14/11/2013 Look North (Yorkshire)

Good evening and welcome to Thursday's Look North.

Tonight, one of Yorkshire's most senior MPs warns that the culture

and behaviour of some immigrants could cause an explosion. Former

Home Secretary David Blunkett was talking about the Roma community in

his constituency. Now, another Sheffield MP warns immigrants to be

sensitive to the British way of life.

Also tonight, what's taking so long? Protests in Wakefield over the slow

progress of an investigation into police actions during the miners'

strike. And, I have been finding out how our high streets are fighting

back. Tonight, the Deputy Prime Minister

has added his voice to concerns that cultural tensions in parts of

Sheffield could lead to riots. It follows comments by the former

Home Secretary David Blunkett, who told the BBC that the behaviour and

culture of some immigrants in the Page Hall area of his constituency

could lead to an explosion. Around 400 Roma families from Slovakia now

live there. Some local residents have begun patrols to try to keep

the area peaceful. Today, the Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg, who's

also a Sheffield MP, said immigrants coming to Britain must respect the

British way of life. There are tensions in Sheffield.

Till 12:00 at night, out. Everybody is fighting, smoking. Without

careful management, things could blow up, according to David

Blunkett. We have got to change their culture, because there will be

an explosion otherwise. We have got to say, you are not in a downtrodden

village or woodland, you are here. The Deputy Prime Minister joined the

debate. If you are coming to live here and bringing up a family, be

sensitive to the way life is lived here. I know what's going on in this

community. Looking for something better than where they come from.

They have praised work going on to reduce the tensions that can arise.

Well, joining us now is Dave Brown, the head of the organisation

Migration Yorkshire. Why should Roma migrants from Slovakia be seen as a

problem in Sheffield? There are two politicians who have brought this

up. There are issues around the country. There is always some

misunderstanding, and we need to focus on integration. Should MPs

talk about riots? He was talking about the difficulties of community

cohesion. In Sheffield, communities are working well together. How do

you get the communities to work together? Ideas around cohesion

groups coming together, mediators. Not being fearful of people. Talking

to them. Next tonight, the Independent Police

Complaints Commission has apologised for the lack of progress it's made

investigating the role of officers at the so`called Battle of Orgreave

during the 1984 miners' strike. Campaigners held a protest in

Wakefield today to highlight their frustration. It's a year since South

Yorkshire Police referred itself to the IPCC after claims officers were

told what to write in their statements, but a lot of evidence is

yet to be looked at. It was the worst battle of the

miners' strike. A year ago, Inside Out got hold of the police

statements. Officers had used the same lines. It's incredible to think

it is nearly 30 years, and the protests go on. The people here who

were involved say they're sick and tired of waiting. I'm extremely

frustrated. They are pulling out all the stops for Andrew Mitchell. They

can't wait to kick this into touch. It's important to have this

investigation. As pressure grew today, the person leading addressed

protestors. That was little comfort to campaigners, who've waited nearly

three decades for the truth. Later on Look North. Could you name

your Police and Crime Commissioner? Yorkshire's representatives admit

one of their battles is letting people know who they are.

First, more of the day's news. A South Yorkshire Police officer who

worked undercover has admitted offering to supply cocaine. Sarah

Greaves pleaded guilty at Derby Crown Court this morning, along with

her boyfriend Adam Dickinson, who is a convicted drug dealer. The

29`year`old officer has now resigned.

It was July when Sarah Greaves had been arrested and charged.

Detectives found messages from her. Today he and Sarah pleaded guilty to

offering to supply Class A drugs although Sarah said, despite

admitting sending text messages, she had never carried out the exchange,

no drugs changed hands. We can't identify Sarah because she worked as

an undercover officer and although she was based in Doncaster, she went

all over the country targeting drugs and prostitution cases. Her and

concern were given bail today with conditions they will be sentenced at

a later hearing. They were both warned by the judge they are likely

to go to prison. We've had a response from the Chief

Constable of South Yorkshire. He said:

an international arrest warrant has been issued for a 21`year`old

Radford man wanted in connection of the murder of his wife. Police

believe he has left the UK and may have returned to Pakistan. The body

of his wife was found last week at a house, she died of head injuries.

A second man has been arrested over a hoax bomb threat. Armed police

sealed off the high street for several hours following a series of

phone calls. A 22`year`old Leeds man has been questioned and released on

bail. A 21`year`old arrested last month is also on bail. Young

unemployed people in Leeds and Sheffield are to receive almost ?10

million of government funding to improve their job prospects. Leeds

has received ?4.6 million while Sheffield has been given ?5 million

to invest in mentoring and training programmes.

Campaign has been launched Bradford to try and prevent people developing

diabetes full stop is thought as many as one in five people in the

city centre may have the city centre. Diabetes is common among the

Asian population due to a combination of diet and genetics.

Leaflets have been handed out telling people how they can prevent

themselves from developing the disease.

About a quarter of people will have the condition. As time goes on, the

risks get more. South Asian people are more likely to get diabetes. A

huge amount that we can do to prevent it. Plenty of South Asian

people have been able to reverse it by changing their lifestyle, so it

is not all doom and gloom. One of Yorkshire's Police and Crime

Commissioners has admitted to Look North hardly anyone knows who he is.

Shaun Wright's comments come as a national BBC survey shows a third of

people don't even know they have a police commissioner. Elections for

the post took place this time last year, with some of the poorest

turnouts in British history. They replaced police authorities and

are there to ensure forces are run effectively. In North Yorkshire,

Julia Mulligan was elected, on a salary of ?70,000. In West

Yorkshire, the former chair of the police authority, Mark

Burns`Williamson, won, and he's now Yorkshire's highest`paid PCC, on a

salary of ?100,000. Shaun Wright was elected in South Yorkshire and is

paid around ?85,000 a year. Two world champion boxers and a

police Commissioner, only two of them are famous. South Yorkshire's

Commissioner has had to defend himself. Shaun Wright has been at

random in goal's boxing foundation to give them a grant to help them

reduce anti`social behaviour. He has at two and questions about the

police's role in Hillsborough and protecting children in bother. ``

Rotherham. I have done my best to raise awareness. Too many people

know who I am, if I walked down the High Street in South Yorkshire, I

would be lucky to find a handful of people, but we are on a journey, and

in another three years, and the next elections, round, I would expect

more people to buy what we are about. A poll suggests more than a

third of people do not know if they have got a Commissioner or not. The

best way to get your face known, Lough Erne a few doors and tell

people how you have been spending the next 12 months. This man runs

West Yorkshire police, he has been spending money taken away from

criminals on CCTV and a slide for a school in Bradford. He says people

are starting to understand his job. The profile and accountability are

becoming more understood in the public. But I do not think this can

be judged until the full term of office, in three and a half years.

There is work to do on improving their public image. The role was

designed to be recognisable and accountable. They have another

freaky is to prove they are succeeding.

Well, a short time ago, I spoke to North Yorkshire's police

commissioner Julia Mulligan, and I asked her if she feels she can do an

effective job if people don't know she exists.

First of all, a lot of people do know we exist, there has been a

recent survey that suggests 65% of people do know. That is real

progress from this time last year, only 7% of people had ever heard of

police authorities, but we are getting out of that and talking to

people, and I do that every week. I have done more than 40 surgeries all

around North Yorkshire. What about those who have not heard of you?

More than half of people think commissioners have had no impact on

crime levels. It is early days, but that is 50% of others who may think

we have. It depends on how you spend those statistics. How are you going

to persuade those who do not? By talking to people, which is what I

am doing. North Yorkshire is the largest policing area in the

country, the size of eight Parliamentary constituencies, said

to have got as far as I have in 12 months is good news, but there is a

lot more work to do. What have you achieved? I have reversed the

decision of the police authority to cut the officer numbers, so we are

now recruiting in North Yorkshire, which is as a consequence of direct

feedback from the public, saying they want to see officers out and

about. That is a key thing. I have also reduced budget in my office and

senior salaries for police staff to the tune of ?1 million, and we have

also made some major investments in policing in the form of the major

crime unit and an operation tackling rural crime.

Before 7pm. It's the eve of Children in Need.

And we'll show you how some of the money you raised last year is spent

improving the lives of children in Barnsley.

Now, a South Yorkshire charity which helps children with learning

disabilities get involved in the arts is amongst those who've

benefitted from your generous Children In Need donations. We

caught up with a group of children from Barnsley and Wakefield who were

given the opportunity to take part in art and crafts, dance and music

thanks to Barnsley`based Action Space Mobile.

For a week in the summer, they welcome these children into another

place, the world of Robin Hood. It is like stepping into a storybook

and being actively involved in all of the elements, whether it is the

drama, the storytelling, the music the dancing, it is so where do can

be as creative as you want, and it is so much fun. The story is told

slowly, character by character, day by day, building up at a pace the

children can follow. Gregory and Georgina are 17`year`old

twins from Sheffield. They have autism, which makes learning

difficult, but they make huge strides here. My son came out after

one session and he was standing up straight. It was such a revelation,

cause I had not realised that he stooped. It showed how much his

esteem had risen through being clear, interacting with everybody.

The week makes a lasting impression, the children are often acting the

story a year afterwards. Gregory felt able to get up and down for the

first time in his life. But none of this could happen without funding

from Children In Need. We do need the support and care, respect,

tolerance, and in a dormant for our children. We cannot do it all

ourselves. I am sorry! Very emotional, that is why John

money is so important. Your donations are a real help to

families like the Harmans. Children in Need is, of course, tomorrow, and

we're having our very own event at the National Media Museum in

Bradford. It's free to come along, just turn up between 5:30pm and

9:30pm. There'll be bands, a choir and

Bollywood dancers, and Ian and Keeley will be live from there

throughout the evening! Now, have you started your Christmas

shopping, or is it too early to talk about it?

I am beginning to have a look very carefully.

You have not parted with any cash? Definitely not. Well, this year more

shoppers in Yorkshire are expected to do their Christmas shopping

online than anywhere else in the UK. Exclusive figures given to Look

North show 40% of us will use the internet this year rather than hit

the High Street. So what will this mean for our local

retailers? How did you tempt shoppers out into

the cold to spend their cash? Particularly on a night like this?

Meadowhall think this could be the ants, spectacular. It has been

designed by a Huddersfield company who has seen business boom, a

shopping centres do everything they can to tempt people out to get the

Christmas money, which is important for retailers big and small.

The decorations might be understated and elegant, but the need to get

shoppers through the door is felt as keenly here as in our big shopping

centres. For many independent stores, the festive season can be

the time when they make up to 40% of their annual sales. It is all about

the unique and quirky, or tight budgets have taken their toll. A lot

of businesses have struggled, we have seen a lot of people come and

go, and it is terribly sad, because it is people's livelihoods. But we

just have to keep plugging away and hope that the people of Leeds. Come

and visit. They have not been the only ones. Year on year, our habits

have been changing, a trend that is only going one way. This Christmas

will be the biggest ever online, we have spoken to people about what

they intend to do, 35% say they will stop online. In Yorkshire, the

figure is about 40%. That is why this Huddersfield decoration company

has seen its business boom. Spectacles to draw people out of

their cosy homes are an invaluable tool, especially after a series of

disappointing years for retailers. This year, confidence is up, and a

quarter of people say they will spend more. In terms of footfall and

sales, date are on the uplift, and consumer confidence is back, so

people are shopping and embracing Christmas, to have a great time

here. That potential is felt down the road, a last big push to get

Sheffield's new market up and running. That is where you make your

money, in December, but these markets, we will be fine through the

year, but we like to make money. All traders should be up and running for

the opening, one month before Santa pays us a visit.

This got out opened today, and one of the people responsible is Jamie.

How long has it taken? It has taken about three months, a team of 20

people. 20 hours a day. It has been pretty nonstop, to deliver the

project. Literally just a few hours ago you were still finishing off?

Yes, there are still little bits today. Still some little bits. It

has been a bumpy year, you are seeing more of things like this? The

scale of the project are growing, Christmas has gone up to another

level. The project has grown, people's expectations are getting

bigger. You have fulfilled some expectations today, let's find out

from the people who really matter, those with the pester power to bring

parents in. You have been in to see Father Christmas, what did you

think? Amazing, the decorations look really good. What about you? You got

presents when you came out, you got a picture taken next to Santa. What

else can you see in their? A lot of moving creatures, I see. Some little

else going around, I can see one over there. Doing their work! It

looks fabulous. You have been very good, so I am sure you are on the

nice list. This is open until Christmas, and the decorations are

being switched on, people aren't desperately trying to tempt shoppers

through the doors and off the sofas `` people are.

The thing about online shopping, you do not have to listen to the

Christmas music for weeks and weeks. It is so early to talk about

Christmas! A couple of pictures. Very nice. Lovely autumnal colours.

A lovely sunset this afternoon. Keep the pictures coming in. There is a

new blog on there, detailing what will be the first taste of winter,

next week. For tomorrow, it is dry with sunshine. A ridge of high

pressure nudging in from the west, so a nice day. It will feel slightly

less cold. It has been glorious, despite the north`westerly. Most

places have seen clear blue skies. One or two showers clipping into the

coastal strip. It is clear, cold and windy this evening. Overnight, the

wind will ease. A widespread ground frost and air frost. You might be

scraping the ice off the windscreens first thing in the morning.

A lovely, crisp start to the day, plenty of sunshine around. We might

find that there will be high cloud nudging it from the West, which will

make the sunshine a bit hazy will stop central and eastern parts have

another glorious late autumn day, with a good deal less wind. In

Scarborough, where there has been a near gale, it should feel a lot

better. Still a bit cold over the tops of the hills, it may cloud over

in the West later, a decent sunshine. The temperature is not far

from normal. Saturday is looking OK, more cloud, but it should still be

bright. Some uncertainty on Sunday, thicker cloud bringing patchy rain.

It rains on Sunday night, allowing a northerly wind to develop, so the

Chavez could fall as sleet and snow. I am going to the Huddersfield

Examiner business awards. He will have to make his own tea, because

Nicola is on late night! A ready meal! Definitely! Good

night.