23/01/2012 Inside Out West

Hello. Tonight we're in Cheltenham to see how budget cuts are having

an impact on frontline policing. Here in Gloucestershire, most of

the county's police stations are being closed down, but does it

really matter? It is not ideal. We want a local police station with

police officers available all day. Also tonight, how a spot of DIY

could be just the thing to get former prisoners onto the straight

and narroW. It is keeping us out of trouble otherwise we would be on

the streets defending again. And,the long long road to London

2012. We meet the Bath athlete dreaming of gold. A want people to

see disability in a different way. With revealing stories from the

West of EnglanD, this is Inside Out West.

The thin blue line is getting thinner. As budget cuts begin to

bite, our police forces are having to make some difficult decisions

about how best to keep us safe. Here in Gloucestershire, they're

closing most of the county's police stations. So should we be

concerned? It's a police force, but not as we

know it. Cuts of �800 million mean 13,000 fewer officers. But it's the

threat to community policing, responsible for making our

neighbourhoods so much safer, that's causing most concern.

cannot and are not able to deliver the service that we used to. It's a

downward spiral that makes community policing and therefore

effective policing across the board more difficult to happen. This is

Whaddon in Cheltenham. In a town famous for its Regency opulence,

Whaddon is something of an exception - a traditional working-

class community that's had its problems in the past, but more

recently has enjoyed years of falling crime. That said, the

current economic climate hasn't been kind to Whaddon, bringing high

unemployment, particularly among young people. And with that, a

return to worries about crime. At the Parklands Community Centre, I'm

talking to bar manager Fred Powell. He's seen the changes in Whaddon

over the last 10 years. Going back it had a very bad reputation. Went

through a period of badness drugs, things like that, children running

the streets. It did improve pick time, of this do when the police

made more effort to patrol the areas. For years, Whaddon has

benefitted from an emphasis on community policing. Gloucestershire

was one of the forces that kept its police stations open. There was a

lot of operational pressure nastily to close police stations but

Gloucestershire, over the decades, has committed itself to local,

community-based policing. It has far more community stations than

anywhere else. The settlement will seek a fall of 4% each year...

spending cuts announced in November 2010 left most police forces facing

total cuts of 20%. For Gloucestershire, that meant finding

savings of �18 million. And so the force set about a swift programme

of police station closures. So far, 17 of the county's 29 police

stations have been shut down. And last week, the closure of another

three was announced. Whaddon police station closed last July. The

patrolling officers would now be based at another station on the

other side of town, four miles away. It wasn't long before concerns in

the community began to surface. There has been some minor increase

in the anti-social behaviour within this community and concerns that

because there are not police officers being seen on patrol, that

that growth in anti-social behaviour may continue to develop.

Police figures also show an increase in burglary in Whaddon for

the period immediately following the station closure. We are feeling

that we are being pushed to one side, I suppose, with the police

officers being based somewhere else and not in our community. It feels

as though we are being sidelined. In the rural town of Newent, on the

edge of the Forest of Dean, there's half the level of crime they have

in Whaddon. Still, the news they were to lose their police station

was no less of a concern. I think aghast would be the best way of

putting it. They were very upset. To think our police station was

closing was a mighty shock to all. We were concerned to know what was

going to happen to our officers and how would I our town be policed.

The solution was one that the whole community helped to come up with. A

lockable room in the library that local people can use to meet the

police. Just because we do not have the traditional station does not

mean our commitment to policing is any less. We think this will help

with content because lots of people come into his busy library and they

now have opportunity to see the police point and have conversations

with the officers. Even without its station, Newent is promised regular

foot patrols, even if they do to drive in from the nearest station

14 miles away. And the town council has put up the money for a brand

new state-of-the-art CCTV network, which the police are plugged into.

Not enough, says the organisation which supports police officers in

Gloucestershire. It is not ideal. The chief constable under police

officers and I'm sure the community want a local police station with

police officers there. If it is second best. But the chief

constable and the service to not have a choice because of the

government cutbacks. Of even more concern to the Police Federation

are the cuts to police numbers. Across the region, Wiltshire is

losing 125 officers. In Dorset, 169 have already gone and there could

be more. Avon & Somerset will lose an estimated 400 police officers.

While in Gloucestershire 200 police officers' posts will go. Nearly a

sixth of the force. It will be impossible to deliver what we used

to deliver. You do think it is impossible? How can we deliver the

same amount of service with that number of officers being taken

away? With fewer officers on the ground, new tactics are being

sought to ease the strain. One technique, known as "surge", was

employed during the riots in Bristol last year. There's a lot of

talk about introducing surge tactics National. This is about

flooding officers if there is an extreme problem in an area. Surge

brings intense concentration for a short period of time. After it has

all gone away, it is down to local police sink to ensure that the

ground that is taking is literally held for the future. Back in

Whaddon, six months on from their community police station closing,

worries about street crime won't go away.

I report something, and I say it is happening here and now... At a

neighbourhood residents meeting, three Police Community Support

Officers are being given a polite grilling by locals. I was quite

concerned in the autumn when there was quite a bit more anti-social

behaviour finding its way in. We did not know to what extent that

was not having the police station. There is also discussion about

finding a new permanent base for the police in Whaddon. Without the

police being here permanently, you might not expect to see something

in the first year but it there is a slow drift back to what there was

in previous times, that is a reason for concern. Talk to any police

officer and they'll tell you it's impossible for the sort of cuts

they're being forced to endure not to have an impact. What's happened,

of course, is that the community have stepped in to help k. Whether

that is enough in the long term is the real burning issue now. We have

to take �80 million out of our budget every former killers, which

is issued in May to money. For us to maintain unity challenging while

doing that is a challenge, but we are confident we can do it. Cracks

are starting to appear. Within the last few weeks, an unprecedented

open letter written on behalf of senior police officers in

Gloucester should beg to be spared any further cuts. Paying a police

force to keep our streets safe is an expensive business, and does the

cuts continue to bite, the job of protecting us will not get any

easier. And if there's something you'd like

us to investigate, then why not drop me an e-mail.

Later in the programme, turning silver into gold - how London's

Next we're heading to Bristol for a kind of DIY SOS with a twist. On

this one, the guys doing the hard work are former prisoners. It's all

part of an innovative scheme to try to make sure that none of them

return to crime. This is a house that needs a lot of

care and rehabilitation. There are not many houses were you can pick

blackberries out of the first-floor window. When you are faced with a

job this big, it is probably time to get some blokes in. This is the

first time these blokes have met, but they have one thing in common.

They are all ex-offenders. initial observations? You are all

speechless! I was unemployed for a year. If you have a criminal record,

they are not going to give you a job. This is probably the best sort

of job for me. These guys are very keen, very enthusiastic, they are

looking for a second chance in life. I'm hoping to fulfil that ambition

for them. They had been brought together to clear out and renovate

the house in order to sell it at a profit, but there is a tight

schedule. The housing market is not as strong as it used to be so the

longer that they take getting this place spruced-up and back on the

market, the more of the profit will be eaten up. Time is very much

against them. The house was bought by a Bristol Together, a new

charity with the unique approach to restoration and rehabilitation. The

idea is to create employment for people with an X offending

background or long-term unemployment to give them

sustainable employment opportunities. It is quite a job in

this one, as you will have noticed. We then sell the properties back on

and recycle the money, so we are able to offer guaranteed employment

for people who would otherwise find it difficult to axe s work. This is

the first group at the charity has taken on. Some already have

building skills and others are learning on the job. Alan is in

charge of helping them transformed his house into a desirable and

profitable family home. To be honest, if I had not been told they

were ex-offenders, I would not know. They seemed a good bunch of lads,

they get on well together. It is early days but early thoughts are

that they are a good team and I think they're going to do

themselves proud. The workforce has recruited through the Probation

Service via eight not-for-profit company which trains ex-offenders

The site manager we have got working alongside them is multi-

trade qualified. He will bring them through, drain them on placement.

They will do everything from cleaning up rubbish, painting walls,

replacing windows and everything that needs to be done. Last year at

youth unemployment hit the one million mark. For anyone with a

criminal record it is very hard to get a job. We would not be earning

any money and we would probably end up the offending just to get money.

It keeps us out of trouble I suppose. Other than that we would

just be on the streets and end up the offending again. Some people

just want to do their time and come out. Well in prison everything is

free, isn't it? But I would personally not want to spend my

life there. Having you freedom is something I actually do enjoy now.

It is weird. One month in and the renovation is well under way

revealing the full scale of the challenge facing them. It is an old

house and it obviously has got some subsidence, there is movement in

the property. The cooking area in the kitchen is very small, it is

very cluttered and the wallpaper damaged. This is what we have got

to resort to. However, we are very optimistic. Certainly, if it is

left to the team, these boys, I am sure they will do everything in

their power to ensure it is finished on time. Despite this

first project running a little behind schedule the charity has

already invested in a second property but should ex offenders be

given jobs when the Iran already so many people out of work? Some say

we should not be given this chance but we all have to start somewhere.

To get us back into work. It helps you get a scale. With the offending

rates running as high as 68 % here in the West the probation service

fully supports this charity. Is it possible to put a figure on the

cost of the offending? I think there is not a cost, there is there

real cost to the community and the fat you are having victims of crime,

you have also got the criminal justice system, people being

arrested and put before the courts, then you have the prison service

and probation service. When somebody the Defence and goes

through the system it is extremely costly to the taxpayer. It is the

end of November and the house is still no where near completed.

have a couple of days to do these nagging. I am very confident it

will be done in time. Having said that, we are still awaiting the

final preparations about what has to be done outside. So long as we

can get to Christmas, that is where we are. The question is, have they

been too ambitious? When I first came here this place was looking

pretty derelict, now, three months on, have they done enough to make

somebody want it as their own family home? Let's have a look. New

windows. New garden. No picking blackberries out of the upstairs

windows any more, that is probably a good thing! The way this charity

is funded means there must be a prophet in every property they put

on the market. This one was bought for �250,000. What would you

consider putting it on the market for? I would say for a house of

this type and dislocation we would be looking in the region of 325 to

340,000. That sounds pretty good. It is a testament to the work they

have done. It is fantastic. We are looking at a modest profit which is

the aim. We want to be able to recycle capital to do it all over

again. We will make a profit but it is less than we were hoping for at

the start. It is very hard to properly invest in these guys and

give then be experience they deserve on the job and yet also

make enough money to reinvest in the next boys. It is a challenge.

But if it was not hard, it would not be worth doing. Did you feel

before you embark on this project that it was a struggle for somebody

with a record to try to get their life going? Yes, people just look

at you and do not give you a chance. If this helps them see that people

like us are nice people and can change. Hopefully it will be easier

to find work. Do you think this is a huge improvement on being on

benefits? Definitely. It is hard but I would rather be Xantia doing

work than being inside. All the boys are guaranteed an interview

with a building company which could lead to a permanent job. I cannot

believe how far we have come within such a short period of time. I

would like to say thank you for all your efforts, for your honesty and

for doing a good job. ALL: Cheers. In our final film tonight, we are

meeting an athlete from Bath who has had more of a challenge than

most. Ben Rushgrove has already won a silver medal at the Beijing

Paralympics and this year, in London, he is after the gold.

Alistair Durden has been to meet him. In Sport and in life really

it's about being the best that you can be. I want people to see

disability in a different way. That is slowly being achieved through

examples that I am setting and that other people are setting in British

sport at the moment. Paralympian, public speaker and now even a movie

star on the silver screen. Since winning his medal in Beijing, Ben

Rushgrove has become more than just An independent film-maker has spent

the last three years following Ben. Tonight, his movie is getting its

premier. It's quite a personal film if that makes sense. A lot of

people don't know this side of me at all. All the know is the kind of

hard core athlete mentality who would stop at nothing to win. I

think this is going to be a real eye opener. Ben's friends and

family are gathering in his home city of Bath. As we head up to meet

him there is a chance to ask him what he hopes the film will say.

want people to go away from this film feeling up lifted and inspired

by it. I want them to get a real sense that disability support is

moving on in a big way. He has a massive personality. He is a guy

with a real mission. I discovered he had this great story to tell,

you only have to be with them a short while to see that he has the

kind of personality and audience would go for. I want to say thanks

for turning up. Obviously you are going to see a lot of me in this

film and I just hope that you enjoy it. Ben's story is compelling

subject matter. Born with cerebral palsy and virtually deaf, his

childhood was a challenge. A move to a special boarding school

transformed his education and unearthed his hidden talent.

would run everywhere. There was once I asked him to got to collect

something from the laundry, it was right at the other side up this big

school, when he went. I thought, I will ring them up to tell them he

is on the way, but by the time I picked up the phone, he was there.

One question remains for him, what made him stand out? We reunited Ben

with the talent scout who spotted him 10 years ago. How did you

choose me over all other people? is about attitude and spirit.

Qualities other than purely athletic qualities. Ability to work,

application, coach ability. In your case and probably it was the

outstanding characteristic that you had, you were not content with

anything but being at the front and winning. It was that determination

and the wholeheartedness with which you threw yourself into the process.

If you did not know Ben you would not know he was disabled, a lot of

the time you would not know he is an athlete really but for 10

seconds of the year or whatever he makes magic happen. Beijing was the

first time I really sob Ben run and that was my brother on the same

track that Usain Bolt had gone down and he had the opportunity to do

that. That was pretty special. about the silver medal? The prize

possession? It sits here just above the television. You had a broken

foot, it seems ridiculous to run a race with a broken foot. I would

not recommend it to anybody but having said that I would not change

it for the world. The way I saw it was that I had one opportunity and

had to make the most of it. I had to take that opportunity because

you just never know if you are going to get anything like that

again. Except he will this year with the potential to better

Beijing. Then we'll win more land one medal at the London Olympics. -

- more than one. I will not tell you what colours they will be but

he will when a more than one medal at the Paralympics in London.

Secretly this is my little hobby on the side. I am really looking

forward to talking to this good bunch of kids today and hopefully

it will be really engaging for them and for me. Paralympian is have the

power to inspire young people even more than Olympians because of

where they have got to and what they have gone through. Ben is an

absolute delight, to hear him talking about his training and

lifestyle, to the students, his disability becomes a material. It

is just about the person and what he has been through to get where he

has. How have you ever had anyone who has inspired you to do what you

do? I am driven by an idea rather than a person. The idea is that I

want to get to a point where society accepts this ability in the

same way that they accept ability, if that makes sense. Sport gives me

as a platform to do that from. heard his idea about how he once

paralympian has to be seen the same as able-bodied athletes. That is

quite inspiring to hear him talk about that and the passion.

Movie Premiere has been a success. I am feeling detention like you

guys are. -- feeling the tension. His message has been a powerful one.

I had to wipe away a tear from my life. I hope no one saw that. As a

parent it is amazing to hear your child talking like that. He will go

on in life to achieve whatever he puts his mind to. I saw these

people with a little peer in their eye. It touched every emotion. It

is a really strong basis to come from when you have been watching

this film. This star of the silver screen might also end up with gold

this year. Fingers crossed for Ben over the coming months. And we'll

all be rooting for him in London. Well, that's just about it for

tonight but you can keep in touch with what we're up to off on

Twitter and Facebook. Next week, I'm investigating an increase in

scrap-metal thefts. And after the crisis about faulty breast implants,

we meet some local women making the difficult decision whether or not