:01:26. > :01:30.In the south, up nearly a third of all manslaughter in Thames Valley
:01:30. > :01:40.has been a result of domestic violence. Will the new crime
:01:40. > :01:40.
:01:40. > :35:53.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 2053 seconds
:35:53. > :35:58.Welcome to Sunday Politics South, my name's Alex Forsyth. On today's
:35:58. > :36:01.show, policing domestic violence. It's the cause of almost a third of
:36:01. > :36:03.all murders in Thames Valley, so will the new Police and Crime
:36:03. > :36:06.Commissioner be able to make a difference?
:36:06. > :36:16.There was an announcement this week that might help councils generate
:36:16. > :36:16.
:36:16. > :36:21.more income. Let us meet Richard Williams, the Labour leader of
:36:21. > :36:24.Southampton City Council, and Ian Hudspeth, the Conservative leader
:36:24. > :36:31.of West Oxfordshire District Council. We are coming up to Budget
:36:31. > :36:35.time. Richard, in Southampton are you reversed the pay cuts that the
:36:35. > :36:44.Conservatives imposed to try and save jobs. Does that mean you by
:36:44. > :36:49.going to have to cut jobs instead? We would have lost �12 million in
:36:49. > :36:54.fines and costs. The courts had already found against Southampton
:36:54. > :37:01.City Council, but the Conservatives did not bother telling the union
:37:01. > :37:10.that they were setting the people. But you have a �12 million a halt
:37:10. > :37:14.in your budget. Yes, I think that is indicative of the swingeing cuts,
:37:14. > :37:21.not just a Labour Party thing, authorities are across the country
:37:21. > :37:28.are suffering from its deep and unnecessary cuts. Why do we need
:37:28. > :37:33.the cuts? We need to rid -- we need to reduce the deficit. In
:37:33. > :37:37.Oxfordshire we are halfway through a programme of taking �119 million
:37:37. > :37:45.out of the Budget, and we are going to have to make tough decisions.
:37:45. > :37:50.But you have had cuts of ageing service cuts. If you look at the
:37:50. > :37:54.youth services, we have redesigned them, and we have 14% you sessions
:37:54. > :37:58.than before. We got an early intervention service, which is
:37:58. > :38:02.doing great work within the community. It is always an
:38:02. > :38:08.opportunity, and you have to say, do we need to do things the same
:38:08. > :38:12.way as we have done before? Not easy decisions, I must admit, but
:38:12. > :38:16.necessary additions to reduce the deficit.
:38:16. > :38:21.There is one announcement that has been made this week that could help
:38:21. > :38:25.local councils generate more income. Several towns and cities in the
:38:25. > :38:27.South are being invited to compete for new powers in the second wave
:38:27. > :38:30.of the government's City Deal programme. Deputy Prime Minister
:38:30. > :38:33.Nick Clegg and Cities Minister Greg Clark announced this week that If
:38:33. > :38:36.successful, cities will be able to "earn back" tax from the Treasury,
:38:36. > :38:39.and take control of their own budgets for things like Transport
:38:39. > :38:42.and Skills. In our region Bournemouth's one those that's been
:38:42. > :38:50.invited to bid - I'm joined by Dr Bruce Grant-Braham, from the Dorset
:38:50. > :38:55.Local Enterprise Partnership. much difference is this going to
:38:55. > :38:59.make. This is not necessarily new money, and it is just moving money
:38:59. > :39:06.around. It is a way of entrepreneurially spreading the
:39:06. > :39:11.money around the pot. Whilst I am here representing in Bournemouth,
:39:11. > :39:16.it is Bournemouth, Paul, Christchurch and Dorset, and a
:39:16. > :39:21.minimum of 5,000 population could benefit in our area.
:39:21. > :39:27.One do you mean by benefit? How will this help for example POS
:39:28. > :39:33.tourism in Bournemouth? If unit at the first wave of City deals, they
:39:33. > :39:37.have put together some innovative approaches of looking at boosting
:39:37. > :39:43.infrastructure, and we have some radical ideas that we will be
:39:44. > :39:49.coming up with to go into our bid. Where tourism is concerned the
:39:49. > :39:54.infrastructure is very important we bash. We can boast Bournemouth
:39:54. > :40:00.airport, where access is concerned, and build upon what existing City
:40:00. > :40:04.deals have done for instance Bristol. They have been given the
:40:04. > :40:10.opportunity to earn back the are lived in business rates for up to
:40:10. > :40:14.25 years. So you could effectively keep the business rates? In certain
:40:14. > :40:19.areas we could do. That is substantial money not only in
:40:20. > :40:24.itself but to borrow against. happens at the end of 25 years?
:40:24. > :40:31.should have paid back what has been earned and we can move on to the
:40:31. > :40:38.next deals. These are not fixed in stone. Knew a have a tough, --
:40:38. > :40:45.competition. Portsmouth and Southampton are doing a joint bid.
:40:45. > :40:55.What are you going to come up that -- that is so radical? It is aware
:40:55. > :40:55.
:40:55. > :41:00.of the area, but we need investment. -- a wealthy area. The people in it
:41:00. > :41:07.the service areas are not in the best wages. We have a shortage of
:41:07. > :41:11.houses. We have communication problems, and we have to take more
:41:11. > :41:18.control over our bus system. We need to enhance broadband as well,
:41:18. > :41:23.which is another theme that City Deal is is very encouraging about.
:41:23. > :41:28.Of course we also know that Oxford and Oxfordshire are going to put in
:41:29. > :41:33.a bid, as are Portsmouth and Southampton. Ian, what are you
:41:33. > :41:37.going to do? The announcement on Monday did not say how many people
:41:37. > :41:44.would get the bid. We might all bought in good bits and win on
:41:44. > :41:48.those bits. We have some issues in Oxfordshire and in Paul and
:41:49. > :41:54.Bournemouth, around transport and infrastructure. Everybody wants
:41:54. > :41:58.good fast broadband. Most importantly of all, skills. That is
:41:58. > :42:02.important for the growth of that economy, to make sure we have the
:42:02. > :42:09.skills for investing in the future. This is all well and good that you
:42:09. > :42:14.can win back taxes, but won't it be more successful if you didn't have
:42:14. > :42:18.local Government grants cut back so much. This is a way that people can
:42:18. > :42:21.show innovative ways of earning that money and bringing more
:42:21. > :42:26.business into the region, which will make more growth and improve
:42:26. > :42:30.the economy for everybody. This presupposes that people will want
:42:30. > :42:39.to invest in the area, and in Southampton we have just seen fait
:42:39. > :42:43.pour out. The are are serious risks. The Government to -- nobody
:42:43. > :42:49.disputes we need more investment in the private sector. The problem we
:42:49. > :42:55.have in Southampton and Oxford is that in the past year we have lost
:42:55. > :43:00.at Ford, B&Q and British Gas. They are all private sector entities.
:43:00. > :43:06.The fact that the alleged it double-dip recession has ended in
:43:06. > :43:11.the UK does not feel like that in Southampton. Is the City Deal
:43:11. > :43:18.programme going to make any difference? Sa to reform our own
:43:18. > :43:22.point of view, we are working cross-party on this. It is
:43:22. > :43:27.essential that this is not a party political issue, this is about the
:43:27. > :43:32.region fighting together. I think we need to do that. Our argument
:43:32. > :43:35.around the green agenda was very important, because it is one of the
:43:35. > :43:41.few areas we perceived serious opportunity for growth in the
:43:41. > :43:48.economy, not just in a our region but in the UK as a whole. A lot of
:43:48. > :43:52.people are saying things will get worse, and that is an opportunity
:43:52. > :43:57.to invest in new areas. Michael Heseltine this week said more power
:43:57. > :44:07.should be devolved from London to the regions. Dear me, is this the
:44:07. > :44:11.key that is needed to unlock the economy? We would welcome the
:44:11. > :44:15.opportunity to determine our own future. This is a real sign of it
:44:15. > :44:22.from Michael Heseltine saying that is the way forward.
:44:22. > :44:25.Thank you very much for being with In just over a week we'll all be
:44:25. > :44:29.going to the polls to vote for the new Police and Crime Commissioners.
:44:29. > :44:32.A couple of weeks ago we had all the Dorset candidates here in the
:44:32. > :44:39.studio and today we're taking a look at the Thames Valley force and
:44:39. > :44:43.the candidates standing there. Thames Valley is the largest non-
:44:43. > :44:48.metropolitan police force in England and Wales. If it covers 96
:44:48. > :44:54.miles of motorway, more than any other British force. Whoever lands
:44:54. > :44:58.the PCC job will have to tackle crime at from farm thefts in rural
:44:58. > :45:03.Oxfordshire to the mean streets of Reading and Slough. And they will
:45:03. > :45:08.have to represent the Thames Valley's diverse communities. One
:45:08. > :45:15.person at meeting the policing needs of 2.2 million. We ask our
:45:15. > :45:20.local neighbourhoods what is the most important priority. Some say
:45:20. > :45:27.hare-coursing. That is not in Slough and Reading, so we have a
:45:27. > :45:35.few huge variety of problems. race for PCC has become too tough
:45:35. > :45:42.for to independence. Martin Young and the current police authority
:45:42. > :45:48.chair have now pulled out. The a have a lot of levers to pull, so I
:45:48. > :45:53.decided to pull out. But to independence remain, and they are
:45:53. > :45:58.determined to keep politics out of policing. So someone like me is
:45:58. > :46:02.somebody who will be attentive to the needs of all the people. I will
:46:02. > :46:07.identify the different communities that exist in Thames Valley, and
:46:07. > :46:11.make sure that their needs and policing expectations are met.
:46:11. > :46:18.strongly believe that this poll should not be political. Politics
:46:18. > :46:23.should not come into it. David Cameron says it is a big job for a
:46:23. > :46:27.big local person, and I believe I am that person. Six candidates are
:46:27. > :46:35.still fighting for the right to control the force's annual budget
:46:35. > :46:43.of almost �400 million. In Reading, they tried to convince voters of
:46:43. > :46:50.their conventional -- credentials. I will want my finger on the pulse.
:46:50. > :46:55.I will be getting the intelligence, understanding where the crime is an
:46:55. > :47:01.if it is not going down and will want to know why. The we need to
:47:01. > :47:06.make sure nobody is neglected. By want to make sure there is an
:47:06. > :47:10.equality of service across the region. Everybody feels that there
:47:10. > :47:19.is an except -- accessible PCC but they can communicate their problems
:47:19. > :47:22.too. Unless you have actually led things and run a company and a
:47:22. > :47:31.multi-million-pound sponsorship, and I don't think you can do this
:47:31. > :47:35.job. I have done both. background is in the criminal
:47:35. > :47:45.justice system. I have worked for the last 11 years as a prosecutor,
:47:45. > :47:50.so I understand the system and how it often fails victims of crime.
:47:50. > :47:53.Six budding commissioners battle for the newest posed in British
:47:53. > :47:55.democracy. This week those Police Commissioner
:47:55. > :47:58.candidates have been given briefings on the difference they
:47:58. > :48:01.might make to domestic violence if they're elected. Nearly a third of
:48:01. > :48:03.all murders and manslaughters in the Thames Valley over the past
:48:03. > :48:06.five years have been domestic killings - people dying at the
:48:06. > :48:09.hands of their partner. Tackling domestic abuse is a key priority
:48:09. > :48:12.for Thames Valley Police, but as Emma Vardy reports, it can take
:48:12. > :48:19.many forms, and bringing offenders to justice through the courts isn't
:48:19. > :48:26.always the route to take. More than 30 thousand incidents of
:48:27. > :48:32.domestic abuse were reported in the Thames Valley last year. I was
:48:32. > :48:39.belittled, all sorts of extent. Priya, whose name we've changed,
:48:39. > :48:43.says for six years she struggled to leave an abusive relationship.
:48:43. > :48:49.was alienated from friends and family and told that people around
:48:49. > :48:54.me were not good for me. I was controlled about what I war and who
:48:54. > :48:58.I spoke to. I was told her to wash the dishes, and then I was timed to
:48:58. > :49:03.wash the dishes. Then I had to repeat the same exercise three
:49:03. > :49:10.times until I had done it in a timely manner. Domestic abuse
:49:10. > :49:13.happens within the home. It is often about one partner having an
:49:13. > :49:23.abusive controlling relationship over the other and the other living
:49:23. > :49:24.
:49:24. > :49:30.in fear. I am going to try and get some officers to come and see you.
:49:30. > :49:34.In Priya's case, this controlling behaviour escalated. I was about
:49:34. > :49:38.seven months pregnant at the time, and he hit me against the wall by
:49:38. > :49:46.my neck. I did not know what to do. She was visited by Thames Valley
:49:46. > :49:51.Police officers several times. police bought a panic button into
:49:51. > :49:55.the property, just to give me some reassurance.
:49:55. > :50:00.Prevent in this crime, say police, is never straightforward. It is
:50:00. > :50:04.largely hidden. When domestic abuse is reported, but these and other
:50:04. > :50:09.agencies must tread a difficult line between keeping victims saved
:50:09. > :50:15.and working out what action can be taken against perpetrators. He hit
:50:16. > :50:21.me a few times, and I probably ended up with about 15 bruises all
:50:21. > :50:23.of my body. And I actually had to ring up NHS Direct, and they were
:50:23. > :50:26.the ones who called the police and the ambulance.
:50:26. > :50:33.Often it's local officers that are first to come into contact with
:50:33. > :50:36.victims, and the action they can take may be limited. If somebody
:50:36. > :50:42.commits a burglary, the expectation by the public would be that we
:50:42. > :50:46.would deal with that robustly and a rest the offender. With domestic
:50:46. > :50:51.violence it is different because you need to establish the needs and
:50:51. > :51:00.the wishes of the victim as well. It is not -- put it is not always
:51:00. > :51:05.cut and dried. Not all domestic violence victims want to report the
:51:05. > :51:10.crimes. Support groups say that to help
:51:10. > :51:13.victims, it is crucial that the police and other agencies share
:51:13. > :51:16.information and work together. When the new Police and Crime
:51:16. > :51:19.Commissioner's elected, he or she will control a budget of half a
:51:19. > :51:22.million pounds to tackle domestic abuse in the Thames Valley. They'll
:51:22. > :51:30.decide how much is spent not just on police work, but what funds
:51:30. > :51:35.should go to independent support groups too. A we need to make sure
:51:35. > :51:40.that the victim essayists -- saved, so a police officer will be looking
:51:40. > :51:44.out the safety and the risks to the victim, and insuring that he or she
:51:44. > :51:49.gets there help they need. Also looking at the safety of the
:51:50. > :51:56.children and making sure that the children are all right. I wasted my
:51:56. > :52:00.life and my time on something that was fixable, and...
:52:00. > :52:03.Priya's ordeal is now over. But there are those who never escape
:52:03. > :52:05.and ultimately some lose their lives. In future the strategy from
:52:05. > :52:15.the new Police and Crime Commissioner will determine what
:52:15. > :52:19.safety net there is for victims before it's too late. Everyone
:52:19. > :52:24.deserves a better life. My advice to everybody would be get out, that
:52:24. > :52:29.the longer you stay in it, the harder it gets to leave.
:52:29. > :52:32.That statistic that one in three murders and manslaughter is in the
:52:32. > :52:37.Thames Valley is domestic killing, if we are not doing enough about
:52:37. > :52:43.it? It is hidden underneath the radar because people feel scared
:52:43. > :52:47.about coming forward. People don't want to come forward. The real
:52:47. > :52:51.issue is the victim almost becomes a victim themselves again and when
:52:51. > :52:57.they come forward. What we have to do his work in partnership with all
:52:57. > :53:01.agencies, so everybody has the ability to recognise the signs at
:53:01. > :53:06.and early stage. In Oxfordshire we have domestic violence champions
:53:06. > :53:12.across the country, working in schools to see if there is anything
:53:12. > :53:16.there, and keep up -- pick up the early signs of problems. We have to
:53:16. > :53:22.support these people, because the victims should be able to continue
:53:22. > :53:27.their lives in safety. Richard, is this the sort of area
:53:27. > :53:31.the police and crime commissioners should deal with? Is it is a
:53:31. > :53:37.particular the evil crime, because it does not just affect the victims
:53:37. > :53:43.but also the children. These people are genuinely innocent, and on a
:53:43. > :53:46.personal level I think this is exactly the sort of area that
:53:46. > :53:53.Police and Crime Commissioners should focus on. Certainly in times
:53:53. > :53:55.of recession at the situations are going to get worse. This is an area
:53:55. > :54:02.whether Police and Crime Commissioner has limited powers to
:54:02. > :54:06.do anything. A lot of things are related to how you pull together
:54:06. > :54:14.coalitions of the wedding. There are a number of agencies out there
:54:14. > :54:18.who have a genuine stake in wanting to solve the issue. If the PCC can
:54:18. > :54:23.make a difference by putting those people together and saying this is
:54:23. > :54:27.an issue that impacts upon everybody, all of our communities,
:54:27. > :54:32.they will be serving a useful social benefit as well as dealing
:54:32. > :54:39.with a serious crime. I also, particularly in the Thames Valley
:54:39. > :54:43.we have different areas, and it is important to get down into the low
:54:43. > :54:46.level for local solutions to local problems. That is whether Police
:54:46. > :54:49.and Crime Commissioner can guide the police.
:54:49. > :54:52.And don't forget if you want to check out who are the candidates in
:54:52. > :54:56.your force area then the BBC has all the details on a special
:54:56. > :54:58.website - there's the address below. And on Thursday you'll be able to
:54:58. > :55:01.hear the candidates debating the issues with each other on your
:55:01. > :55:11.local radio station - that's Thursday morning between 9:00 and
:55:11. > :55:17.
:55:17. > :55:24.10:00. Now our round-up of Some good news on the job front.
:55:24. > :55:29.Royal Mail is delivering 150 new posts in Hampshire. But Southampton
:55:29. > :55:33.is reading from the loss of 500 jobs at Ford. The Prime Minister
:55:33. > :55:41.faced questions. The was he aware of those plans when his Government
:55:41. > :55:44.awarded a large sum of money... with an uncertain job market it is
:55:44. > :55:49.bad news for residents in Oxfordshire with warnings that
:55:49. > :55:55.rents will rise by more than 15% in the next decade.
:55:55. > :56:01.By it it is also a blow for wind farms. Hampshire County Council's
:56:01. > :56:09.environment chief wants a ban on all born sure wind turbines. Under
:56:10. > :56:19.current technology, they do not outweigh the benefits. In Berkshire
:56:20. > :56:20.
:56:20. > :56:25.volunteers are being asked to improve the Kennet and Avon Canal.
:56:25. > :56:31.Richard, a ban on wind farms on Hampshire Land? Are think it is
:56:31. > :56:35.bizarre. If the County Council want to do that, that is a matter for
:56:35. > :56:43.them, but why would you planned wind turbines on your own
:56:43. > :56:47.buildings? I can understand the issue where it relates to a site of
:56:47. > :56:52.outstanding national beauty, but if you are going to ban wind turbines
:56:52. > :56:57.on every property that you own, for example on County Council buildings,
:56:57. > :57:00.why would you not have a turbine on your own risk to save your own
:57:00. > :57:05.electricity? At a lot of people find them disrupting to the
:57:05. > :57:12.landscape. In Oxfordshire you have rural landscape, but you have had
:57:12. > :57:16.your fair share of battles. One big issue we have his best base. When
:57:16. > :57:23.proposals have been put forward, there seems to be some airport that
:57:23. > :57:28.is nearby, and I think everybody agrees you cannot put them in for
:57:28. > :57:33.the safety of the aircraft. Of course it is dreaming spires, I am
:57:33. > :57:43.sure that Richard would not want wind turbines on top of the
:57:43. > :57:43.
:57:43. > :57:53.dreaming spires in Oxford! My view on this is yes and less. Yes, let's
:57:53. > :57:53.
:57:53. > :58:00.do it. In Hampshire, if you are looking in the urban areas, they
:58:00. > :58:09.are putting medium-sized turbines on buildings to reduce -- reduce
:58:09. > :58:18.carbon emissions. Whereas if you are in the Thames Valley, where
:58:18. > :58:24.there is a legitimate argument, then it know. I think I have to be
:58:24. > :58:29.convinced of the real benefit. Sometimes people are saying the
:58:29. > :58:35.costs involved, the subsidy is. I need to know the genuine costs.