03/03/2012 BBC Weekend News

The Government says claims that it plans to privatise policing are

"mischievous" and misguided". It comes as two of Britain's forces

invite private firms to provide a wide range of police services.

Russians vote to decide whether Vladimir Putin should be President

again. BP may have to pay out even more

after settling Gulf of Mexico disaster claims of almost �5

billion. And friends, family and the people

of Belfast say farewell to Frank Good evening.

Private companies could be given a much bigger role in policing under

plans drawn up by two of Britain's forces. West Midlands and Surrey

Police have invited bids from security companies to act as

partners providing a wide range of services including help

investigating crime. Labour said the proposals would undermine trust

in public service policing. However, the Government welcomed the "huge

opportunities to save money" and dismissed suggestions that it

wanted to privatise policing as "mischievous and misguided". Daniel

Police forces in England and Wales are having to make budget cuts of

20% over four years at the same time they are under pressure to

protect front-line services to save costs, some are already using the

private sector for tasks including managing custody suites, what is

proposed could be on a larger scale. West Midlands and Surrey Police are

asking private security firms to bid for contracts that could be

worth �1.5 billion. The forces say they are exploring what the private

sector could do more more efficiently or more cheaply.

You have to make decisions acknowledging the financial climate

is changing and that may require us to do things differently, but it

will not impact on front-line services. Police officers will be

policing the streets of Surrey. The proposals involve two police

forces, but the way the process is being handled means that others

could follow suit in few tump. The police -- future. The police insist

this is not about using private security staff to respond to

emergencies or carry out arrests. They could be involved in some

elements of investigations like recovering and logging CCTV footage,

or guarding crime scenes. The Police Federation describes it

as a dangerous road to take. Labour says the proposals could put at

risk core public policing. I think we need safeguards from the

Home Secretary and reassurances thatted scale of -- that the scale

of police cuts is not pushing police forces into decisions that

go against the interests of good, effective British policing. Last

month Lincolnshire Police signed a deal with a private company to

build and run a police station as well as provide services like human

resources and IT, the Government says that contract shows what can

be done and says suggestions that this is privatising policing are

misguided. This is about supporting the front-

line by making sure that the back room jobs that do that can be done

more efficiently. There are huge opportunities to save money here.

Chief Constables want to see trained officers on the beat rather

than carrying out duties that others could do and they are under

financial pressure. But The response to the proposals, even in

their early stages, shows how sensitive a greater move towards

private sector involvement in The first polls have opened in

Russia's presidential election in which Vladimir Putin, who is Prime

Minister, is hoping to be elected President once again. Voting began

just over two hours ago in Russia's far east. It will end tomorrow

evening with the result expected shortly after that. We're joined

from Moscow by our correspondent Daniel Sandford. Daniel, there are

suggestion that is Vladimir Putin will win. Is that the feeling?

Russian politics haven't been so unpredictable for a long time. The

one thing you can be sure of is Vladimir Putin will win. What is

less clear, is what is going to happen after that because of course,

we have got the protest movement and that's not going to go away and

that could cause some severe political difficulties further down

the line and also what we have seen over the last few weeks is that the

support of Vladimir Putin, it is softer than it used to be. People

are saying they are going to vote for him because there is no one

else and that's because he managed to crush the opposition over the

last 12 years and that's maybe - that system is starting to founder

and that means he is not in an uncomfortable position.

A lot is at stake? We need to see how he deals with the protest

movements. He has had no option, but to allow it to continue because

he con be seen to be clamping down on it ahead of the election. What

happens next is really quite important. How he deals with that,

but also how the protesters deal with it because if they feel they

are not getting their demands, if they feel they are protesting into

a black hole and nobody is responding, that could be dangerous

for Russia. Also dangerous would be the continuation of the corrupt

regime that has grown up around Vladimir Putin which would be very,

Syrian forces are reported to have renewed their bombardment of the

city of Homs according to anti- government activists. A Red Cross

convoy has been prevented for the second day running from entering

the Baba Amr area of the city to deliver humanitarian assistance.

Meanwhile, the bodies of two foreign journalists killed in Homs

nine days ago have been handed to embassy officials in Damascus. The

veteran Sunday Times correspondent, Marie Colvin, and the French

photographer Remi Ochlik were killed during the attacks on the

city. BP has agreed to pay around �5

billion in compensation to more than 100,000 people and businesses

affected by the Gulf of Mexico oil spill, in one of the biggest

settlements of its kind. But it won't bring an end to the costs for

BP which is still fighting claims from the US authorities that it was

guilty of gross negligence. Robert April 2010, the world's worst off

shore oil spill. The Deepwater Horizon explosion which killed

eleven people and saw four million barrels of oil leak into the Gulf

of Mexico. Almost two years on andle bill for BP just keeps rising.

Today, BP announced an out of court settlement with lawyers

representing 110,000 businesses and individuals at a cost of �4.9

billion, very much at the top end of what BP hoped to pay. That

brings to almost �9 billion the sum BP agreed to pay in compensation to

people and whose firms whose livelihoods and health have been

damaged. It cost BP a similar amount, around �9 billion to cap

the leaking well and clean up the mess. It is not the end of the

story for Gulf Coast tourism or fishing.

Business is off. The people aren't coming in the numbers that they

normally do. Of course, it could be the economy. It could be the per

perception that this pace is tainted. It is hard to say. But

numbers are down, definitely. The fishing is good, but the people

just aren't here. Some claim the oil has not all gone

yet. Back out over there, you would walk

through the marshes and you would pull your boot up and you would see

it running off. It is there. It is not the end of litigation

against BP which is being sued in New Orleans by the States affected

by the environmental disaster and by the US Federal Department of

Justice. BP, hotly denies that as a company,

it acted criminally or was guilty of gross negligence. If the court

takes a different view, the �24 billion that BP set aside to cover

the cost of the disaster could turn The Prime Minister has described

National Health Service reform as "unavoidable and urgent", saying he

doesn't care if the Government, in his words, "takes a hit" over the

issue. Speaking at the Conservatives spring forum, David

Cameron said there would be no going back on the reforms. What I

care about is that what we're doing works to avert that crisis to make

the NHS strong enough for the future and that is why we're making

what are simple changes. Handing power and choice to patients.

Cutting bureaucracy, putting doctors and nurses, not bureaucrats

in charge. A Conservative member of the

European Parliament has defected to the UK Independence Party. Roger

Helmer, who represents the East Midlands, made the announcement

ahead of the UKIP spring conference in Lincolnshire where the party

Leader, Nigel Farage, attacked the Conservatives position on Europe.

The Labour Party frrks Labour Party, from the Lib Dems we hear almost

nothing, the most enthusiastic cheerleaders in the European Union,

the guys urging the abolition of democracy, the guys urging that

anything and everything must be done to preserve a failing euro

have, of course, been David Cameron and George Osborne.

Emergency workers in eight US States have spent the day searching

for survivors after a wave of tornados left at least 35 people

dead, and hundreds injured. The storms swept through a wide belt of

central and southern states. Kentucky and Indiana were hit

hardest with some communities completely flattened. Philippa

One of the most powerful tornadoes swept over Indiana.

And this is what it left behind. A school bus torn across the road,

shunted into a house. Devastating. Devastating. I'm sad

to hear. I hope there was no babies on the school bus m.

. It seems there wherein. A school was ripped apart by the tornadoes,

but the pupils were inharmed. This is the nearby town of Mayor

yesesville. It had 1900 residents. This individual co shows another --

video. This shows another tornado in the distance. You can hear the

sound of the hailstones, some said to be the size of golf balls. The

clear-up is underway in Ohio where another wave of tornadoes hit this

week and it is not just the weather that is a danger.

Our Our cellphones are picking up. Further south, residents were well

prepared to ride out the storm. Well, that used to be a mobile home.

Last year was one of the deadliest seasons on record.

This year, the storms have come Now with the football results and

the rest of the sport, here's Amanda Davies It has been a big day

in the battle for fourth spot, and Champions League qualification, in

the English Premier League. Match of the Day follows the news

here on BBC 1, so now's the time to step out of the room if you want to

avoid the results. Chelsea manager Andre Villas Boas admitted his

future is out of his hands after his side were beaten 1-0 by West

Brom. It leaves the Blues three points adrift of that all-important

European place having won just three of their last 12 Premier

League games. It's Arsenal above them after Robin

van Persie scored both goals for Arsene Wenger's side to beat

Liverpool 2-1. Manchester City opened up a five point gap at the

top of the table with a 2-0 win over strugglers Bolton.

In Scotland, things don't get any better for Rangers. They were

beaten 2-1 by Hearts in what's likely to be their last game as a

full squad. Up to 12 players are expected to have their contracts

ended on Monday by the administrators. At this moment in

time, we're wounded. There is no doubt about it. There is probably

one or two people out there enjoying it. Maybe one or two

people having a wee fly kick, you know, and I would suggest to them,

you can have a right good kick now because we will not be where we are

for a long time. Rangers are now 21 points behind

SPL leaders Celtic although the Hoops could only draw their match

against Aberdeen. Anthony Stokes gave Celtic the lead on 28 minutes,

but Aberdeen snatched a draw when Andre Blackman turned the ball into

his own net on his debut. It brings Celtic's 17 game winning run in the

league to an end. Problems continue for Dunfermline. They were beaten

by Motherwell. Andy Murray is looking for his

first tournament victory of the year after defeat in the final of

the Dubai tennis championship. He admitted he deserved to lose to

Roger Federer. Expectations are high for Andy

Murray. Usually he is a summer bloomer, but having beaten Novak

Djokovic. Roger Federer has been there, seen it and continues to do

it. First set to the Swiss. This was turning into an anticlimax from

Murray as Federer extended his dominance. He knew Murray doesn't

fade away, throwing Federer's procession off course with a break

of his own. It was a diversion, not a road

block. Federer never seem worried and he wasn't working up too much

of a sweat here. He claimed another break and the

championship was not far behind. Federer finished in the manner in

which he approached the contest. Serving a reminder of Murray of

another of the obparticular scales -- obstacles that bar his way to a

Grand Slam. Hahhah scoop Mily secured a spot in

the swimming. Friends and family of Frank Carson

came together for his funeral in Belfast. The entertainer died last

week, aged 85, at his home in Blackpool.

For 60 years Frank Carson made people laugh. Today he made them

cry. His family and friends gathered in Belfast to say goodbye

to the Irish comic described at his funeral as the Prime Minister of

Fun. Politicians, broadcasters, sports

stars and fellow comedians, came together to remember the king of

Belfast's comedy. I had been with him when he told

the same joke to different people all day long and nobody laughed

louder than me. A great, great ambassador for

Northern Ireland. He certainly was. Belfast was infamous for machine

gunfire through the years, but with Frank Carson it took on a different

meaning. Ratta-tat-tat jokes one after the other.

What's the difference between my wife and a terrorist? You can

negotiate with a terrorist. What way do you want your money,

heads or tails? That's a cracker that one. It's the way I tell them.

And that was a cracker too. It was made of flowers inside the the

hearse. A final joke on his final journey.

The 85-year-old entertainer died last week after a long battle with

stomach cancer. After the Catholic funeral service, there was a