18/12/2015 Reporting Scotland

and on BBC One we now join the BBC's news teams where you are.

Tonight on Reporting Scotland: Warnings cuts are taking police

officers off the beat and into the back office

Ensuring the best care for people with terminal illnesses -

Restaurants, pubs and the emergency services prepare for the biggest

Black Friday is the best day of the year because people have a good

spirit, a regret mood. from dolphins to hear what's

inside underwater objects. But it is one of the warmest

Decembers in over 100 years. Axing civilian staff

at Police Scotland to save money and switching police officers

from operational to back room roles That's the view of the Inspector of

Constabulary in his annual report. The force is still facing

an overspend of ?25 million this year, but spending watchdogs have

warned that the deficit could more The failure by police to respond for

three days to a road accident was just one of a series of difficulties

faced by the National Force in recent months. Two people died as a

result of the accident. Changes to call handling, including the loss of

civilian posts, following the creation of Police Scotland, have

been blamed for the error. The inspector of Constabulary, in his

annual report, says one effect of the cuts has been police officers

taken off operational roles to fulfil back office duties. The

report is highlighting the risks if that moves on further, there is a

risk that experienced, qualified police staff who add value to

policing will be lost. The report is saying for Police Scotland to look

ahead with the police authority, what kind of policing does it need

and how best to deliver that. Unions say they warned that making civilian

workers the target financial savings would not offer best value for money

and that has correct. The likelihood is that police officers are less

skilled, less trained, they move onto other within. You have a police

workforce who are loyal and they stay with the organisation for the

length of service. New recruits to the police service, but the spending

watchdog says the financial outlook for the force is far from clear and

there could be a funding gap of ?85 million in four years. But the

Scottish Government said this week's budget, giving extra cash to help

reorganisation, would put Police Scotland on a sustainable footing.

The Scottish government has announced a plan to give anyone

with a terminal illness access to specialist care.

The vision's been outlined as part of a ?3.5 million strategy

Saint Margaret of Scotland Hospice in Clydebank provides care with

those with serious illnesses and support for those who are terminally

ill, known as palliative care. Jeff's brother Mike is being cared

for here, and he says it is a vital service. It is the staff and the

facilities and the care. It is absolutely marvellous. If it was a

hotel, you would think it was luxury. It is a blend of single

rooms and multiple occupancy. But the problem is that demand for

palliative care is outstripping supply. There are more people in

need of palliative care than those who receive it. The figure was given

of around 10,000 people who deserve palliative care who are not

currently receiving that. There is huge demand for the kind of

specialist care services offered by hospices like this, but getting

access to these services across Scotland isn't always easy. Now the

Scottish Government has come up with a plan to try and address that.

Today, the Scottish Government announced the aim to give everyone

in Scotland who needs it access to palliative care by 2021. It said

patients would be given the opportunity to make clear their

dying wishes at an early stage. And there will be extra training for NHS

and social care departments. Can this be achieved? Everyone will have

to play a part and five years is not a long time, but it is an ambitious

statement and everybody is willing to put in time and effort to make it

work. It is so important that people do get the palliative care they

need. The Scottish Government wants to start seeing its plans come to

fruition by April next year. It is an ambitious strategy but one which

ministers say they are determined to make happen.

The emergency services are gearing up for one of their busiest nights

of the year in what's become known as Black Friday.

Festive revellers are heading out to parties in towns and cities

across Scotland with just a week to go before Christmas.

Jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all the way. A piano playing Alf and

a rousing chorus. In Glasgow city centre this afternoon they were

certainly feeling a bit like Christmas. All across the city,

office parties were underway, a very welcome sight for the licensed

trade. This is very busy day. It equates to the sunniest day in

Glasgow that we get. You either have sunshine or Christmas, and those are

the times of year when Glasgow makes money. Black Friday is actually the

best day of the year. It makes you feel part of something you would not

otherwise get on a different day. It is good to catch up, have fun and

enjoy the company. I think the majority of them have made

arrangements. I have, my mum is coming to get me. My fiance is

coming to pick me up so I don't need a taxi. In Dunfermline, a safe haven

has been set for those who have over consumed, got or hurt themselves, an

idea adopted in many towns and cities and it seems to be working.

We see a reduction in calls to emergency services, who are already

facing high demand at this time of year. We see a reduction of

admissions to Accident Emergency. Sometimes we forget that it can

apply to us, things can happen to us. So we tried to remind people to

look after themselves and their friends. Inevitably, alcohol can

fuel violence, and while the increased numbers of police on the

streets tonight are briefed to lend a helping hand, they will also look

out for those who can spoil a good night out for others. If people are

over the top, let's get early intervention, get them warned and

home. The message from the police is, a little bit of preplanning can

ensure that the day finishes as well as it began.

You're watching Reporting Scotland from the BBC.

Still to come on tonight's programme:

The video light show projection where people

tell their life stories but they're not allowed to speak.

The Premeirship's top scorer signs a new long-term deal.

I'll also tell you about the new manager of St Mirren.

And how a Celtic great is being honoured.

The last remaining Church of Scotland school in the world

What makes it even more unusual is that it teaches Christian,

Muslim and Jewish children together in an attempt to create

an environment of tolerance, despite the tensions.

Fiona Walker has been to Israel to find out why the Church

of Scotland is running a school in the Holy Land.

Amongst the religious conflict in the Middle East, something of a

surprise. It is nativity rehearsal time at Tabeetha School in Jaffa.

The Nativity is a Christian tradition but about a Jewish family.

And Joseph is being played by a pupil who is muscle. -- Muslim. In

the grade six Hebrew class, it is the turn of a Muslim boy to light

the candle in the Jewish festival. Learning about different faiths

helps children understand each other. We are all friends here. I am

Christian, he is Muslim, she is Jewish. We connect as friends. The

state of Israel can be including all sorts of people. And it can be

beautiful, as it is in this class, in this school. That sums up what we

are told about the ethos of the school. Whereas pupils in Israeli

state schools are mostly taught separately, here, the Church of

Scotland is bringing people together. This is a great four

class, but it is not just a classroom. We are underground, and

this is a bomb shelter. The children have to be able to get in here

within 90 seconds of a siren going off, which gives you the context in

which the pupils are living. In fact, this school was set up by a

Scottish woman before the Middle East problems we know of today. What

on earth is the Church of Scotland doing running a school in Israel?

With Tabeetha School in particular, because it was given to us in a

will, we felt an obligation to continue to look after that. Also,

because we are in the holy land, there is a sense of needing to keep

a presence and we felt it was important as a church at the time

when we were giving other properties away, to keep hold of Tabeetha. Too

young to fully understand the politics, these children sing jingle

Bells in Arabic before home time. Home, to have their life in a

divided land they call the holy land.

West Dunbartonshire schools could be hit by a strike in the New Year.

Members have voted for industrial action in a dispute over a

management shake-up in secondary schools. BBC Scotland understands a

one-day strike followed by a work-to-rule will be considered.

Further consultations are to be held on three of the largest of the

Scottish Government's planned marine protection areas, covering the small

Isles, Western Ross, forming part of a proposed network of 30 protected

areas. Some fishermen and communities have concerns about

their effect on fishing. Orkney has retained its title as the

best place to live in Scotland. The 2015 Bank of Scotland

quality-of-life survey placed Shetland second and the Western

Isles third. Orkney secured the top spot for the third year running,

scoring highly in categories of health, employment, low crime rates

and good weather. Air France has announced a new daily

air service between Glasgow and Paris. The morning flights will

begin at the end of next March. Apia on Marl should be taken into

community ownership according to the Council, who want a buyout for the

community. They claim would benefit the island if it was run locally. We

are asking the council to employ a consultant to come and do a full

review from one end to the other, to see how the limited space could be

properly utilised. Now to the technological

breakthrough that's been millions Researchers at Heriot-Watt

university have developed a new type of sonar detector

by copying dolphins. They look great, but it is the sound

that bottlenose dolphins make that has excited scientists. They are

fantastic. They have sonar that has evolved over millions of years and

it is completely unsurpassed. They can tell the difference between

containers that hold fresh water, salt water, syrup and oil from ten

metres, which we thought we wanted to be able to do. This is the

result. This is our sonar, the thing that allows us to do things that

dolphins do. The pack will be carried by one of Heriot-Watt's

underwater robots, which looks like a torpedo that will sound like a

dolphin. We looked at the signals they use and we did an analysis of

them and figured out some things that other people had not seen about

those signals, and used those to create artificial signals we would

want to use. Then we got the difficult bit, which was actually

getting a that would produce those and we could process them. Now, a

university spin out company sees opportunities worldwide, starting

with the North Sea. From inspection of the sea bed, making sure you put

infrastructure in the right place, safely and securely. Post

installation, you need to monitor structures, and that is an

increasing issue for the oil and gas industry, decommissioning, when

something gets to the end of its useful life, how do you dismantle it

and make sure anything that is left is safe and not detrimental to the

environment. The development is supported by a grant from the

Scottish innovation Centre for sensor and imaging systems. We have

identified 90 research groups across institutions in that specialise in

sensor technology in some way or form, and that is a tremendous

resource to draw on. It could mean better and cheaper ways of finding

everything from undersea cables to miss placed minds.

Now here's a piece of art with a difference.

It begins with the National Theatre of Scotland putting on a video light

show and projecting it on to windows around Aberdeen.

The videos feature people describing their lives,

John McManus is at Aberdeen's Maritime Museum to tell us more.

The season where we surround ourselves with as much light

This is one light show with a difference.

Across Aberdeen this weekend, 60 windows in 11 city locations

all blazed into light with portraits of normal people.

They will describe their lives but without using words.

It was a challenge for the participants.

It was really quite difficult to try and portray my

I chose what meant a lot to me, family, friends and relationships.

I did a lot of holding hands for togetherness.

Having lived away, I returned to Aberdeen and the first thing that

came to mind was the football club. I was wearing a red tie, side to get

off and waved it above my head. The man behind the idea said most

people with a smartphone do This is almost like the ultimate

selfie in a way. I enjoy looking at people. It is not

long we get a chance to gaze at people and this allows that to

happen. More than 100 people took part and it is part of a celebration

that will include other live performances until March. If that is

not enough for you, there are dance performances tomorrow afternoon, all

building up to a theatrical performance in March when members of

the public will join professional actors to tell the stories of

Aberdeen. But this weekend, if you are out and about, loaded down with

Christmas shopping, take a moment to look up and see these video

portraits. Let's get all the weekend sport now,

from David. This season's leading Premiership

goal scorer has signed a new long Leigh Griffiths agreeing to stay

at Celtic till 2021. The lengthy

new deal comes as a reward for a striker who says

he has turned his life around in the past year,

as Jonathan Sutherland reports. He has gone from Burley getting a

game to Celtic goal-scoring hero. Leigh Griffiths has pledged his

future to Celtic until 2021. His aim is to bring Champions League

football to Celtic Park. I want to win a lot of trophies but most

importantly I want to play the Champions League. Having not played

there before, that is what the boys weren't. I have played there before

on Champions League nights. Of the old issues have built his career. In

September he was fined and handed a two match ban after admitting

singing an offensive song about a former Hearts player. Initially he

struggled to get a place in the side. After tweaking his game and

his lifestyle he has made himself Celtic's number one striker, scoring

35 goals in 50 games. Beforehand, doing daft stuff of the field and I

have clients in down which I had to because I was almost that the exit

door. After I sat down with the manager and spoke to him about how

he wanted me to change it hit home how big a club this is and how much

I did not want to leave. This was his first goal of 2015 and his last

against Inverness. He will miss out tomorrow due to a calf injury but

over the next five years expect plenty more of those.

Now, a Scotland favourite from not so long ago is back

in the Premiership at least until the end of next month.

James McFadden signing for Motherwell for the third time.

He scored 42 goals for them in his previous two stints

The 32-year-old was released by St Johnstone at the end of last

season and spent some time in America.

He's signed a contract until the end of January.

He's Alex Rae, who was in charge of Dundee from 2006 to 2008.

Rae has agreed an 18 month contract with the Buddies who,

after being relegated from the Premiership last season,

are third bottom of the Championship.

His first match in charge is against bottom club

Glasgow Warriors head coach Gregor Townsend says his side

will most likely have to win three of their remaining four pool matches

to qualify for the quarter finals of the European Champions Cup.

Warriors, who are third in pool three with one win in two games,

left Scotland today for tomorrow's match against Scarlets in Wales.

Just six days after thrashing Scarlets 43-6 in Glasgow.

Warriors Scarlets will be a lot stronger this week with a few

players coming back in. They will be hurting. You do not enjoy getting

beat by 40 points. We have a lot of tough games down now. Two years ago

we got a bit of a hammering at the end of the season. That is going to

be tough. Finally from me, one of the greats

of Scottish football will be Billy McNeill and his family

will there to see a statue in his honour unveiled before

tomorrow's match against Motherwell. McNeill captained the Lisbon Lions

to their famous European Cup final He also won nine league titles

before two spells as manager. He led by example on the field and

spoke the language of the dressing room, the pitch, and the language

that made him look like an Ambassador of the field where he was

able to represent the club in an eloquent and clean cut way. We all

respected him, particularly the manager Jock Stein. One day there

will be a statue of you, Sally. With just a week to go,

weather forecasters say there's not In fact Scotland, like the rest

of the UK, is experiencing Lisa Summers, yes, that's her real

name, has been finding out how people have been coping with

the unusually high temperatures. It is a week until Christmas and

naturally the grass needs cutting. The daisies think it is the height

of summer. Plenty of other beautiful blooms have forgotten it is time to

die back. It is confusing. This plant behind me, we would have

expected it in September or October. Winter flowering plants are

flowering remarkably well because we have not had frost. At the Christmas

market temperatures into double figures are making the romantic

notion of skating in the park a bit of a damp squib. We have to keep a

closer eye on how the ice is being maintained. Generally we keep the

ball on a 24 hours a day to make sure you can skate. For some

tourists it was not the weather they were expecting. I hope it is going

to be called because we were hoping for snow. For others the winter

wonderland scene is quite convenient. You can stay out longer.

You can go on the rides better. You do not have to go in the freezing

cold anymore. It was barbecue weather for BBC Radio 5 live and in

Aberdeen. In the Highlands, avalanche warnings due to the

tropical conditions. It is we're both the seasonal norm but the

record December temperature goes back to 1948 at 18.3 degrees.

Elsewhere in Scotland, Santa was blown in early. But all of this mild

and unseasonable weather you might be forgiven for thinking you are

someone else. That would just be wishful thinking.

What is happening at the weekend? It is very mild, into the teens. It was

very mild across the country today. Pretty cloudy and certainly wet at

times. Big puddles on the road. Staying cloudy, damp and breezy. We

have a Met Office yellow warning for Argyll and Dumfries Galloway,

persistent rain falling on saturated ground. Another band of rain arrives

during the early hours and it will be breezy from the south especially

around the coastline and my old with our work masters ember night on

record -- potentially record-breaking December night in

terms of temperature. Quite breezy from the south south west but the

rain tends to clear through so by mid-morning something more cheerful.

Those winds helping to break up the cloud through the central belt

towards East Lothian, some sunshine coming through. By mid-afternoon,

fairly cloudy for many out with those brighter spells. Temperatures

13, 14, 15. A number of job is through the Highlands in general and

parts of Argyll. Winds helping to break up the cloud. Northern

Aberdeenshire some sunshine coming through, maybe even 16 degrees,

still of the 18 degrees record. Pretty mild. The winds will be

feature if you are hill walking or climbing. Some bright spells but

also some showers, some rain and fog across the Galloway hills. Eastern

ranges will be wet to start with something brighter coming through.

It is a south south-westerly. Rough seas and moderate his ability. Some

brightness but fairly frequent showers. Hopefully some brightness

through the course of the afternoon. Into the evening staying cloudy damp

and breezy from the south. Some rain pushing and words the central belt

overnight. Sunday, a fairly disturbed weather pattern. Quite

breezy, cloudy, damp, mild but not as mild. A number of showers around

on Sunday. Some brightness out with them. Temperature starting to come

down again but still nine or 10 Celsius for most.

Now, a reminder of tonight's main news.

Miners at the UK's last remaining deep pit worked

The closure of Kellingley Colliery in Yorkshire marks an end

to centuries of deep-coal mining in Britain.

Axing civilian staff at Police Scotland and switching

police officers to backroom roles to save money is not sustainable,

according to the Inspector of Constabulary's annual report.

I'll be back with the headlines at 8pm and the late bulletin just

Until then, from everyone on the team, right across

the country, have a very good evening.