18/07/2013 Spotlight

Less visible and poorer response time, Devon and Cornwall Police face

significant challenges dealing with budget cuts.

Good evening. The force has come under scrutiny from Her Majesty's

Inspectorate of Constabulary and despite improvements there is still

concern, the Commissioner says the public will have to get used to

fewer officers. . I am not comfortable with that, I

wish we could have more police officers but I do recognise the

inevitability as does Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary in the

situation we find ourselves in. tonight, police investigating the

deaths of a mother and her two sons release new footage. These are

thought to be the last recorded images of Katherine Hooper, before

she died. The proudest mum in tennis, passes

on her skills to Ilfracombes potential stars of the future. And

building up steam, is this the hottest job in the south-west?

There are fewer officers in visible roles and response times to

emergency calls have got worse. Just two of the concerns raised about the

performance of Devon and Cornwall Police as it tries to cope with

budget cuts. Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary has

been looking at how forces are responding to the Government's

austerity measure, across the region, according to the report,

Devon and Cornwall are dealing with a significant challenge, but are

making good progress. The Avon and Somerset Police force made good

progress, in finding the savings they need, with a clear vision from

the force's leadership. They say Dorset Police have a clear

understanding of the financial challenge, and they have effective

management. But it was Devon and Cornwall Police's performance which

was the key concern. Last year, the inspectorate was critical, our Home

Affairs has been looking at this year's report.

It is the front line which is the main concern of the inspectorate.

Their report says because of budget cuts, Devon and Cornwall Police face

a struggle to protect frontline services. All police forces have

similar positions as myself to make, we are going to have to make those

savings by looking at how other forces do it, what is best practice,

we are determined to make the savings and deliver a first class

service we do do that here we are one of the safest, Devon and

Cornwall, safest force areas to live in, we want to keep it that way.

Across the road from Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary --

headquarter, there is a problem with anti-social behaviour. The local

shop has suffered vandalism, here they have concerns about the

policing service. In terms of visual policing, I don't see a lot. You may

see the odd car going past, but then when it comes to the reporting

crime, someone has come out, we get asked for CCTV, of which it can be a

bit a rigmarole to get them to pick it up, but generally they have

always come out, we have given statement, and we help the police

where ever we can. The force has made a lot of progress in balancing

the book, it is all about public service delivering a service, I am

afraid at the moment we are on a point where morale is low, with

police officers, because demand is still going up, there is less of

them, having to do more work. The report says Devon and Cornwall

Police have made good progress, in dealing with budget cuts since last

year. When there were worries about the service they would be able to

provide. And now, they are in a much stronger position.

The concern for all the region's police forces now is what lies

ahead? The Government has said that more significant austerity savings

are required, on top of those which have already been made. The era of

difficult decisions appears far from over.

Well, although today's report from Her Majesty's Inspectorate of

Constabulary acknowledges the force's making progress, it rays

concerns about emergency response times which have fallen, and a drop

in the number of officers allocated to visible roles.

I asked the Devon and Cornwall Police and crime commissioner what

was done to improve police visibility? We have already started

to do that, we, I inherited a position where the officer number,

and I am talking officers not PCSOs or specials were falling from 3,500

to 2810. Now, the officer numbers to date are round 3090, and because of

careful budgets by my hard-working financial team, and those of the

police force, we are now, we have stopped that descent to 2810

officers at 200 or just above, that in itself will improve the

visibility of police officers. not just fiscal numbers it is the

way those people are allocated, and the HMIC report says you have 13%

fewer officers in visible roles than 2010, will you get it back to that

level of 2010 or is that something that has been and gone? I don't

think we are going to see a return to 2010 figure, in fact a great deal

of my time at the moment is looking forward a couple year, at the

increased budgetary savings threatened by the Government, so

what I am trying to do at the moment, is to stabilise the

situation, to, to make sensible use of reserves, to look to the public

playing their part... But you are saying you cannot expect to see the

same level of visibility from the police as you had in 2010? That is

the message you are giving today? am the public's representative in

holding the police to account. I believe that is the case, that we

the public have got to get used to a situation where we are doing more to

support the policing family. That might be in special constable,

street pastor, business in the community, we need the public to

recognise the situation the country finds itself in and do more to

support their policing family. know though, how important it is for

people to feel safe, have that perception of feeling safe by seeing

officer, you comfortable as the Police and Crime Commissioner, the

person who has been elected to oversee the police, with less vet

built from the police than in 2010? -- visibility. I am not comfortable

with that. Wish we could have more officer, but I recognise the

inevitability as does HMIC in the situation we finds ourselves in. We

have to be more efficient, we have to do more with less, and as I say,

the public has to play its part here. Why have response times to

emergency calls dropped so significantly? 80% of response times

were met in 2011-12, just 72% in 2012-13. That is most unwelcome, and

I think does reflect the pressures that we are under, in terms of

policing numbers. I accept the figure -- figures that the drop off

in response times, for the most urgent calls is 10%. I will be

putting my mind to bringing those numbers back up again, so the public

can feel safe. So let me sum this up, the public have to accept less

visibility from policing in 2010, a slower response to emergency calls

and contract you have put up their precept so they are paying more for

less. I am not saying the public have to accept that. My advice is we

are not going to restore policing numbers to 2010 fig thur, then the

public should hold me to account on some of the most important headlines

of this report. We need to remember to praise our police, for the many

outstanding things they do every day, and if we remember that part of

our role is to up hold police morale, as members of the public, or

part of the public, then we will get the very best from them. The public

needs to hold me to account, to drive the response times back up

again. We must leave it there. Thank you

very much indeed. The police have released CCTV

footage of a mother who fell to her death on Haytor on Dartmoor, aing on

with her son. Katherine Hooper, died last Friday. The police are trying

to piece together the final 24 hours of her and her sons live, her other

child, a two-year-old boy was found dead in the family home. Today

officers returned to the scene, to speak to regular visitors in the

hope of finding new information. These are the last recorded images

of Katherine Hooper. Having hired a taxi to pick up herself and

five-year-old Joshua, she makes a stop at the Spa shop in Paignton,

she uses the ATM and staff say she bought cigarette, then she carried

on her journey to Haytor. Where today, we found tributes left

to the family. Last Thursday, Katherine and Joshua

were dropped after here. By Friday they had fall into their deaths here

on the left hand part of Haytor. Police believe that Katherine and

her son slept rough overnight on the boar moor but apart from that very

little is known about the final and crucial 24 hours of their lives. So

today police returned to the scene, hoping to find more witnesses.

We are looking to piece together their movement, any sightings.

Anybody who spoke to them, anybody that could help us piece together

the moments. One man who has helped is Jay Cook. He sold ice-creams to

them shortly after they arrived on Dartmoor They came to the van,

bought some ice-cream, spoke to me for a few minutes and headed away up

to the hill. What kind of mood was he is in? She was very polite. I

couldn't comment on the mood. Very happy and her son was happy. It is

this kind of detail the police are after. . We are rooking for mood.

Anybody she may have spoken to clearly we need to try and ascertain

her thought process, and at the state of mind prior to the tragedy

that unfolded. What we would like is for witnesses to come forward,

people that have seen her and Josh, specifically, we would be asking

people that may have camera footage, video footage, check it, you may

have information on that footage which is relevant to the

investigation. Those who use the moor are being asked to look out for

her mobile phone. It is believed she discarded it on the moor. Officers

believe it could be crucial to the investigation. At her home in

Paignton, there are fresh tributes from family, neighbours, and

friends. It is for their sake, as well as coroner, that police are

searching for answers. An attempt to stop any badger cull

taking place on council owned land in Dorset was defeated today. The

County is a reserve location if the cull, due to start shortly, runs

into difficulties in the main areas, in Somerset and Gloucestershire.

Even if Dorset is involved, County Councillors were told that any ban

would be legally unenforceable. As politicians in top ofster were

discussing the badger cull this farmer was sending one of his

animals to slaughter after it showed signs of bovine TB in a routine

test. It is a blow for James, his farm had been clear of the disease

after suffering an outbreak three-and-a-half years ago.

He is in no doubt that badgers are to blame for spreading bovine

tuberculosis. Situation is getting out of control,

I gather there was 28,000 cattle in the UK culled last year. Cost the

country �100 million. I think we cannot go on like this, and really,

we have to look at the wildlife reservoir, of disease and do

something about it. Others believe badger vaccination is the answer.

Today, a Labour Cowens or in Dorset proposed the County Council should

object to any badger cull on its land. The councillors were told they

didn't have the power to stop their 53 Tennant farmers from taking part

in a badger cull in the future. After a sometimes passionate debate

councillors voted by 26 to 12 in fayre of a amendment which says that

the badger cull is a national issue, and policy should be decided by

central Government. -- favour. It is a serious issue

that needed raising and needed to be debated. So I am pleased that

happened, but the result is disappointing to say the least.

Despite the controversy that is a sentiment echoed by many of the

ream's farmers. -- region's. A new tungsten mine

being developed has provided a �1 million windfall for archaeologist,

the money has been provided by Woolf Minerals as part of the planning

agreement and it has yielded fascinating insights into the way

bronze age man lived on the edge of Dartmoor.

It must be an archaeologist's dream. Four years to investigate a bronze

age settlement and �1 million to help with the work. Soon, this area

will become part of one of the world's large largest tungsten mines

but for a few more months it continues to give up its secrets.

Some of the finds we have uncovered so far. These all date from the

bronze age, middle Bronze Age, roughly 3500 years ago. We have

lovely items of pottery, very fragile. We have a whetstone, used

for sharpening metal objects. This is an axe. Very rare, and a very

beautiful object. The best way to understand the scale

of this dig is to take to the air. Can get a really good view of the

extent of the operations that we are dealing with here. This is one of

the things you found. This is very interesting. It is called a kibl.

What it is was a wooden barrel and these are the remains of the straps

that went round it. It was probably in operation round the time of the

Spanish Armada. Cairns dotted round the site have yielded bronze age

artefacts such as the axe head. is telling us how Bronze Age man

viewed the resource. It wanted to take a claim to the tin, and from

the positions of the barrows and the things we found in them, it seems

they are positioning these to say, you know, stay out, this is our tin.

The clock is ticking, this is the last opportunity to dig before waste

from the tungsten mine is deposited here.

Still to come tonight. Getting steamed up in the sweltering heat,

plus anyone for tennis? The mum of Wimbledon tennis champion Andy

Murray has been in Ilfracombe today. Find out why a little later.

And who has got the hottest job in the south-west? We will try to find

out. Sports news now and North Devon

golfer Jimmy Mullen has had an excellent first day at the open

Championship. The teenager who is one of a handfulful amateuring

playing at Muirfield is living his dream, and he held his own against

the professionals, managing six birdies on the first round.

Jimmy Mullen from Bideford. Go on. Go on.

It wouldn't. It would. This was the eighth hole and Jimmy's fourth

birdie at the open Championship at Muirfield. The 19-year-old amateur

from north Devon certainly was doing well, as he managed to beat two

under par by the end of the front nine.

But at the turn into the back nine, he hit a double bogey on the tenth.

Halting his progress. He continued to stay focussed and managed to pick

up two further birdie, one on the 12th and this one on the 17th.

His nerves held out, although on the final hole he dropped a shot

finishing his round in level par, only five shots off the clubhouse

lead, and better than some big names in golf like Rory McIlroy, Faldo and

Justin Rose. If he shoots a similar score tomorrow he will almost

certainly qualify for the final two rounds over the weekend and the

chance to win the medal for top amateur.

We will continue to follow his progress for you.

Children in Ilfracombe have been meeting a special guest today. The

Wimbledon champion Andy Murray's mum was t the town's tennis club.

Ilfracombe Tennis Club greeted and hosts a familiar face which millions

of television viewers receivery year in June and July. Judy Murray, mum

of Andy, brought her Set4Sport roadshow to the knot Devon town. It

is the third stop of her nationwide tour, giving children the chance to

perhaps follow her famous son, and his elder tennis playing brother

Jamie, himself a Wimbledon mixed doubles champions six years ago. .

It is a collection of fun games that we played as a family when Jamie and

Andy were growing up, and for us to be able to share the games with

parent, to show them ways they can play actively at home with their

children, using pretty much anything they have lying round, to help the

kids develop co-ordination skills and develop a more active lie style.

The rest of Andy Murray's life will change considerably after his

unforgettable win over Novak Djokovic 11 days ago on Centre Court

but will Judy's life alter? I am not too sure. I hope it won't be too

much different, but I think what it does present is a huge opportunity

to grow the sport of tennis, you know, I think it is the sport that

everybody is talking about right now, and we, as a family, we would

certainly hope that Andy's success would help to inspire a new

generation of both kids and adults to come and try to try tennis.

Ilfracombe tennis club for me is the epitome of a community tennis club,

you have wonderful community coaching, great number of teachers

and local coaches who have come tout help and a number of young people

who play, that is why I am here today, to support Gary and the great

work he does down here for tennis. It has been a super opportunity for

the children from Ilfracombe instant school the meet the mum of this

year's Wimbledon men's champion. And she has set all these activity ups

and I think the children are enjoying them.

-- activities. A day they won't forget. Today, the

Met Office issued a level three heat wave warning for the south-west, and

our forecasters say we have had one of the hottest days of the year so

far. So are you basking in the heat or baking in the hot temperatures?

We are about to take do you a stunning location, John Henderson is

in Salcombe in south Devon where they are delighted with the weather.

They certainly are. Though I am, I feel like the wicked witch of the

west. I am melting in this heat. I think today it has been touching

certainly late 20s, early 30, it is cooling a bit now, but to give you

an idea of how warm it has been, the sea here, the sea temperature, in

the last week alone, they tell me that it has gone up two degree, it

is currently 18, so pretty pleasant if you were to get in. But what if

you can't cope with this heat? If it is getting too much for you? What if

it was like this every day this my colleague thinks he has found the

hottest job in the south-west. The 2.30 to Bodmin general station,

the Cornish Belle. Passengers are enjoying the view and a cream tea,

on the footplate driver Roger and fireman Mark are feeling the heat.

You go home from work tired but it is enjoyable. I still think I am

lucky to be up here playing the steam engines, What is your strategy

for coping with the heat? Drink lots of tea and water and the occasional

ice-cream. So, I have been known to stand under the water shower at the

top, you know when we fill up to cool down as well. The railway

reckon these are the hottest jobs in the south-west. They have measured

more than 33 degrees Celsius in the cab of this 97-year-old tank engine.

We need to check those figures for accuracy, so I have brought a

digital thermometer and my old clothes because of the dust. 33.7

degrees Celsius. No wonder it is hot up here! That is before we start.

Once under way, up the big incline it gets hotter. There is a searing

blast of every time the fire door is opened A group of MPs representing

bakery workers is calling for a maximum working temperature of 27

degrees for strenuous work, the temperature here is more like 40

degrees. That is 104 degrees Fahrenheit. Wow!

The you have plenty of cold drinks and tea onboard. Even so the heat

takes its toll. You tend to swat a lot and you feel limp at the end of

the day. I am not complaining, because I remember what it was like

last year, cold, wet, and horrible, all summer. I am enjoying this.

So time for a drink. For the crew and the engine. It is

40 degrees. I couldn't do that job. I am struggling as it is. Joined by

Ian Gibson, how is it going for you, this summer in this lovely warm

temperature? It has been fantastic. Since July came and the sunshine

came, it has been perfect. Give its an indication of the difference now,

from last career? Last year it was wet and windy, in July, and by this

stage of July we had had 400 visitors visiting yacht, this year

we have had 8 hundred already, we have doubled our visiting yacht

numbers which is excellent. You have something going on a the moment?

Yes, it is Merlin rocket week. We have 120 Merlin rockets racing twice

a day, and they come every year, their stall warts and they love it,

but it is nice they have been reregarded -- rewarded this year

with fantastic weather. Salcombe isn't heaving and you like that? .

No, this is really nice time of year in Salcombe, it is busy, there is a

buzz about the plaice but it is not overly busy, we can fit everybody in

and give them the time they deserve and that I have a nice time. In

July, late July and early August it goes up a scale, and it is busy

then, but some people like that. mentioned earlier the sea

temperature, 18 degree, have you been in? . I was, I was in the sea

last weekends. Although I was wearing a wet suit I got arm freeze

but it is better now. We will leaf it here from a lovely

hot outdoor scene do you in a sweltering studio.

Thank you very much. I was watching the boats bobbing round in the

background. Looks like the best place to be. An extra level in the

place to be. An extra level in the heat wave alert. Not quite the

hottest day so far. Not quite. Yes. Have we made it, no by 0.6 o of

degree we have been off. Exeter as I will show you was the hotspot. We

reached 3.8 last Saturday. Today we reached 30.2, that is Yeovilton in

Somerset and Chivenor in Devon. It is not quite the hottest day of the

year but still very hot. We are, as you have heard, in the grips of a

heat wave. Alert level three. What that means, is we have 90%

confidence, we will see at least 15 Celsius at night. We is see similar

conditions of staying hot, not just today, tomorrow but for the next few

day, high pressure very much in charge of the weather, responsible

for all this heat. What we will notice from tomorrow the centre of

the high pressure will make its way northwards up over Scotland, so for

tomorrow we will start to see more in the way of an eastly the flee of

air. Breezier and it will push all this heat in the centre of the

country towards us, so tomorrow is another hot day. And then for

Saturday, and into the weekend, as that high pressure continues to make

its way northwards, we will start the see more humid air, drifting

towards us, increasing humidity levels for suspend and increasing

the chance perhaps of thundery showers too.

But it has been very hot today, hardly a cloud in the sky for most

of us, but there has been some cloud bubbling up, especially for up over

the moors towards Bideford. We did see a shower or two. As we head into

the evening and overnight, any cloud and showers will clear away and we

are looking at largely clear skies overnight. Light winds and feeling

warm, as temperatures dip to no lourer than 15 to 18 as the minimum

temperature tonight, o -- lore. Feeling uncomfortable to sleep in.

Tomorrow plenty of the way of sunshine and we will see more of a

breeze, but lots of sunshine to be had. A bit more cloud by the

afternoon, perhaps for similar areas that we saw today, and temperature,

well, reaching the high 20s again, potentially 30 or 31 C on the cards.

So, we will stay with the heat not just for us but the Isles of Scilly.

Dry and warm, we will see an easterly breeze. The times of high

better surfing conditions tomorrow than we have seen. It has been

largely flat. The winds are east north-easterly three to four, fair

conditions with moderate to good advice bill. So remaining with

settled weather, into the weekend, temperatures plateauing Saturday and

Sunday, but by Sunday and Monday, more in the way of humidity, and a

greater chance of some thundery showers by the afternoon and

evenings. Good night. Thank you very much. I wonder how long it is going