23/12/2011 Midlands Today

Welcome to the programme. The headlines tonight: The sinister

role of social media being used to spread hate among street gangs.

Through these music videos and the tracks they are putting out, it is

fuelling yet even more. Feeling the strain, claims our

accident and emergency service will be under pressure due to a lack of

planning. If they do not get an appointment with the GP, they will

make use of A and B and that is inappropriate.

The great Christmas get away, we will be live with the latest on the

roads. And a year to remember for the

local golfer crowned Young Sports Personality.

Welcome to the programme. Tonight: A call to ban internet music videos

which glamorise guns and violence. Urban street gangs in the West

Midlands are accusing social media networks such as Facebook and

YouTube to spread a message of hate and conflict. One leading

campaigner who works to mediate between rival groups says the

authorities simply don't understand what the coded messages mean or how

dangerous they are. The music videos are plentiful,

highly professional, the performers often talented but the lyrics are

about guns and turf wars on the streets of the West Midlands.

of the Commons they make with regard to what comes can do and how

guns can be used against other people, they are not being

understood by the powers-that-be. Because they can put things like

this on YouTube, it makes it dangerous for committees.

Social media on the internet is prized by every organisation, even

gangs. The police have prosecuted some people when weapons have been

openly displayed but the chairman of the Police Authority does not

think censorship would work. there are criminal activities, the

police will do with that but there is a whole issue of freedom of

expression, freedom of a heart and I feel those negative lyrics and

vibes are actually being committed by some very positive lyrics and

fads. The police say some 45 street gangs operate across the region

with 500 hardcore members. Gangs are about revenue, making money,

respect, power and prestige and revenge, violence and intimidation.

It has been 11 years since he got shot. White is so hard, I am just

trying to think why are they to come. Golden Child is a rapper. His

art reflects his friends and families lives. He is a performer

and wants nothing to do with gangs. They have been so many gang related

incidence and people need to realise that through these music

videos and these tracks that they are putting out, it is fuelling it

even more. Young people from across the region were invited to enter

the police headquarters to discuss how gangs affect their lives.

can't be an normal civilian citizen in this country if you are a gang

member because you cannot walk through certain areas because

you'll get seen. I am not comfortable walking around my

neighbourhood at night mainly because of people that are just

standing around trying to cause trouble. Especially the area where

I live, you cannot get away from them. In the new year, a special

police task force is being set up to tackle gang crime and culture.

Peter Wilson joins us now. Can anything be done to ban these sorts

of films on the internet? Things have been taking of particular

sites, especially satellite channels in the past but that has

merely been when there has been explicit sexual content, not these

kinds of gang of messages. It is also interesting that the police

don't feel it is their job to police the internet as far as these

messages are concerned. I know the police have invested a lot of time

and energy into social media themselves, to put their own

messages across, and I think they are aware that they would face a

backlash from the computer literate public if they did take action like

this. You have met these gangs, why his music so important to them?

is incredibly powerful and attractive and glamorous two young

guys, especially on the streets of Birmingham and years ago, I sat

down with one particular group who were playing the attract colt no

more but at the same time, I was aware that the same song with

different lyrics, talking about taking up guns and attacking their

rivals, was also playing in the background. A lot of mixed messages

out there. Still to come on the programme: Why

it will be lonely this Christmas for record-breaker Mark, thousands

of miles from friends and family. A teenager has been found dead in a

grain silo on a Shropshire farm. The body of the 18 year-old was

discovered on Wednesday night at Brockton near Much Wenlock. Police

say there's nothing suspicious about the death but the Health and

Safety Executive will carry out an investigation.

Police have launched a murder inquiry after a woman was found

stabbed to death at an address in the Erdington area of Birmingham.

It's thought the 52 year old was attacked during a domestic incident.

A 65 year-old man was detained in connection with the woman's death

and remains in police custody. Not enough planning has gone into

providing GP cover over the Christmas week, according to the

chairman of one GP consortium as the NHS enters its most pressured

period of the year. Peter Patel fears that the lack of cover could

put more strain on accident and emergency departments.

It's the calm before the storm in accident and emergency. This 13

month-old from Solihull has a temperature and a virus but she

need not necessarily be here. there is a time when surgery is

closed, that is when we approach the hospital so it happened today,

we came at a time when our surgery was not open. That is what this GP

practices trying to avoid. It is opening a full day tomorrow on

Christmas Eve and will open a full day next Wednesday but many GPs are

not. Dr Peter Patel believes not enough planning has been done and

notices on alternatives to A&E was sent out too late, 4:00pm on

December 21st. It should not be left to hospitals to take the

burden of debt. We have seen this in the past, that out-of-hours

services and hospitals have been overwhelmed during this period.

Heartlands Hospital's A&E is the busiest in the West Midlands. It is

gearing up to treating 360 patients a day over the holiday. The

hospital is doing everything it can to treat more people coming in.

There is a dedicated GP and the people can be referred to from

reception and it is an elderly person, there is a consultant on

standby to make sure they get help as quickly as possible This year is

potentially worse than ever because the holidays include two weekends.

We prioritise patients on the basis of their clinical need but if a

patient could have access to a service elsewhere, that helps us on

focusing the patients who need to be cared for by us in the

department. The best medicine though could be mild weather that

keeps people well. Tonight the Birmingham and Solihull

NHS cluster said that it is well prepared and confident in its

winter planning. They said that opening GP surgeries over holiday

periods doesn't work and that out- of-hours GP services and NHS walk-

in centres have the means to increase their capacity if

necessary. Thousands of Midlanders have been heading home for their

Christmas breaks this evening by road, rail and air. For many it has

been the last working day before the festive break. Motoring

organisations say overall, things have run fairly smoothly. In a

moment we'll be getting the latest information on the situation and

the roads but first, how people have been coping with the last

minute dash. Busy but not unbearable, this was a

shopping centre this afternoon. There was still no shortage of

tills ringing as people went on the hunt for last-minute bargains and

presents. I think many people have already done the shopping. It has

been a gradual process this year rather than a just one mad rush at

the end. It is nice, a festive spirit, I like it. This really is

make or break for some traders and every day in the run-up to

Christmas counts. At least though they haven't had to put up but the

snow and ice that kept some shoppers at home this time last

year. Wind and rain made driving conditions difficult in some parts

of the Midlands but motoring organisations reported few problems.

Many motorways were busy but quieter than anticipated. 40,000

passengers are expected to fly from Birmingham airport this weekend.

Many spending Christmas in the sun like these holidaymakers bound for

the Canary Islands. We haven't got a family at home so it's just easy

for us to get away from it of and chill out abroad. Just get a bit of

sunshine and is uncertain. I cannot stand a cold here any more!

million passengers are expected to use the railways across the country

over the past period. Some disruption is expected from Boxing

Day because of engineering works but travellers at the station

reported few problems today. Fairly busy but not horrendous. I left a

message on the train and I had to go to crew to get it so it has been

busy. No problems, lovely. Despite some to make predictions, Christmas

appears to have got off to a smooth start for most travellers.

What has it been like on the roads today? Let's cross now to the

headquarters in Quinton in Birmingham and speak to the manager

there. As we saw there, there have been heavy rain. Have the Rose been

busy to read? Surprisingly not, we were anticipating it would be quite

busy with it being the proper working day before Christmas. It

has not been too bad. We thought it would be far worse plus the weather

has not been great but it doesn't appear to have caused many problems.

Do you think this is the calm before the storm, people are

delaying their journey to Christmas Eve perhaps? Not necessarily, we

noticed a spike late last week so a Thursday and Friday and early this

week, which is when the the kids stopped school. Today was

relatively quiet, we are expecting there will be a spike tomorrow at

9:00am on the motorways and it will be busy inner-city centres at

midday. Today was predicted to be ex incredibly busy, any idea why it

was not? It could have something to do with the fact that school

holidays started a week ago, it looks as if people have been smart

and stagger their journeys slightly rather than making a mad dash for

the motorways in one go. People have been fairly well informed.

Our chances of having a white Christmas have gone but for

Coventry explorer Mark Wood, snow is a certainty. He is now halfway

across the South Pole. He set off at the end of last month and he has

now covered 340 nautical miles. It is the first stage of his ambitious

bid to become the first person to cross both poles back to back

unsupported. For Mark, this Christmas will be spent entirely

alone, thousands of miles away from family and friends in the bleak but

beautiful landscape of one of the most hostile places on the planet.

Here I am, finally in Antarctica. We are at base camp at the moment

and the temperature is around minus ten. At the start of his epic

journey and in good spirits. Since Mark Wood posted this video, he has

skied over 300 miles and endured the kind of isolation beyond most

people's imaginations. At home in Coventry, his partner Liz is

preparing for Christmas without him. I have lots of friends coming for

dinner and we will have a big roast turkey. Unfortunately for Mark, he

will have a routine so he will do what he does every day. It is a

good start, a good day. He will make his breakfast, get his water

boiled, pack up his tent and walk 15 miles and then treat himself to

an extra cup of tea in the evening. In fact, as the weekly phone call

reveals, he has already treated himself to an early Christmas

present. It is a fresh pair of socks and underwear. I think he

must be here now. He is more than halfway there but the journey has

not been without its difficulties. He has had to do running repairs to

his binding to make sure he can carry on because it is so important

that he can ski and not just walk. If you're one of those who have

been following his daily blog, you will know his feet are not in the

best shape. My feet are all cut up again but I am dealing with that

and I am screaming at night, putting iodine all over the winds

but that is just part and parcel, I am afraid, of this expedition will

stop Mark is doing all this to raise awareness of the state of our

planet. His page encourages people not to donate money but instead, to

go green. He knows there are so much support for him and speaking

to him today, he was in good spirits, you could hear from his

voice that he is in good spirits. Getting past but halfway mark is

really important or stop hopefully, the sledge will be lighter and it

will be easier. Bearing in mind more is going to have to tackle the

North Pole within weeks of conquering the south, socks I

suppose are not a bad idea this Christmas.

If you want to check on his progress across Antarctica, go to

our Facebook age where there is a link to his blog which he is

updating daily. While we're talking about a white Christmas at the

South Pole, we are hardly likely to have Antarctic temperatures here?

What a difference a year makes! Find out what we had back in 2010

compared to what we are going to get in 2011 a little later on.

By the time new year's day rolls round, the Premier League will have

reached its halfway point. Which of our teams at the teacher's pet and

who are the dunces in the corner for a half-term report?

17 games in and our Premier League sides have alternated moments to

treasure and reasons to despair. Sitting pretty at the moment are

Stoke City - 8th after 17 games and through to the knockout stages of

the Europa League. My chairman things it is one of the great years

in the history of the football club. He is in his mid-Seventies and the

club is over hundred years old. There were eight at the moment

doing well at the League. We have a great tide coming up in February.

If they can stay in the top 10, everyone will be very happy about

what the club have achieved. places and three points behind them

are West Bromwich Albion. Inconsistencies may be, but look at

the points. Their New Year's resolution has to be to strive for

consistency. And then there's Aston Villa. What can you say. It's

rarely been boring off the pitch but the fans's big complaint is

that the football has been dull on it. I have to try and prove that I

am the right man for this job. I am still determined to do that. I'm

trying to win over the fans are still have their doubts. There's no

doubt though that Villa must do better in 2012. And that leaves the

enigma that is Wolves. Just a place and a point above the relegation

zone they've specialised in dramatic comebacks but too often

only to salvage a point. So how does the boss feel about the season

so far? I will let you will decide! There are only two winds now in 14

games and that is the kind of thing but the fans are latching onto the

moment. I still think there is a hard core of supporters that want

to see a change of manager. Am not sure they would get it. There's no

doubt improvement will be needed if they're to avoid another relegation

battle in 2012. And you can keep track of how your

club performs over the busy Christmas period by tuning in to

your BBC Local radio station. Golfer Lauren Taylor from

Warwickshire says it is an honour to win the BBC's Young Sports

Personality of the Year award. She was crowned at the awards ceremony

in Salford last night but she's now back home in Rugby. What a moment

for Lauren last night. She is just 17 and she was thrust into the

national spotlight collecting the trophy from the Manchester City

manager Roberto Mancini and athlete Jessica Ennis. It was in

recognition for becoming the youngest ever winner of the amateur

British Open but she still managed to compose herself to thank

everyone. 24 hours on, can you believe it?

it is still a bit of a shock but it was such an honour to receive that

award. How did you finish? I first thought was not to trip, to be

asked. I was so shocked, I didn't think I was going to win. I was a

habit. The night itself, there were three golfers in the top 10. Did

you meet them? Yes, I met all of them and I had a few photos with

them. Her fame is expanding already? I have a few more

followers on Twitter. What have you friends and family said? They are

beyond proud. My gran and gram pack came up earlier and my mum and dad

and sister are so proud of me. is the plan now? I'm going to

university next August in America and then after that, I am going to

look to turn professional. Plenty of great days ahead? A lovely time

of year for it to happen? Yes, it's a great Christmas present.

Christmas celebrations have started early and they will have an extra

trophy on the mantelpiece. Cast your mind back to this time

last year and it was quite a different weather picture to the

one we are experiencing at the moment. This was the scene at the

Worcester Warriors rugby club ground exactly 12 months ago. Sub-

zero temperatures and a blanket of snow and getting about wasn't easy

either with cars struggling along on the ice-bound roads. This year

it's more a case of wet-weather rather than a white build up to

I can verify what you have just said that the facts and let the

pictures speak for themselves. On the we had no falling snow last

year, there was plenty of it lying around. The temperatures generally

hovered around freezing weather might values way below zero. I

can't say it's going to be as cold as that tonight but it is going to

be a lot colder than it has been. You can see that banned right to

the east and the skies are going to clear right across the region but

it is the combination of that together with the north-westerly

wind that will send temperatures down to one Celsius in rural parts.

Some ground frost in sheltered spots and that may linger into the

morning tomorrow. Abacus and see it to start Christmas Eve but we have

some sunshine as well, particularly the further east you go. The odd

spot of rain to western parts to the north to end the day. Overall,

a colder day than today with temperatures rising to seven or

eight Celsius. Through tomorrow night and into Christmas Day, the

went springs up and introduces a milder air. Tomorrow night, you can

see the impact already. Temperatures hardly altered from

tomorrow's daytime value at around six or seven Celsius. The Christmas

weekend is looking frosty to start, turning my and later with

strengthening winds. For Christmas Day, we have highs of 11 Celsius.

To that period, it will be largely cloudy but try and to break any

records, we age -- need to reach Over the last couple of weeks,

thousands of BBC local radio listeners across the region have

been to the recording of a carol service. One of the biggest events

saw hundreds of people turn out in the Square in Shrewsbury 10 days

ago. Organised by Radio Shropshire and compered by breakfast show

presenter Eric Smith, it's always one of the highlights of the

festive season in the town. If you couldn't make it go, don't worry.

You can hear that service on air on BBC Radio Shropshire tomorrow

evening at 5:00pm. BBC Coventry and Warwickshire's service will also

air their service at 5pm tomorrow. BBC West Midlands will be

broadcasting their recording at 6:00pm.

It's almost the end of our last main programme until January 3rd

but we will have bulletins throughout the Christmas period. It