A special squad set up to re-investigate the murder of Rikki Neave say the response from the public during the past week has surpassed expectations.
Det Insp Jerry Waite said: “The response from the public has been great; people in the area who have spoken to us clearly want to help us catch those responsible for this horrendous crime.”
Many of those coming forward to speak to police since the case was officially re-opened have been to a mobile incident room that has been on the Welland estate for eight days.
Others, however, have approached police officers privately to volunteer information in the bid to find the killer of the six year-old former March boy.
The police mobile unit will be leaving Scalford Drive, Peterborough, later today although teams of detectives will be continuing to visit potential witnesses in the area over the coming weeks.
Det Insp Wait has urged the public to use the dedicated phone number, which is 01480 425882, mailbox address of operation.mansell@cambs.pnn.police.uk or contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 with information.
He said: “It’s possible that there are people who didn’t feel comfortable approaching our officers in a public place.
“If you have information to share but wish to remain anonymous please think about contacting Crimestoppers confidentially.
“We are specifically appealing for people who believe they may have seen Rikki during the evening of Monday, November 28, 1994.
“We are trying to establish the timeline of Rikki’s last known movements and we would like to talk to people with information, even if they spoke to police at the time.”
Since the investigation re-launched officers have received dozens of calls, emails and spoken to people on the estate. Up to 30 detectives from the Cambridgeshire, Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire major crime unit have been assigned to the case.
Rikki was last seen leaving for school at around 9am on Monday, November 28, 1994, from his home in Redmile Walk, Welland. He is believed to have been wearing grey trousers, a white shirt, black shoes and a blue coat. Rikki’s body was found in a wooded area off Eye Road, close to Willoughby Court, the following day - five minutes’ walk from his house in the Welland Estate.
A post mortem examination concluded that Rikki had died as a result of a compression of the neck – strangulation.
Det Insp Waite said: “We still believe there may be others who were not confident to speak to us so openly who may have information vital to bringing the offender(s) to justice.
“The response so far has resulted in a number of new lines of enquiry which we are actively pursuing, for which we remain grateful to the public.”
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