02/03/2017 Spotlight

Suffocated. Frustrated. We have so much pressure, it's too dangerous,

there is not enough of us. We are not able to do the job we are

designed to do because there is not enough of us.

Laura Beal was a face of the force, but tonight she's lambasted

the service on the very same day an official report says it

We'll hear more from Laura, and Devon and Cornwall's Police

and Crime Commissioner - Alison Hernandez is in the studio to

Confirmed - the closure of dozens of community

We're live at one of the hospitals affected.

Outrage over dumping Devon's rubbish in Cornwall.

They are criminals, they are commercial, they are thieves,

stealing from the public purse and every single council tax payer

because those things have to be cleared up.

A waste recycling centre has been severely damaged.

Police in Devon and Cornwall need to improve their performance

at cutting crime and keeping people safe, their most important duties,

according to a report from the regulator.

Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary rated

neighbouring forces Dorset, and Avon and Somerset as good,

but said Devon and Cornwall had declined since last year.

It comes as a frontline officer in Devon released her

resignation letter which describes in stark terms pressure on staff

and questions whether police cover in the region is adequate or safe.

Her comments have sparked a national debate after they were

Our home affairs correspondent Simon Hall reports.

Laura Beal was proud to be a police officer, following in her father 's

footsteps and serving in Devon and Cornwall for 13 years. She even

featured in promotional leaflets but now she has resigned criticising

cutbacks and the service the police can provide. I am expected to go on

patrol with one other officer most days, the letter says.

To be a police officer, without trying to sound dramatic you have to

have something to give that is extraordinary. I had that and I was

desperate to give it to the people I wanted to help but I could not

because I was getting stifled because we have so much pressure.

It's too dangerous, there is not enough of us and we are not able to

do the job we were designed to do because there is not enough of us.

It is horrendous, it really is. The cuts, it's a front-line job, you

have to be a people person, you have to get involved and be seen and you

cannot do it. Laura Beal's concerns echoed today any flagship report

from the police regulator. After producing Allingham lengthy case

file they conclude that Devon and Cornwall police require improvement

in cutting crime and keeping people safe, a particular concern is

neighbourhood policing. There is some good work the report says but a

lack of a coherent strategy which would help the police better engage

with communities and so prevent crime. There is plenty to celebrate

in the report and we are pleased with that however many

organisations, one in three police forces across the country have been

given requires improvement in this assessment. We are one of those

forces. We will be working hard to look at the detail in the report to

see how we can further improve. A police statement expressed sympathy

for Laura Beal but noted Devon and Cornwall plan to take on almost 100

new officers and 50 crime investigators. Today's Inspectorate

report will nonetheless be a concern for senior officers. Devon and

Cornwall police's performance in the most important role of cutting crime

and keeping people safe had deteriorated since last year it says

and yet more budget cuts lie ahead. Alison Hernandez is the Police

and Crime Commissioner Thank you for coming in, we hear

weekly about the police, things they have done well and not so well, so

let's focus on Laura Beal who said she was suffocated and frustrated

and that is not how anyone should feel in their work. The public have

every sympathy with policing at the moment and they have been

struggling. The Police Federation did a threshold survey last year and

I have spoken with them today. The issues around what we know, the

stresses and strains on the front line come through in that survey.

It's something I use through the budget planning process to support

the Chief Constable around the 100 extra officers. 100 extra officers

is a drop in the ocean when you think about how vast the south-west

is. Laura talked about two officers covering the whole of mid Devon. We

had a retired officer sympathising scene in West Devon they frequently

had two officers covering 250 square miles. We do not want to talk about

systems but the systems within policing our archaic. One of the

things I'm looking to do is invest in the systems and I will be frank

that a lot of response officers don't know the other teams on duty

at the same time as them and they feel alone because they don't know.

The control room now. The systems do not easily allow them to understand

who is on duty. That has to change. It is simple stuff. The well-being

of officers is a priority for the Chief Constable, I have had many

discussions with him about well-being and without a doubt we

have hard-working officers and I want the public to realise and I

think most of them appreciate that they could not work any harder. We

have systematic changes we need to make in policing and the local

policing promise will be one of those things in the plan. You have

set out your plans for the next year or so, a few years or so, but the

HMI C said the erosion of neighbourhood policing cannot be

allowed to happen. That's kind of what you are planning to do, you

have taken PC SO's away from communities. Through last year on

the consultation the public felt more disconnected from policing than

they have ever felt before. One of the things I have focused on is

better connecting policing and communities. By taking away the PC

SO's? At the moment we have just considered our direction of travel.

It's about trying to think about doing things differently so I have

supported the Chief Constable in that and I am really clear that the

local policing promise and better connecting policing and communities

which is the fundamental core of the police and crime plan is what will

help. I will be scrutinising the Chief Constable... THEY TALK OVER

EACH OTHER How quickly can we see improvements? The local policing

promise will be published at the end of March, the productivity plan by

the end of March, there are big pieces of work being undertaken. We

are supporting them but I am looking forward to scrutinising their

efforts. We look forward to talking to you again Alison Hernandez, thank

you. A Plymouth businessman has been

charged with 15 historical 67 year old Charles Howeson,

a former naval officer who had a successful business career

in the private and public sector, is alleged to have committed

the offences involving teenagers The charges will be

heard by magistrates More than half of the community

hospital beds in one part The North East and West Devon

Clinical Commissioning Group says 71 of the 143 in-patient beds

in East and Mid Devon will go. The cuts will affect

hospitals at Honiton, Okehampton, Seaton,

and Whipton, in Exeter. Health commissioners

made the unanimous It follows a 13 week consultation

exercise and will leave 32 community beds in Tiverton,

24 in Seaton and 16 in Exmouth. The changes are part of a move

from care in hospitals to care I just want to reassure people that

nothing is going to happen immediately caught following this

decision, this is the beginning of the application fees. It'll be a

number of weeks or months before we start to see the first of any bed

closures. Our Health Correspondent

Jenny Walrond is at one of the hospitals affected,

Honiton. This is becoming a familiar story?

Absolutely. It's very sad news for people here but not entirely

surprising that commissioners voted today to close their inpatient beds.

Commissioners say people are better off cared for in their own homes but

of course we know they need to save money. I am joined by two of the

people involved in the campaign to save those beds, Gillian Pritchett,

what is your reaction? I was gutted, we were excluded from the

consultation options before the process we were told we could make

proposals and be dead. There were letters, a lot of forms completed, I

was not convinced they had given serious consideration to us as an

option. Do you agree this new model of care of caring for people in

their own homes will work and be better off for some people? This is

an end of an era for this hospital. We have seen no evidence to support

the new model of care. We do understand some people want to be

cared for at home and that's the right place for them but there are

many vulnerable people, people at the end of life, people with

dementia that it is not suitable for them to be care at home. We are

deeply, deeply disappointed. Briefly, what next? We will fight

on, we will not give them, we have a strategic plan and we will start to

implement that. No surrender. We also have news of another closure,

we are told today staff at Holsworthy hospital were briefed

that their inpatient beds would be closing, Northern Devon health care

trust tell us it is unrelated to the current review of the hospital

services in the county and it is a temporary closure for significant

safety concerns. Thank you. A look now at some of the other

stories across the south west. The number of students

at Falmouth University will rise The move was approved

by Cornwall Council's strategic planning committee and comes

despite fierce opposition A new purpose built campus at Penryn

has also been given the go-ahead. A government minister has agreed

to meet a Cornwall MP to discuss the problem of plastic bottles left

on the county's beaches. Speaking in the Commons today,

Conservative Stephen Double, who represents St Austell

and Newquay, called for an extra charge on bottles, which would be

refunded once they're returned. An age-old mystery's

been solved at Cotehele Giant jawbones on display

at the stately home have finally been confirmed as coming

from a fin whale. It was thought they'd

were from a minke whale but a mixture of DNA analysis

and archival research has identified More than a hundred incidents

of fly-tipping are reported Official figures show its risen

for the third year in a row. And it appears people

from Plymouth are dumping their rubbish in Cornwall -

evidence found in the waste has sparked an investigation

which Cornwall Council hopes will end in prosecution

and a heavy fine. Throughout the year thousands of

people across the Tamar to seek out those hidden corners of Cornwall

which promise natural beauty and tranquillity. Others are doing it to

dump rubbish illegally. I think it's disgusting. Someone has taken the

rubbish and just dump it in an area of outstanding natural beauty and

its utter laziness. Dumped along the coast road is a spoil which holds

hidden treasures. The sort of James which Cornwall Council investigators

delight in finding. A letterhead, maybe a bill, certainly evidence

revealing it has come from an address in Plymouth. I feel even

sadder that someone has taken the time to drive out from Plymouth,

find somewhere secluded and this was tipped during the night we believe.

There are recycling centres in Plymouth as well as the one they

virtually drove past in Saltash. The audacity of the act has sparked

anger. It is appalling. They could go to a municipal tip or get rid of

it in the proper way, I don't see why they have to come over the

border and do it here. It makes me wonder if they have the facilities

to get rid of it in Devon, to make that ever to come over the border

into Cornwall to do it. People travel a long way to save a bit of

money, that is why they are criminals, they are commercial, they

are thieves, stealing from the public purse and every single

council taxpayer because those things have to be cleared up. In a

statement Cornwall Council says it is not only unsightly but costs the

council thousands of pounds each year to clear up the mess. We will

continue to respond, investigate and where evidence is found we will take

appropriate enforcement action. Once cherished, now discarded by the

roadside. There would have been no charge to take these toys to the

tip. A commercial recycling waste centre

faces demolition tonight after being severely

damaged by fire. At its peak a hundred

firefighters tackled the blaze All the ingredients needed for a

devastating fire, paper, cardboard, plastic, each week hundreds of

tonnes of business waste came to this recycling plant. Tucked away on

one side, an electricity substation, one of three helping power the

industrial estate. Little wonder the emergency services were not taking

any chances. At its height it was approximately about 100

firefighters, three hydraulic platforms, and support appliances.

The alarm was raised just before 11 o'clock last night, the intense heat

caused the steel panel building to collapse in on itself as it is

designed to do. But it meant hotspots kept flaring up. It is well

over 12 hours but there are still pockets of flames are popping up in

and around the building. The area was blanketed in smoke but the

owners of the plant, on-site for five years, said it did not deal

hazardous waste. Only office type waste, we do not deal with hazardous

waste here. Any hazardous waste goes to other places. But yes, General

office recycling, paper, cardboard, plastics, whatever. The damage has

been put out millions but nobody was hurt and the 90 or so staff will

work from other sites. A 15 strong fleet of waste trucks was saved,

this one had to be pulled free by a recovery truck with an

uncompromising name. Another building in Exeter destroyed by

fire. The Environment Agency says erosion

at Dawlish Warren has worsened since it began its multi million

pound scheme to improve coastal But it says the beach should return

to its former glory by the end of the summer and be less vulnerable

to rising sea levels and storms. Our Environment Correspondent

Adrian Campbell reports Dawlish Warren is not looking at its

best at the moment. In fact some local people say it has never looked

worse. That's not surprising because the Environment Agency is only part

way through a multi-million pound project to secure the long-term

future of the area. The aim of the agency and its partners is to

protect it from sea-level level rising and potentially splitting in

two. Eileen has been keeping a close eye on progress. I wondered what

they were doing, sandbags, stones, rocks. We always said if they moved

the stones they would lose the Junes which they found they had done which

is why we have sandbags up. They have been taking these baskets full

of rocks and replacing them with bags full of sand. In the end they

aim to reach the beast level. Whether Junes are at their most

vulnerable and narrow the aim is to stabilise the sand with what experts

College YouTube. It's about like a giant sausage fed deep into the sea

facing edge of the Warren and inflated with a mix of sand and

water. The water fades away to leave a concrete like structure. For now

the Environment Agency are still persuading people it is doing the

right thing. Other than extra sand? Recent storms, in recent years, more

than a thousand cubic metres of sand have been lost in the last 18

months. Sand levels dropping by a metre in all the last few weeks so

at the moment visitors will see it at its worst. The white bags people

see our temporary, they are coming out in the next couple of months as

we remove the old stones and subsequently replace a large amount

of sand. The Environment Agency says by some things should look much

better at Dawlish Warren. It plans to import huge quantities of sand

from just off shore to recharge the beach and then natural forces will

be harnessed to help protect the sand dunes.

Children from across the South West have been dressing up

in their favourite characters to take part in

The day's aimed at encouraging youngsters to explore

books and reading - it's also a celebration

of authors and illustrators and children have been given a free

Jane Chandler joined a group of children -

as they marched into their local bookshop dressed for bedtime.

Let us step into the night and pursue that flighty temptress,

adventure. It does not do to leave alive dragon out of your

calculations if you live near him. Sometimes I believe as many as six

impossible things before breakfast. The world of books is full of all

things possible, even wearing your bed clothes during the day. These

children have dressed up to get in the mood for reading to celebrate

world book day. But why do they read? I read at night when I am in

bed and cannot sleep. When you first read a book you just read it and

when you get to the end you feel you have an achievement. They are very

exciting and I get stuck into them. If you finish a book then you feel

like you want to do another because I like this book and it makes you

want to read and read and read. We may think these youngsters are a

techno generation but they are more retro, preparing to read books

rather than from a computer or tablet. There has been research

recently that children are moving away from tablets and re-engaging

with a book particularly at bedtime when is thought the blue light from

the tablet is not such a good thing. A recent study by the National

literacy trust shows more children and young people than ever are now

reading for enjoyment. Evidence suggests youngsters who read for one

day lead to better in reading tests, have broader vocabulary and better

general knowledge. All very good reasons to snuggle down with a book

at bedtime. Part of what we believe is that reading before bed can

reduce anxiety, it's a lovely way to go off to sleep and it's the perfect

time to get kids to sneak 30 minutes of reading in. I like to read at

bedtime and of course in school. I read every night, like half an hour

in the evening, just before I go to sleep. What makes you want to do

that? It comes me down before I go to bed. Or you cannot help that,

said the cat, we are all mad here. So come snow after fire and even

dragons have their endings. Excerpts from J.K.

Rowling, J.R.R. Tolkein and Lewis Carroll in that

piece by Jane Chandler. Nothing like a good book. A book at

bedtime. Let's see what the weather's story is tonight.

The storm cat is coming, if you know that story. Good evening, blustery

conditions, rain in the forecast as well. I think tomorrow it's a

different day, sunshine today, a few isolated showers, most of us dry.

Tomorrow rather cloudy, it will be a bit milder, there will be rain at

times and some of it quite heavy. It will arrive overnight tonight and be

with us for a good part of the day. This is why, this area of low

pressure, weather fronts wrapped around it which means more rain as

we move through the day. Perhaps drier conditions on Saturday

although the risk of showers and more rain returning on Sunday as

this weather front moves across the south-west of England. Also becoming

windy on Sunday with the winds becoming north-westerly again.

Drawing in slightly colder air, avail of cloud has arrived and

thicker cloud approaching from the South which will produce more

persistent rain. For a time dry and then here comes the wet weather,

around midnight or just after we will get a bit of rain as it moves

through, turning showery by morning and with all the cloud and breeze

from the Southeast I don't think temperatures will fall much below 67

degrees. Tomorrow we have a rather cloudy day, rather wet day, I of

rain off and on throughout the morning, perhaps briefly at

lunchtime holes in the cloud but not a great deal of that to look forward

to, the rain returns to the afternoon. The breeze will be lively

in the morning and ease in the afternoon. Some good news,

temperature slightly higher than they have been despite the rain.

This is the forecast for the Isles of Scilly. Cloud, breezy and

outbreaks of rain. Time is of high water for the ports and harbours.

For the surfers, most of the beach is likely to be a bit messy,

particularly along the south coast. The north Coast some sheltered areas

which could be usable but still quite big waves, between four and

eight feet depending on which way the beach faces. The winds quite

gusty, from the South South West, rain at times with moderate to good

visibility. The outlook is for us to see showers on Saturday and Sunday

and some of them also quite heavy. Not a lot of cheer in the forecast

and notice the temperatures, we start at 11 on Friday but by Monday

and Tuesday of next week back down to seven or eight so despite the

fact we are into spring temperatures are not responding. Just a little

bit of sunshine does help things. You have been seeing all these

weather pictures and if you want to get involved in the programme there

is a website you can go to. BBC .co .uk/ weather watchers. And to those

already involved, thank you for your pictures.

And on World Book day that's where our story draws to a close.

But we'll leave you with some of the photos we've

been sent today of children dressed as characters from

WHISTLING: Blue Danube by Johann Strauss II

the gap between the richest and everyone else

And while the funding for our schools and hospitals is being cut,

many of the largest companies and wealthiest individuals

And the tax dodgers are getting away with it