars follow a strict job description with union action threatened if one of them expands into violence etc. Three people who break into a flat might be there for many reasons. Other break ins resulted in rape and murder of elderly women, so no job description adhered to there. There was also a case where a man was caught in a child's room and ran off when the parents ran in. There is also another issue in that going by the other break ins there was no obvious sign of a forced entry ( including the flat above the McCann's the week previously) so they obviously knew how to get in - did they have a master key, did they know some fault with the doors etc. And who else knew, was it known by criminal types how to get keys for the flats, did the burglars boast to anyone about how easy it was to get in and out. Three people were breaking into flats including the one above the McCann's its not shocking the police want to talk to them. As for media hype, Madeleine sells abd so does mystery and so long as people read about her the media will print anything (lord Lucan is still in the media every year forty odd years later as people love a real life mystery). Its better than the sickos in the papers for dressing up as Madeleine for parties etc. I think media desperation for a Maddie story is what caused the tractorman story ( which came from portugal's media), he was just an ex employee being looked into as standard, but as he was dead they could go to town.
As for the checks, they were every fifteen to twenty minutes or so, not exact either. Scotland yard said there was enough time for an abduction to take place.
British police are very cagey with updates and information. The best your going to get until arrests or a trial is the crime watch update saying people had called to identify the man.
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