:01:46. > :01:50.Sunday Politics South... Worries about bobbies on the beat and
:01:50. > :02:00.finding a police officer in a station as opening hours are
:02:00. > :02:00.
:02:00. > :35:22.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 2001 seconds
:35:22. > :35:25.Welcome to Sunday Politics South. My name's Peter Henley. On today's
:35:25. > :35:28.show We've heard often enough about how the public wants more bobbies
:35:28. > :35:31.on the beat, but with forces being squeezed, we could struggle to find
:35:31. > :35:40.them in the police station. More front desks are being closed, or
:35:40. > :35:45.having their opening hours reduced. We can meet the politicians that
:35:45. > :35:48.will be with us for the next 20 minutes. The Conservative MP for
:35:48. > :35:54.Christchurch and the deputy Labour group leader on Southampton City
:35:54. > :35:58.Council. Anything particular that he would have liked to have seen in
:35:58. > :36:03.the Queen's Speech or that you didn't like? I think we had lots of
:36:03. > :36:09.interesting things but I think the devil is in the detail and we need
:36:09. > :36:15.to get into the details of the crime aspects. The national agency,
:36:15. > :36:21.I am still doubtful it will achieve what is expected of it. I think it
:36:21. > :36:27.could be an expensive exercise. But I need to do a bit more research.
:36:27. > :36:31.Interesting that you thought there was a lot in it. What do you think?
:36:31. > :36:38.I looked at an item with a private member's Bill on drinking and
:36:38. > :36:44.driving. The drug test? Yes and I am keen for that to progress
:36:44. > :36:48.quickly. There is a legal problem and as a lawyer he would be able to
:36:48. > :36:54.answer that and the test is for impairment. It is not as simple as
:36:54. > :36:59.testing for alcohol, is it? Do we not have a case for testing to see
:37:00. > :37:05.if a driver is just impaired? driver has got illegal drugs in
:37:05. > :37:11.their system, I think they should be guilty of an offence. Even if
:37:11. > :37:15.they have been there a long time? Yes, because drugs are illegal. We
:37:15. > :37:18.understand what interviews with young people that are driving with
:37:18. > :37:22.cannabis in their system, at a high proportion of people have said that
:37:22. > :37:27.if there was a driving offence with cannabis in their system, they
:37:27. > :37:31.would not take it in the first place. I do not think it will be
:37:31. > :37:38.contained in the Bill in that form but I hope we have a chance to look
:37:38. > :37:45.at it in detail. 50 deaths a year in drinking and driving. A loyal's
:37:45. > :37:50.charter, possibly? It is a big issue. If somebody gets killed like
:37:50. > :37:56.that, somebody gets hit head on and a young student is killed, that is
:37:56. > :38:03.a wasted life. Is it a right solution? Probably. But I am
:38:03. > :38:06.concerned about delivery. I think people driving with drugs in their
:38:06. > :38:12.system is probably a growing concern and something we are trying
:38:12. > :38:17.to combat already. I take police I suppose away from their duty if
:38:17. > :38:27.they have got to fill forms and detests. By at we have to do what
:38:27. > :38:31.
:38:31. > :38:34.the public want us to do. -- and Do One of the announcements that you
:38:34. > :38:36.might have missed in the Queen's Speech on Wednesday was the
:38:36. > :38:39.proposed Groceries Code Adjudicator Bill - not the snappiest title
:38:40. > :38:42.perhaps, but the government is so keen on it that they published the
:38:43. > :38:45.actual bill on Friday. According to them, it will beef up protection
:38:45. > :38:48.for farmers and suppliers in their dealings with the big supermarkets.
:38:48. > :38:58.Joining me now from our Westminster studio is Nick von Westenholz of
:38:58. > :39:02.the NFU. Just lately, we have got a lot of supermarkets increasing
:39:02. > :39:06.suppliers from small and local sources. In Hampshire, Devizes, the
:39:06. > :39:13.Isle of Wight, they are looking after the supply chain and
:39:13. > :39:19.investing. Why do they need these changes, barbers? I think --
:39:19. > :39:25.farmers? I think they have been promoting some of the good work
:39:25. > :39:31.that they have been doing. This is some good work out there which
:39:31. > :39:35.supermarkets are doing. But we have not got any doubt that some
:39:35. > :39:41.producers and suppliers are suffering because of unfair
:39:41. > :39:48.practices. This new Bill published on Friday is going to go closer to
:39:48. > :39:51.resolving that. It is a Court of Appeal and you can represent
:39:51. > :39:57.suppliers as a third party and they can go there and somebody can
:39:57. > :40:03.decide if they are getting a fair price and deal? It will not really
:40:03. > :40:06.be on price. That is outside the scope of its powers. They will look
:40:06. > :40:13.at the code of practice for supermarkets which came in a couple
:40:13. > :40:18.of years ago. We have not had any referee to enforce the rules.
:40:18. > :40:23.it not revolve around the price and the money they are getting?
:40:23. > :40:31.might impact on that. A lot of farmers have found themselves being
:40:31. > :40:37.asked to contribute to promotions at supermarkets. That clearly
:40:37. > :40:43.impact upon the price that they are getting. But the bulk of produce is
:40:43. > :40:49.purchased from big multinationals like Unilever or. Why do we need
:40:49. > :40:53.adjudication for them? We had a report in 2008 and that found it
:40:53. > :40:59.had an effect on competition, where risk was passed down the supply
:40:59. > :41:05.chain. Even if this adjudicator is consigned about the supermarket and
:41:05. > :41:09.the supplier, when supermarkets are acting unfairly, that will get
:41:09. > :41:13.unfairly passed down to the producers at the end. It is often
:41:13. > :41:21.producers that bear the brunt of that practice. Do you think we have
:41:21. > :41:27.got a chance that this will put up cost? Is this extra regulation?
:41:27. > :41:32.must say, I am sceptical about whether it will do what it says. We
:41:32. > :41:38.have got very competitive supermarket. We have got much lower
:41:38. > :41:43.customer costs than a lot of other countries. And I am not sure it is
:41:43. > :41:50.will address the big issues, like why are greengrocers not able to
:41:50. > :41:55.operate on the high street? That is because of the burden of rates. Why
:41:55. > :42:03.is the cost of getting food from the farm to the supermarket I? That
:42:03. > :42:08.is because, largely of big diesel prices. We have got big issues and
:42:08. > :42:13.I am not sure if this is worthy of the parliamentary time involved. I
:42:13. > :42:23.think we have got more serious and underlying issues to be addressed.
:42:23. > :42:29.I'll be fiddling at the edges? are we? Well, we do have bigger
:42:29. > :42:34.problems. We have got a big problem with the way supermarkets Street
:42:34. > :42:39.the producers. We have got cross- party support. -- treat the
:42:39. > :42:44.producers. I think this will go through pretty quickly and we will
:42:44. > :42:49.get it up and running by the end of this year, early next year it.
:42:49. > :42:53.most dangerous bills are the ones with cross-party support. You have
:42:53. > :43:00.to build connections with the countryside because they have
:43:00. > :43:03.fallen out badly with your party. Yes, and we have to engage with
:43:03. > :43:08.rural communities and areas in the country that are still suffering.
:43:08. > :43:15.We recognise that. We are starting to engage on a much bigger scale
:43:15. > :43:22.and in a better way but a lot to be done. Thank you for joining us from
:43:22. > :43:25.Police officers from all over our region were at a march in
:43:25. > :43:27.Westminster this week - not policing the marchers this time,
:43:27. > :43:31.but actually protesting themselves against budget cuts and changes to
:43:31. > :43:33.their pay and conditions. It is not just on the front line though that
:43:33. > :43:36.the cuts are biting. As Tiffany Foster reports, police station
:43:36. > :43:44.opening hours are being reduced or in some cases the stations are
:43:44. > :43:48.being closed down entirely. This is the scene of Act -- this is the
:43:48. > :43:53.scene of a crime at a village hall, where a gas cylinder used to be. It
:43:53. > :44:00.was stolen and it deprived the class using recall the next day of
:44:00. > :44:05.hot sausage rolls. Not the Great Train robbery. But who do we report
:44:05. > :44:12.this crime to? The nearest station is miles away. That is where this
:44:12. > :44:16.Secretary has been. In the old days, we had a local policeman in the
:44:16. > :44:21.village. But we are now having to travel all this distance to report
:44:21. > :44:25.the crime. I could have done it by telephone but I wanted to talk to
:44:25. > :44:31.somebody. Front desk opening hours are being reduced in the Thames
:44:31. > :44:36.are being reduced in the Thames Valley to save �600,000. In
:44:36. > :44:41.Wokingham, this station will be open 14 hours every day from July.
:44:41. > :44:48.But down the road, it will be open just four hours a day, five days a
:44:48. > :44:52.week. In Hungerford, just four hours a day, three days a week. But
:44:52. > :45:00.better than Hampshire, where 17 front desks have been closed
:45:00. > :45:05.Long gone are the days when the bobby on the beat was the same
:45:05. > :45:10.person behind the counter at the local station. Now, you are
:45:10. > :45:15.expected to telephone or even use the internet or even social media
:45:15. > :45:19.to report crime all learn about prevention. It is about matching
:45:19. > :45:27.service and demand. We are talking about less than 20 by tasks per
:45:27. > :45:32.week actually carried out. -- 25. We need to reduce the hours
:45:32. > :45:37.according to when they are actually used. In Hungerford, that is why
:45:37. > :45:41.fewer hours should not mean less street contact. But no front
:45:41. > :45:48.counter would be going too far. would object to complete withdrawal.
:45:48. > :45:52.We are a long way from Newbury and any other police force. I think we
:45:52. > :45:56.need to have that positive contact with them, where people can go and
:45:56. > :46:03.complain if necessary. If not through the council then directly
:46:03. > :46:06.to the desk. This is about face-to- face contact with the police.
:46:07. > :46:11.disagree that we do not have opportunities for interaction. We
:46:11. > :46:14.have got plenty of opportunities. We have increased officers on
:46:14. > :46:19.neighbourhood patrol and we have got opportunities for people to
:46:19. > :46:23.meet the police in places where we operate, schools, town centres,
:46:23. > :46:27.community events. Plenty of opportunity to do that. This is
:46:27. > :46:32.about making savings in areas where the public are not using the
:46:32. > :46:36.service. It is all very well picking up the telephone to report
:46:36. > :46:41.crimes in areas where opening hours are restricted or in Hampshire,
:46:41. > :46:49.some stations do not have a front counter, but that relies on people
:46:49. > :46:55.knowing the number. 101, by the way. But nobody in Tadley appeared to
:46:55. > :46:59.know that. A town the size of Tadley, with the number of people
:46:59. > :47:03.we have got, lots more housing and more people going to the area and
:47:03. > :47:10.big employers, and not having front line police and front desk but is
:47:10. > :47:16.is dreadful in my opinion. As long as it is open, I just think it is a
:47:16. > :47:21.deterrent. Anything that closes is just asking for a bit more trouble.
:47:21. > :47:27.Finally, it appears local knowledge is key to confidence in the police.
:47:27. > :47:31.Back at this village hall, this dog handler from Fleet is worried.
:47:31. > :47:36.Coming back late at night, we have got a traffic jam because we have
:47:36. > :47:42.got a load of cows on the road. We have got a Taliban that we can use
:47:42. > :47:47.but I am not sure where it takes you did. -- telephone. I said it
:47:47. > :47:53.was dangerous because the roads was not lit and I was asked, where was
:47:53. > :47:58.the road that it happened in? He was obviously not local and
:47:58. > :48:03.ultimately, he said he expected the patrol man knew where it was.
:48:03. > :48:07.Pressure is on to reduce spending and cut in front desks is just one
:48:07. > :48:12.measure. It is not popular but perhaps inevitable, with every
:48:13. > :48:17.effort focused on the human touch, valued by everybody. It is all
:48:17. > :48:23.about confidence, isn't it? About knowing that they have got somebody
:48:23. > :48:27.they want to talk to? Very much said. But not just in Hampshire but
:48:27. > :48:32.nationwide research has said that people are being told the public
:48:32. > :48:36.want more officers on the beat. And to do that, whether it is for
:48:36. > :48:41.reassurance, or whatever, we need to make sure that would be cuts
:48:41. > :48:46.being forced upon us, we must deliver. We have been closing
:48:46. > :48:50.buildings in Hampshire but we have been investing in people. With
:48:50. > :48:57.Police Authority is, we are happy for the fund desks to be closed but
:48:57. > :49:03.we should have more money? -- front desks. I think money should be
:49:03. > :49:07.spent more wisely. That is the right decision? I think would be
:49:07. > :49:14.consultation, yes. We have some open and we have not closed them
:49:14. > :49:21.all. And in the Thames Valley, they are talking about keeping some
:49:21. > :49:29.stations open for just a few hours, for 80 days per week. Are we being
:49:29. > :49:32.squeezed too hard? -- a few days. think that these police and crime
:49:32. > :49:37.Commissioner candidates will have to explain to the electorate what
:49:37. > :49:43.the policies are going to be. We have got to have a lot of room for
:49:43. > :49:47.common sense. In my constituency, the police station moved out to and
:49:47. > :49:52.out of town location and that was replaced by having police officers
:49:52. > :49:58.in the community centre at. I think we have got a lot more scope than
:49:58. > :50:03.having a dedicated police station. Why can of this has not moved to
:50:03. > :50:07.the local places? You might get better value for money. But with
:50:07. > :50:12.elected commissioners, it will be an interaction between the public
:50:12. > :50:17.and the commissioners to determine the pattern. I am amazed that he
:50:17. > :50:23.both agree. Of course, you what about you for money. -- you both
:50:23. > :50:29.agree. But is that squeeze actually going to lead to quite dire
:50:29. > :50:34.consequences for the inquiry? not think so. I think we have got a
:50:34. > :50:39.bit but scaremongering here. I did not think anybody does not believe
:50:39. > :50:46.that we have not got savings to be made in policing. Is it just
:50:46. > :50:50.scaremongering? I do not then it is. 60,000 fewer officers, they need to
:50:50. > :50:56.be done, these jobs by other people in the country. By fulfilling the
:50:56. > :50:59.jobs in other ways, that cannot be good for anybody. Of course we must
:50:59. > :51:03.make savings and there are savings to be made if you look hard enough
:51:03. > :51:06.and that is what we have done in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight,
:51:07. > :51:15.but this is putting pressure on people serving the community is
:51:15. > :51:19.daily. Do you sympathise with that London march? Did I? Yes. You are
:51:19. > :51:27.nothing when you say you should support the boys on the beat.
:51:27. > :51:34.nodding. I think we should support the police. But it is about having
:51:34. > :51:39.enough money. Any other public service is paid for by the
:51:39. > :51:43.taxpayers and it is reasonable to expect that in times of constraint,
:51:43. > :51:47.these police officers should not find it quite as easy as it was in
:51:47. > :51:53.the past. Perhaps they have got a bigger pension contribution and a
:51:53. > :52:00.lot about a public service his hat. It does not mean that we should not
:52:01. > :52:10.have any scope for reduction and Now our regular round-up of the
:52:11. > :52:18.
:52:18. > :52:23.Big changes on the M4 motorway. The transport ministers said we should
:52:23. > :52:31.be able to drive on the hard shoulder when it gets busy. We will
:52:31. > :52:37.get a brand new line and we will be using the asset. The road got
:52:37. > :52:40.clouded -- crowded this week. Police protesting against caps.
:52:41. > :52:45.When I call the police I want to understand that somebody is
:52:45. > :52:49.actually coming. And across the region, public sector workers on
:52:49. > :52:54.the picket line, striking because of plans to reduce pensions will
:52:54. > :52:59.stop a I will have to work longer and pay more --. I will have to
:52:59. > :53:04.work longer and pay more money. cost of public sector pensions has
:53:04. > :53:09.gone up by one-third. And the cost of aircraft carriers continues to
:53:09. > :53:19.rise faster than the vertical take- off of aircraft that the Navy has
:53:19. > :53:20.
:53:20. > :53:25.A lot of protest this week. What do you think of the public mood at the
:53:25. > :53:30.moment? I think morale is very depressed. If we talk to people
:53:30. > :53:33.from a range of industries, they think that the pressure is biting.
:53:33. > :53:39.I was disappointed I could not have been on the march yesterday because
:53:39. > :53:45.I would have been supporting the Hampshire contingent. On the public
:53:45. > :53:50.sector pensions, as the Government got to face that down? So it
:53:50. > :53:56.appears. The cost of public sector pensions has been shooting up. That
:53:56. > :54:00.is the cost falling on the taxpayer. And when times are hard, we have
:54:00. > :54:04.got to make sure people make a bigger contribution. I think that
:54:04. > :54:08.is where people are complaining because they have got to pay more
:54:08. > :54:13.because they are living longer and pensions are therefore going to
:54:13. > :54:18.cost more and it they do not contribute more, the taxpayer does.
:54:18. > :54:23.His David Cameron the man to do it? I have always been a great
:54:23. > :54:31.supporter of the man as Prime Minister, yes. And that continues?
:54:31. > :54:38.Of course, gets it. I am not. know! What about the aircraft
:54:38. > :54:44.carriers? You only have to watch some of the media interviews that
:54:44. > :54:51.David Cameron has done. He does not know if he is coming or going.
:54:51. > :54:57.word to you. When the facts change, then a sensible and prudent
:54:57. > :55:00.government can change opinion and that is what has happened. That is