30/04/2014 BBC Points West

Welcome to BBC Points West with David Garmston and Alex Lovell. Our

main story tonight: What really happened inside a cell at Melksham

Police Station? Footage of the moment a suspect is tasered seen by

millions. The jury have had six days to consider the evidence. Your

viewers will not have the context. I did not think that was there to stop

The Chief Constable explains why he tried to stop it being seen by the

public. Our headlines tonight: The bus lane

in Bath that caught out thousands ` but now drivers are to get their

money back. Policing on the hoof ` new research

to find out if mounted officers are more effective than people thought.

I am at the Jazz Festival and I will be talking to you later.

Good evening. The media has obtained dramatic footage of the moment a

suspect was shot with a taser gun inside a police cell in Melksham.

The officer who fired the gun was cleared of assault yesterday after a

jury saw the footage but he now faces a disciplinary process. The

Chief Constable tried to stop the video being released, but now

accepts it is inevitable that people will see it. Here is our home

affairs correspondent, Steve Brodie. Suspect Daniel Dove has been ordered

to take off his clothes as part of a strip search after being brought to

Melksham Police Station. But when he reaches his underpants, he flips

them at PC Lee Birch. The policeman produces his electronic taser from

behind his back and fires the 50,000`volt stun gun into Mr Dove's

chest. Wiltshire's Chief Constable told me why he doesn't think the

public should see the film. I can accept that people might wonder why

I objected. My issue was one of principle. In my view, I have to

insure fairness and I have to care for my officer, who has been found

not guilty. My view was that it would be a problem for my officer to

release the footage. An hour before Daniel Dove had been arrested

outside this Trowbridge night club in December 2012 for being drunk and

disorderly. He is then brought here to the custody suite at Melksham

Police Station. He is booked standing handcuffed in front of PC

Birch. The jury were told he was drunk and difficult to handle. After

the tasering, he was charged with assault. But after he took out a

private prosecution against PC Birch the CPS dropped the allegations and

prosecuted PC Birch instead. The Chief Constable agrees that justice

should be seen to be done. I fully support open justice. There is an

ongoing investigation. In my view, releasing the media might not have

helped this investigation. I am responsible for making sure that

investigations are fair and in my view the footage might have

prejudiced the investigation. Wiltshire Police have reviewed their

policy towards tasers and how they are used. Meanwhile, PC Birch has

returned to his job. Steve Brodie, BBC Points West, Wiltshire Police

Headquarters, Devizes. More details have emerged today of

the extraordinary rescue operation to save a woman who fell nearly 30

feet from a bell tower inside Wells Cathedral. A specially`trained

doctor involved in the rescue has told the BBC that the 68`year`old

woman fell into a narrow cavity between two walls. The opening was a

little more than two feet wide, which made the rescue very

challenging. Tonight the woman remains in hospital. Clinton Rogers

has spoken exclusively to the doctor at the centre of the rescue. Dr

James Hickman is a specialist trauma doctor with mountaineering

experience ` just the man for what turned out to be rescue at height in

a very confined space. This is the main tower in the centre of the

Cathedral and the walls here are effectively double skinned. The

woman, taking part in what is called a Cathedral High`Parts Tour, somehow

managed to fall into a narrow space between two bell tower walls. It is

a bit like the cavity walls you have at home. It is about to to three

feet wide. `` 2`3 feet. The lady fell between the two parts of the

wall. Down into a cavity here. There was not much room there. The verger

was helping her and I went down, supported by the Fire Service, on a

rope. She was awake and was able to talk to me. We started the initial

management of her injuries in the small space. There were many teams

there. The fire rescue team, who argued in difficult situations like

this, help to get the lady onto a stretcher to lift her out into the

room in the tower. From there she was carried to the cathedral roof

and winched onto a rescue helicopter. I was relieved that she

was not more injured than you would expect from the height of the fall

that she had. Tonight, the woman continues to recover at Frenchay

Hospital in Bristol. Clinton Rogers, BBC Points West. It does sound

frightening. We wish her well. A quarter of a million pounds' worth

of fines has been written off following a huge public outcry over

a badly signposted bus lane in Bath. Council leaders are now reviewing

their scheme and have agreed to suspend it until better signage is

in place. Scott Ellis is at the site in question this lunchtime.

It is very confusing to drive down this road towards the camera and

then have to decide whether this is, or was, a bus lane. Many people have

refused to pay the fines. Opposition councillors say the war thing has

been a farce. ``whole thing. There is a lot for a driver to take in on

the one way system towards Bath bus station. Several sets of traffic

lights. Pedestrians. And a lot of signs ` including confusion about

where the entrance to Southgate car park is. Before you know it ` you

have gone through the bus gate. For someone like me who does not know

the area, I need to rely on my satellite navigation. Did you see

the signs? No. Sometimes a bus is in the way. Am I supposed to see

through the bus? Luckily, none of these drivers will be fined. The

council has ended the bus gate experiment and all fines are being

written off. Fines paid to`date will be refunded. We are very sorry and

we are embarrassed that we have upset people. I am embarrassed that

the experiment has not worked. We did not get our signs correct. This

Chinese student received a bus gate penalty notice recently. We broke

the news to him that he wouldn't have to pay. That is good. I checked

online and there is a petition going on. I thought that maybe I should

wait a week or so. The road was closed to cars other than taxis to

help improve bus journey times ` an attempt to unlock one of the many

pinch points in Bath. We asked local driving instructors why the

authorities had got it so wrong. The people who design the road systems

fit in an office with a computer, with all the sizes on the computer,

designing it on the computer, but they never go out and look at the

situation on the ground. Hopefully when they do it again they will get

it right. The council says it will decide on Friday if the bus gate

will be brought back permanently, once it has analysed data from the

experiment. But given so many cars have been mistakenly driving through

the bus gate, it is hard to know how valid the data will be. The signs

are still up, but the experiment is over. You can drive down here will

stop will be bustling comeback? Today the council is looking at its

options. If it does come back, it will need to be ran more

professionally. Many people in Bath want to drive into the city and they

do not want to pay fines. We are very glad you could join us

for this midweek Points West. There is much more still to come on the

programme. Cashing in or coining it in? Traders in Bath want to have

their own Bath pound. A fourth person has been charged in

connection with the death of a Bristol teenager. Nicholas Robinson

died after being stabbed in the stairway of a block of flats in

Stokes Croft last month. Today eighteen`year`old Fabian Cole from

Bristol was charged with conspiracy to possess a firearm. Two Bristol

men have previously been charged with murder and a woman from London

with assisting an offender. Mounted police have been patrolling

the streets of Gloucestershire as part of a research project to see if

officers on horseback really help to fight crime. Because of the need to

save money, many forces have been cutting down on mounted police. But

that may have been a false economy. Here is our Gloucestershire

reporter, Steve Knibbs. Can you see the horsies? Yes! Across

the country, mounted police units are disappearing as chief constables

face difficult cutbacks. Here in Cirencester, they are back on the

streets for the first time in decades. And they are certainly

turning heads. I think it is wonderful. I think the more that

they are around and they're seen the better it is for everybody. We all

enjoy seeing horses. It is a friendly way to police a village.

The horses look great, so I think it is therapeutic. I think it is

fantastic. I've seen them a couple of times and everyone is talking

about it. The children love seeing them and it is another angle to

introduce them to the police force. The horses are certainly attracting

a lot of attention, but unknown to the public here talking to the

police officers they are guinea pigs for a serious piece of academic

research to see how effective mounted police units really are. And

while rural areas are used to horses, here in the centre of

Gloucester they are a rare sight. Following closely behind are

researchers from the University of Oxford, recording how many people

came up to the police and whether their reactions are good or bad. It

is a very visible form of policing, much more visible than community

patrols on foot or bicycle. People interact with the officers more,

people have chats with the officers, they interact with the horses. We

think that it increases public trust and confidence. The research has

been commissioned by Gloucestershire's Deputy Chief

Constable who is the national lead on mounted policing in the UK. He is

not promising that we will see new mounted units cropping up once the

results are published, but he just wants it to focus the minds of chief

constables as they look at their resources. What we can do is provide

some proper, credible evidence to help them understand at what cost

they will disappear and then to make strategic decisions about whether or

not they continue in light of that evidence. So that may lead to

discussions about regional hubs that provide a national capability,

rather than they disappear sporadically on a one`to`one basis.

It is thought the research is a world first and results will be

compared to a survey carried out in London at the same time. But it is

already showing that if you want the public to talk to the police ` bring

in the horses. Steve Knibbs, BBC Points West, Cirencester.

Three West Country producers will hear tomorrow whether they have won

a national award celebrating food. The BBC Food and Farming Awards are

being held in Bristol for the first time ` coinciding with the biggest

food festival the city has ever held. Sally Challoner reports.

Of 6,000 nominations to the BBC's Food and Farming Awards, three

finalists are from the West ` reflecting the hard work of our

farmers, growers, and street chefs. One of two here nominated as

outstanding farmer of the year is Neil Darwent from Frome. He set up

Free Range Dairy ` promoting the value of milk from cows fed on

pasture. Free Range Dairy tries to promote the farms that still allow

their cows to graze in the summer months and to tell everybody what is

great about the milk that you get from that, the life that the cow

has, and what it is doing for our rural committees. He also works with

scientists to constantly pioneer new ways of farming. Also nominated as

outstanding farmer is Luke Hasell. He founded the Community Farm on

thirty acres just outside Bristol. It is a model for educating people

about where their food comes from. There is a renaissance of local food

coming back and that is what we are trying to do in the Bristol area `

trying to make it more prevalent and for everyone to be able to reconnect

with that. Luke also farms livestock, to sell direct to top

chefs across the West. While the West is renowned for its produce, it

has also got a lot going on in the street. Wengang Weng runs Chilli

Daddy ` a Szechuan take`away offering fast, but good, food. In my

opinion, street food is more approachable and more transparent

because people can see what you are doing and what you are cooking. And

also, in my opinion, street food is more like home cooking and it is

very authentic. It is not just great food, it has to taste good. But it

has to be in some way food that changes society, that makes Britain

a better place, that makes the community a better place, that does

wonders for the economy. That is what makes it different from any

other food award. All three will find out tomorrow night if they have

won. Sally Challoner, BBC Points West. Alex and I will be at the food

Festival in Bristol this Saturday. There are tickets available.

Do come down, it will be fun. There will be celebrity chefs.

Plans were announced today for another local, alternative currency

in the West Country. First there was Stroud, then two years ago the

Bristol Pound was launched. Now traders in Bath are hoping a local

pound will boost independent shops and businesses. Our business

correspondent, Dave Harvey, went to have a look.

Walcot Street ` quirky, one`off, home to independent traders ` who

may soon be boosted by their own unique currency. Bristol has its own

currency, so why not bad? That is what has been suggested to bar

Council and how do you think it can help? It was well received today.

People could see the benefit of it. Good for the economy. We had some

businesses that turned up and the council seemed to be interested in

supporting it. If people want to support the local economy, why do

they not just spent the sterling pound? It is about supporting your

own city. This looks like good hunting for the Bath Pound `

vintage, off beat, no high`street chain fashion in Geoff Marshall's

place. So will his regulars embrace the new Bath Pound? I honestly

cannot see it making a difference to be honest. It might bring a spark to

the experience, but I doubt it is going to increase trade. There is no

need for it. If you are a shopkeeper, you will have to take it

separately in detail. How do you handle getting people change? I

would rather it was simple. There are many quirky shops in the city,

but do they need their own currency? In Bristol, ?400,000 had been

exchanged into the Birstol Pound. Now for the sport news.

Bristol snooker player Judd Trump needs just four more frames to make

it into the semi`finals of the World Championships. Judd was ahead 6`2

overnight against Neil Robertson, who won four of the first five

frames this afternoon. But Judd took the last two to leave the match at

9`6 going into the final session tonight.

Somerset have won their first County Championship match of the season,

beating Sussex by an innings and 11 runs. Captain Marcus Trescothick top

scored with 116. Somerset then bowled out Sussex twice as Lewis

Gregory took nine wickets. In Division Two, Gloucestershire drew

with Essex. Will Tavare and Alex Gidman scoring second innings

centuries. Cheltenham's Jazz Festival has

kicked off this evening with none other than home`grown talent,

Wiltshire's Jamie Cullum. Over the past week, the familiar big top has

been going up in Montpelier Gardens right in the centre of town to stage

the headline acts. Jamie has chosen the venue as the place to premiere

his new album. In fact, he is playing right now in the first of

two sell`out gigs this evening. Our reporter, Ali Vowles, who has known

Jamie for years, caught up with the talented jazz musician on stage a

little earlier. Jamie Cullum, welcome back to Cheltenham. This is

a place you are familiar with. It is. I used to come here to watch

music. Now I am here to do a big gig. Why have you chosen here to

premiere your new album? I have always done things differently in

Cheltenham. I am playing to a crowd that are willing to come with me. We

have put this event together for tonight and we will be playing many

new songs. It is a long way from where we `` when we first films you

six years ago. `` 11 years ago. Do you remember playing at the Swindon

Jazz Festival? I do. I am still enthusiastic about music. It is a

strange thing to do for a living. You have to do it because you love

it. There are other, easier things to do. But I love to play and attend

things like this with other musicians. When you first played

Festival Hall, you said that was the pinnacle of your career. What were

you thinking then? I was thinking that things had moved very fast. I

had been playing around Swindon and Bristol, but really that was a long

period of my life when I was earning my stripes. But I remember that

big. It was my first big concert halls show. ``hall. I have played

many concert halls since. You are a local boy. How much does it mean to

you coming back to the West Country. My mum and dad are here. It is going

to be great. Thank you for talking to us. See you in 11 years. We will

put that on our Facebook page. Now let us catch up with the weather.

We have a final clouds here. You may see some of these tomorrow. Tomorrow

will be a gay with a lot of rain. These guys will look like this. As a

consequence, The Met office has issued a warning for heavy rain. It

recognises the threat of heavy showers and thunderstorms. There is

the potential for 15 millimetres of rain will stop `` 15 millimetres of

rain. After a dry and cloudy night, there will be showers tomorrow. It

will be in the evening when the worst of the rain arrives. This

evening, there will be light rain and some of that will continue

through the night. But most places will be dry. It will be a mild

night, temperatures 9`10 Celsius. Tomorrow morning, it will be mostly

dry but as the day goes on there will be more rain. In the afternoon,

there may be slow downpours. They will fade very slowly throughout

tomorrow evening. Temperatures tomorrow, 13`14dC. Things will then

change on Friday and high pressure will build for the weekend. It will

be cold at night on Friday and Saturday. But the rest of the

weekend should be dry. That is all we have time for tonight

will stop Well that is all from us tonight, but before we go we have

another exclusive to finish the programme with.

Yes. Jamie Cullum has been very kind and improvised a tune especially for

us. So here he is! Goodnight. I am going to play piano to see goodbye.

PIANO PLAYS.