:00:04. > :00:06.Good evening. Welcome to BBC Channel Islands News. I'm Edward
:00:06. > :00:09.Sault. Our headlines this Tuesday evening.
:00:09. > :00:14.Game over. The pub landlords confused about Guernsey's gambling
:00:14. > :00:19.laws. Also, childcare crisis. Why the number of childminders in
:00:19. > :00:29.Jersey is falling. And we're on standby. The local innovation in
:00:29. > :00:36.
:00:36. > :00:39.Good evening. Could pub landlords in Guernsey be breaking the law?
:00:39. > :00:43.There's confusion that current gambling laws mean some gaming
:00:43. > :00:46.machines, common sights in many Guernsey pubs, could be illegal.
:00:46. > :00:50.The Government has sent letters out warning landlords they could be
:00:50. > :00:57.fined up to �2,000. This has angered many in the industry as
:00:57. > :01:03.Emma Thomas explains. A common sight in many pubs but
:01:03. > :01:05.gaming machines could be illegal under the isalnds gambling laws.
:01:05. > :01:09.Well this machine's been entertaining cutomers here for a
:01:09. > :01:13.while now. But landlords here have just received a letter saying it
:01:13. > :01:21.could be illegal. The news has come as a shock to the people running
:01:21. > :01:24.this pub. I just find it very, very confusing. I don't know if we're
:01:24. > :01:27.allowed to put the machines on, or if we're not allowed to put the
:01:27. > :01:30.machines on. The Home department says any machine offering the
:01:30. > :01:34.possibility of a cash prize constitutes gaming. Defined by law
:01:34. > :01:37.as the playing of a game of chance, or chance and skill combined. If
:01:37. > :01:47.caught with an illegal machine, pubs could face fines of up to
:01:47. > :01:48.
:01:48. > :01:51.�2,000. The department became aware that there are a growing number of
:01:51. > :01:54.machines in licensed premises and felt that it was a proportionate
:01:54. > :01:57.response to write to the licencees and remind them of their
:01:57. > :02:00.obligations under the law. Pubs are being told not to take a chance and
:02:00. > :02:03.take legal advice, which many say will be costly. They are being
:02:03. > :02:13.advised to speak to machine manufacturers and Machine
:02:13. > :02:14.
:02:14. > :02:17.Manufacturers and of the Home Office if they had any doubt.
:02:17. > :02:19.There has been a fall in the number of childminders or registered
:02:19. > :02:23.family childcarers in Jersey. The latest figures from the Education
:02:23. > :02:26.Department show there are now less than half than at a peak in 2003.
:02:26. > :02:28.The main reason is that, until last week, there were high social
:02:28. > :02:31.security contributions for many wanting a career change as a
:02:31. > :02:34.childminder. Amy Harris reports. Jennie Marriott has been a
:02:34. > :02:41.childminder in Jersey for 15 years. She believes it's a unique service
:02:41. > :02:44.that provides quality childcare in a family setting. The advantages
:02:44. > :02:49.for parents is that their child will be in a loving home
:02:49. > :02:53.environment with lots of other children of other ages which, in
:02:53. > :02:56.effect, mimics their home environment, a family environment.
:02:56. > :02:59.They also go out and about a lot. But despite those advantages,
:02:59. > :03:03.childminder numbers in Jersey have taken a dip in the last ten years.
:03:03. > :03:09.There were less than half last year than in 2003. And the figure's
:03:09. > :03:11.expected to go down again next year. Whilst the decline can be put down
:03:11. > :03:21.partly to some childminders retiring, it's also believed
:03:21. > :03:21.
:03:21. > :03:25.parents are using family childcare less. Either because they are
:03:25. > :03:28.looking after the children themselves to save money. Or simply,
:03:28. > :03:30.because many don't realise childminders like Jennie are out
:03:30. > :03:33.there. And there has been little financial incentive to entice new
:03:33. > :03:36.people into the job. Until last week, social security contributions
:03:36. > :03:43.for those starting out were based on their previous earnings, which
:03:43. > :03:47.for many made it unprofitable. have changed the law so that people
:03:47. > :03:53.starting up a new business will be able to submit a business plan with
:03:53. > :03:55.projected income throughout the first two or three years, and we
:03:55. > :04:00.will base their contributions on that projection. Childcare advisors
:04:00. > :04:04.believe this will lead to a turnaround. I think we're going to
:04:04. > :04:08.see a remarkable increase in family child carers. People will have
:04:08. > :04:11.their children after working in an industry like the finance industry
:04:11. > :04:14.will now be able to afford to become a family child carers.
:04:14. > :04:24.believed there is demand for more childminders like Jennie. The task
:04:24. > :04:25.
:04:25. > :04:28.now is increasing parental awareness that they exist.
:04:28. > :04:33.Crimes reported to the police in Jersey fell by about 7% last year.
:04:33. > :04:35.Nearly half of the 4,500 offences were for stealing. The next most
:04:35. > :04:38.committed crimes were against the person such as assaults, harassment
:04:38. > :04:48.and child cruelty. The police say Jersey is one of the safest places
:04:48. > :04:50.
:04:50. > :04:54.in the British Isles. The crime rate is even lower in Jersey but
:04:54. > :04:58.when they do occur, prosecutions are difficult because people are
:04:58. > :05:08.unwilling to give evidence in such a small committee. A new house to
:05:08. > :05:11.
:05:11. > :05:14.house campaign has been launched. Many crimes in Alderney would go
:05:14. > :05:16.unreported elsewhere in the United Kingdom. However, there is an
:05:16. > :05:19.underlying problem which is compounded by the reluctance of
:05:19. > :05:22.people living in a small community such as Alderney to provide the
:05:22. > :05:25.police with vital information. we're trying to do is offer a
:05:25. > :05:28.service where people can come to us in complete confidence so that we
:05:28. > :05:35.can progress matters. So if anybody has any information, crime or drug-
:05:35. > :05:37.related offences, we can work together to maintain a lifestyle.
:05:37. > :05:44.The Alderney States Member responsible for police liaison,
:05:44. > :05:51.himself a former police officer, would agree. Policing in ordinary
:05:51. > :05:55.is done as it is in the rest of the British Isles with the consensus of
:05:55. > :05:58.the populace. This is intelligence gathering to reassure people on the
:05:58. > :06:02.island of the police to care for them but it can only do it with
:06:03. > :06:05.their help. Whilst police chiefs admit they have a long way to go in
:06:06. > :06:10.order to win the hearts and minds of the population, the initial
:06:10. > :06:18.results appear to be encouraging. In the last week, we have managed
:06:18. > :06:21.to, 80% of the population, more than a leaflet drop, we spoke to
:06:21. > :06:26.people on their doorsteps. They were welcomed by the local
:06:26. > :06:36.population. The feedback has been marvellous. If anyone has any
:06:36. > :06:40.
:06:40. > :06:43.information, the Guernsey Police can be contacted on 07781 406706. A
:06:43. > :06:46.multi-million pound regeneration project in Guernsey has moved a
:06:46. > :06:48.step closer. This is what the second phase of the Grand Bouet
:06:48. > :06:51.redevelopment is expected to look like. A planning application has
:06:51. > :06:54.been put in for 80 new homes for families, first-time buyers and
:06:54. > :06:56.older people. The social housing will sit alongside new homes for
:06:56. > :07:03.the elderly that are already under construction. A planning decision
:07:03. > :07:06.is due in early October. Grand Bouet was a typical 1960s
:07:06. > :07:10.development, fairly cheaply built and it was a continuous replication
:07:10. > :07:16.of the same units over and over again in a barrack blocks style.
:07:16. > :07:18.What we are going for is much more community-based. It's much more in
:07:18. > :07:28.the Guernsey vernacular of curved streets and different buildings
:07:28. > :07:29.
:07:29. > :07:34.faced against each other. Thanks for being with us this Tuesday
:07:34. > :07:37.evening. You're watching the BBC in the Channel Islands. Later in
:07:37. > :07:41.Spotlight with Simon and Victoria: Two men, three legs. But can this
:07:41. > :07:44.pair of army commandos break a record? We may just find out before
:07:44. > :07:47.7:00pm. Make sure you stay tuned for that.
:07:47. > :07:50.In the past, wildfires have tested the Jersey fire and rescue service
:07:50. > :07:53.almost to breaking point. But now a new hose laying system, designed in
:07:53. > :07:56.the island, is being introduced. It will assist the service with more
:07:56. > :08:00.water to the harder to reach areas in the island. Chris Harrison
:08:00. > :08:05.explains. It's this kind of blaze that pushes
:08:05. > :08:13.Jersey Fire Service to the limit. Furze fires like this one two years
:08:14. > :08:21.ago move quickly and are difficult to put out. But now the service has
:08:21. > :08:26.this new hose system to tackle furze fires more efficiently.
:08:26. > :08:32.of our major weaknesses was when we were catching a fire in the early
:08:32. > :08:36.stages, we would run short of water. And the solution to get in water to
:08:36. > :08:40.remote places was to find some sort of system that could be deployed
:08:40. > :08:44.very, very quickly, very simply, without taking too much fire-
:08:44. > :08:48.fighting resources away, so we put our thinking caps on and came up
:08:48. > :08:52.with this idea. That idea is now this reality. It has been two years
:08:52. > :08:55.in the making and is a towable hose system. It's designed to run
:08:55. > :08:57.between the fire and the nearest water hydrant so the fire service
:08:57. > :09:07.have as much water as they need. It's been praised by
:09:07. > :09:09.
:09:09. > :09:15.environmentalist. Sometimes they are quite horrible, the fires we
:09:15. > :09:19.have. Something that cannot react quickly to it has got to be a good
:09:19. > :09:23.thing for everybody, I'm sure. hose has not yet been used for real,
:09:23. > :09:33.but with furze fires common at this time of year, that might not be the
:09:33. > :09:35.
:09:35. > :09:40.case for much longer. I got rained on early on this lunchtime which
:09:40. > :09:46.was a bit of a pain, as I was out for a family birthday lunch. The
:09:47. > :09:53.sun came out when I came to work. It's always the way. Time now for a
:09:53. > :09:57.Hello, good evening. The cloud should have allowed the sunshine to
:09:57. > :09:59.come through here and there. I think it will be a similar case
:09:59. > :10:02.tomorrow. Perhaps more sunshine through the afternoon. No rain in
:10:02. > :10:05.the forecast at the moment. These weather fronts to the West will get
:10:05. > :10:09.closer by lunchtime tomorrow, coming into the western end of the
:10:09. > :10:14.English Channel but not much of those. By lunchtime on Thursday,
:10:14. > :10:18.they remain to the west and we have winds from the north-east, which is
:10:18. > :10:24.generally a dry direction for us. Tonight, shallow mist forming here
:10:24. > :10:28.and there. Most of the night, fine and clear. 13 degrees, the minimum
:10:28. > :10:32.temperature. Tomorrow, after a cloudy start to the day, it will
:10:32. > :10:40.brighten up quite nicely. In the afternoon, plenty of sunshine to
:10:40. > :10:50.enjoy. 20-21-22 degrees. A light, north-westerly wind. These are the
:10:50. > :11:07.
:11:07. > :11:11.Here is the forecast which includes the weekend. Expect on Thursday to
:11:11. > :11:16.be a lot more cloudy. It could be reluctant to break through the day.
:11:16. > :11:20.Some sunshine coming through every now and then that still dry. Friday,
:11:20. > :11:24.a bright a story with temperatures of 21 degrees, 70 Fahrenheit. And
:11:24. > :11:28.the winds from the north and north- east through Friday and Saturday,
:11:28. > :11:34.there is a very slight chance through both days, with Friday and