Exclusive: Police call in watchdog over Claudia hunt

The inquiry into the disappearance of Miss Lawrence, who was last seen alive almost 14 months ago, ranks as the biggest and highest profile case overseen by North Yorkshire Police in recent years.

But the investigation has come under increasing public scrutiny as police remain baffled as to Miss Lawrence's whereabouts, and friends of the missing York University chef yesterday called for greater transparency in the case.

The Yorkshire Post can reveal today that the National Policing Improvement Agency (NPIA) has been commissioned by the North Yorkshire force to once again carry out an external review.

A team of senior police investigators from the NPIA will spend several weeks with the North Yorkshire force this month to analyse the murder inquiry, which has now cost in excess of 600,000, before reporting back in June.

The officer leading the North Yorkshire force's investigation, Det Supt Ray Galloway, was adamant the decision to bring in the NPIA, which carried out an initial review last summer, was not a result of public pressure.

He stressed Miss Lawrence's family was being kept "fully updated" with any developments and that the inquiry team had not been scaled back, a core of about 30 detectives continuing to work on the case.

But while he confirmed positive lines of inquiry were continuing to be pursued, Det Supt Galloway admitted the case had proved to be the most challenging investigation he had been involved in.

He said: "We have decided to call in the NPIA to ensure that all that can be done, is being done. It is a decision we have taken ourselves, and many other forces would perhaps not have decided to pursue this option.

"But I am confident that my inquiry team has handled the investigation in the correct manner with the utmost amount of professionalism, and will continue to do so.

"I would challenge anyone who would say otherwise."

The North Yorkshire force has faced a surge in complaints in general, a rise in numbers from 392 to 496 in the past year.

Det Supt Galloway stressed, however, that only one formal complaint had been submitted in connection with the 14-month investigation into Miss Lawrence's disappearance.

Friends of the missing woman welcomed the decision to once again call in the police agency, but claimed they remain concerned a major breakthrough in the inquiry has yet to be achieved.

Martin Dales, a close friend of Ms Lawrence's father, Peter, urged police to engage more with the public in the hope of bringing in vital new leads.

Mr Dales also claimed that he had yet to hear back from North Yorkshire Police after he contacted the force at the start of last month about a series of tip-offs from the public concerning four separate locations on the outskirts of York.

Mr Dales, who lives in Old Malton in North Yorkshire, said: "I have always accepted that not everything can be disclosed about the investigation for operational reasons.

"But there needs to be more accountability to the public, and there is a concern that the investigation is not progressing perhaps as it should be.

"An awful lot of taxpayers' cash has been spent on the inquiry, and people are right to ask what the latest is with the case."

North Yorkshire Police was presented in a positive light in the previous NPIA review, which concluded the inquiry had been conducted thoroughly and with "integrity and objectivity".

It is understood, however, the force was advised to place more emphasis on the missing woman's personal life.

Miss Lawrence was last seen walking near her Heworth Road home in York after finishing work on March 18 last year. Police upgraded the inquiry to a murder investigation the following month.

One of the biggest recent developments emerged two months ago when detectives revealed that Miss Lawrence had told a friend she had been out with a mystery boyfriend until the early hours of March 17, 2009 – the day before she was last seen alive.

Det Supt Galloway admitted yesterday the mystery boyfriend had yet to be traced but added that officers were still pursuing "active and positive lines of inquiry".