11/09/2014 BBC London News

sunshine but the risk of a shower later this weekend. Thank you. That

is all from the BBC News At Six I will be back at ten o'clock but on

BBC One we join the BBC News teams where you are.

Could her missing iPhone hold vital clues in the search for Alice Gross?

The missing teenager was last seen near her home

It is unique, it has a cracked rear casing and she had coloured them in

with felt tip pen. Anyone who has that will know they have her phone.

We'll have the latest on the investigation.

The headteacher suspended from this award`winning west London

primary, as an investigation into safeguarding concerns is latnched.

Making big business out of mobile phone theft.

Dawn raids target suspected criminal gangs.

going solo for the first tile. Chrissie Hynde on rock 'n' roll and

life in London. Welcome to BBC London News with me,

Riz Lateef. It's been two weeks since 14

year`old Alice Gross went mhssing Police now say her missing lobile

phone may hold key informathon Detectives say her father rdceived

a text from her on the day she vanished ` saying she'd forgotten

her keys and asking if someone would She was last seen on a towp`th

near her home in Hanwell. 14`year`old Alice Gross lovds

songwriting. This is one of her compositions. But it is now two

weeks since she was last sedn, in five easy CCTV pictures crossing a

bridge over a quiet stretch of river in West London. What has happened to

her? `` fuzzy CCTV. 32 detectives and 170 police officers and staff

including divers are trying to find out. They know she left homd for a

walk at lunch time with somd food and the promise of returning that

evening. She walked along these tow paths, appeared to turn back towards

home. More murky pictures c`pture the cyclists she walked passed

around 4:30pm that afternoon. Police want to speak to them. But lost of

all, they want her white iPhone with a cracked case. She had decorated it

with pens to hide the damagd. It went off`line at 5pm and has not

been switched on since. Anyone who has that will know now hopefully

they have Alice's phone. Yot are not in trouble if you took it ott of the

bag, found it out of the bag, picked it up. I'm not interested in, I just

need the phone. Please come forward, give it to police, identify

yourself. One piece in the jigsaw Waris detectives, at just over pm,

Alice texted her father, asking if he would be home because shd did not

have the keys. She wanted to know she could get in and he said he

would be back by 6pm. It suggests she intended to return home that

evening. Police found her rtcksack last week in undergrowth, containing

her shoes. They believe she may have been shopping, and was wearhng a new

pair. They downplayed suggestions she was being bullied onlind or had

argued with her family, who were helping her getting treatment for

anorexia. In the unwell are` of west London, friends of the family have

mounted a massive poverty c`mpaign on done off`line. Today, thhs is how

they expressed their desper`te hope that she would return safelx. `` on

and off`line. Well Detective Chief Inspector Andy

Chalmers, who we heard Good evening. Thank you for joining

us. Alice's missing mobile phone is key to the investigation. Absolutely

key. We are desperate to locate it, recover it. We believe wherd it was

sound is important to understanding what happened to Alice. The

information on it will expl`in what you may have been doing and who she

may have been speaking to an Internet as she went on her walk. We

know you are desperate for information. Can you help jog

anyone's memory by telling ts her last known movements and whdre she

was? She left home at 1pm. We know she walked down the Grand Union

canal tow path as far as thd Brentford and Kew area. We're not

sure what she did. We would like to know if anyone saw her in the shops,

buying anything or if anyond saw her buying shoes particularly. We know

she retraced her route and her last known sighting was at 4:26pl, at the

Bridge Alge Crumpler's way. The time is key. You are still hoping that

the cyclists she walked past at that time will come forward? Indded, we

have released images of those individuals already. There `re at

least five cyclists who would have passed Alice before she reached the

bridge and would have seen her walking past them. We desperately

need to identify those individuals and speak to them. You menthoned the

rucksack which was founded undergrowth, containing shods. How

significant is that? Hugely significant but I want to understand

the context, why it is wherd it is. We know it was handled a dax later

by some builders who came forward and provided statement and have been

eliminated from enquiries. But if they moved it, did anyone else? I

need to speak to anyone who saw that bag on the tow path or near it.

Please come forward. Thank xou for joining us. Of course, our heart

goes out to Alice's family `nd friends.

And if members of the public have any information

which could help police with Alice's whereabouts, they are being asked to

call the incident room on 0208 358 0100, or dial the

As Scotland considers its ftture, we look at whether London could also

An investigation is underwax into "safeguarding concerns"

at an award`winning primary school in north London, after

BBC London understands as m`ny as 18 past and present staff at Gdorge

Eliot Primary in St John's Wood have given evidence as witnesses.

An interim head is now runnhng the school ` which last year was

Here's our education reportdr, Marc Ashdown.

George Eliot primary school has a chequered past. Not long ago, a

badly failing school but now rated outstanding. Last year, The Times

educational supplement named it best primary school in the country. Many

credit the headteacher with this remarkable turnaround. Therd was

shock when Beatrix Simpson recently disappeared from school without

explanation. All we know at this stage is that an independent

investigation is underway. We are being told it relates to

safeguarding concerns, though nothing of a sexual nature. The

National union of teachers told us about 18 of their members, staff

past and present, have come forward and giving evidence. Safegu`rding is

a broad term, covering a range of things. Schools have a duty to keep

children from harm, abuse and maltreatment, and give them safe and

effective care. It would be improper for us to go into the detail of the

concerns expressed here but I am sure parents and indeed staff will

want this matter thoroughly investigated and resolved as soon as

possible. The school is run by Westminster Council and has 450

pupils. Outside today, parents were, on the whole, in the dark. We would

like to know what's going on. Worried? Not much. I have confidence

in the school. If it was solething serious, they would address the

parents, let us know. I don't think I'm worrying. I think some parents

were worrying, but I think ht was overdone. The interim head has

written to parents, ushering them children are safe and securd and

asking for patients. `` asstring them. Westminster Council s`y they

take any issues at a school seriously and said, "a skilled and

very experienced interim he`d is in place and the important thing is

that teachers are supported in their work and children continue to

learn". We tried to contact the chair of governors and Beatrix

Simpson but have so far been unable to reach them for comment. The

priority for the independent investigation will be getting clear

answers the parents, soon. `` for parents.

More than 1,000 stolen mobile phones have been seized in a series

The operation led by British Transport Police is targeting gangs

responsible for buying and exporting large quantithes

of smartphones ` largely stolen from Tube and bus passengers.

This report from Emilia Pap`dopoulos does contain some flashing hmages.

A year`long investigation comes down to this. Hello? It is the police,

can you open up? Dawn raids across the capital, cracking down on the

criminal gangs who has made a fortune selling smartphones stolen

from London commuters. At this property in Northolt, three men are

arrested for handling stolen goods and money laundering. At thdse

luxury apartments in Brentford, one man, thought to be the group

ringleader, is taken into ctstody. In the boot of his car, mord than

200 smartphones, with an estimated value of ?60,000. And not f`r down

the road at this storage warehouse, more phones. This is one of the

three storage units being sdarched today. As you can see, officers have

aurally seized hundreds of suspected stolen mobile phones and ovdr

?10,000 in cash. The British Transport Police believe th`t many

of these smartphones could have been stolen from passengers on London

transport, and then brought here, repackaged and sold abroad. This

organised network fuels the petty theft taking place on a daily basis

on the rail network. Taking out a gang like this will make a

significant impact. Smartphones make big money and are big busindss.

Police believe the group by them from pickpockets, and sell them on.

Sometimes pickpockets are dhrectly to mobile phone shops. It is all the

phones are mostly sent Eastdrn Europe, to mobile phone shops. It is

all the phones are mostly sdnt Eastern Europe, Dubai and North

Africa where they can be sold for almost double the UK value. This

footage filmed by BBC London earlier this year shows 1`shot agreding to

buy a stolen mobile phone. `` one shop.

Last year, there were 5000 deaths reported on London Undergrotnd. More

than half of those were mobhle phones. This morning's raids saw 13

people arrested and more th`n 1 00 phones seized. The British Transport

Police hope that by dismantling these criminal networks frol the

top, they can make travelling in the capital safer.

Southeastern Trains has prolised extra seats and to improve

connections, after the government said it could continue runnhng

The Rail Minister admitted the company hadn't always ghven

passengers "the service that they deserve"

but said that improving the current franchise provided better v`lue for

As we have been hearing, nulber of financial institutions have said

they would move offices London if Scotland voter independence. But

what would an independent Scotland vote for the capital `` means the

capital? Nick Beake has tridd to find out.

Next week, Londoners will not have a say in the vote but the outcome

could have a big impact on our city. Potentially on the financial system.

There has been a argument about what will happen with cultural thes,

historic ties but there is now a renewed focus on the City of London.

I have spent the day looking at how the political drama north of the

border is affecting us down here. What? Christ did, didn't I?

Unbelievable. It's Scotland not exist before the union? A political

drama, being played out in dast London, which could soon become

reality. It is the rebirth of a sovereign nation, OK? Are wd clear

on that? Of course, Minister. Fiona is the new Foreign Secretarx in a

newly independent Scotland. Here it is a great, fun way of lookhng at

it, and it is balanced, I think for both sides. Chatting with a lot of

the audience after the show in the theatre bar and stuff, it is clear

that they are starting to w`ke up and smell the Coffey and engage with

some of the issues in the show. These London landmarks may be

hundreds of miles from Edinburgh and Glasgow, but now the capital seems

to be taking on greater significance in the referendum. For example, RBS

said today it would move its registered headquarters to London if

Scotland were to break away. But more significant in the short term

has been the effect on the City of London, of an apparent swell of Port

for independence. That mattdrs for everyone because the fortund of the

city affects things like pensions and savings. `` swell of support. We

saw the pound fall about 2% against the dollar over the course of the

weekend. I think Londoners should be trusted, particularly in relation to

their mortgage rate and property prices and of course, any

uncertainty in relation to the borrowing costs the UK might have on

the back of the independencd vote being carried will filter its way

down to the real economy. That could impact the pocket of all Londoners.

Away from money, if Scotland were to gain independence, should London

gain more powers, too? Maybd even become a citystate like Singapore or

Monaco. We should have more ability to raise locally the taxes we spend

locally. That is basically democratic policy. I am tot`lly in

favour of it. I am not in f`vour of London being a new citystatd, carved

out from the rest of the cotntry. London is the capital of England,

Britain and the UK. That is the way it has got to be. Whether or not

Scotland remains in that Unhted Kingdom is a decision out of

London's reach. That has not stopped London's

politicians travelling to Scotland to try to influence the outcome In

a week's time, we will know just how we, London, fit in the new big

picture. Thank you for joining us.

London is running out of burial space ` that's according to a group

At the City of London cemetdry, they believe they've come up with

one answer ` where recycling is freeing up thousands

The graves are all around the same kind of time. At the City of London

Cemetery, many of the graves are over 100 years old. With sp`ce

running out, Gary, who runs the site, says recycling is the only

sensible option. If we don't reuse cemetery space, we have to look for

new space. That means new l`nd that could have been used for pl`nning,

recreation and lots of other things. Reusing a cemetery, breathing new

life into an old cemetery is the way forward. Even graves that h`ve

fallen into disrepair like this one are not automatically reclahmed

Firstly, a notices put in the local press, and signs go up in the

graveyard, listing all the plots that the cemetery wants to reclaim.

Then living relatives and other interested parties have abott six

months to make their objecthons known. Now MPs are considerhng

adopting this system across London. They accept in parts of the capital,

burial spaces are running ott. I am meeting leaders over the next few

weeks to hear what they think the problems are in their areas. In

London, it is clear that sole local authorities have no council space

left for burial. New legisl`tion in 2007 made it possible not jtst a

reuse burial plots over 75 xears old but to disturb the existing remains,

making it possible to lay to rest many more people in these graves. I

have found out no one is ushng it. I asked the Minister Hamley pdople had

sought permission and none came forward. I asked how many graves had

been created as a result of the legislation and he confirmed that

none have been. 25% of people in London still want to be burhed. With

the population of the capit`l continuing to rise, recycling graves

is likely to play a bigger part in the solution.

general sale tomorrow. They cost up to ?1500. We will be telling you how

you can get them and this lot will be telling us if they can afford

them. After news yesterday that ddlays and

legal wranglings are going to force Tottenham Hotspur to move ott of

their current ground for a season while they build a new stadhum,

today it's had to deny reports that the club is up for sale. Tarah Welsh

is at White Hart Lane. Concdrn from supporters about all this

uncertainly? Well, Tottenham Hotspur supporters

trust fears that the club's identity is at risk. That is because the club

has confirmed it will have to move out of White Hart Lane for ` whole

season while the stadium is constructive. The plan was

originally to build the new stadium slowly as games continued to be

played at the old ground next door, but that has all changed. E`rlier

this summer, a compulsory ptrchase order for the land was approved

which took longer than intended and that is now being challenged in the

High Court by owners of the land. That means when building work can

begin, it will need to be done more quickly, which means moving out of

here. There is no time framd for this but there has been speculation

over where Spurs will be pl`ying games. Wembley could be used for the

bigger games. It certainly has the capacity but it is more than 12

miles away from here. Olymphc Stadium is just six miles away, but

that would mean sharing with rivals West Ham. Then there is stadium MK,

home to the MK Dons, which only holds 30,000, is nearly 50 liles

away, and out of London. None of the options that appealing, one fan

website writer. He London f`cility would be great, but it looks like

the number of games they can play in a season would be a problem because

Spurs would need 19 games bx whole season to play there. Staditm MK I

have seen being talked about. It is not a dissimilar capacity to White

Hart Lane but it is 50 miles outside London. No locations have bden

confirmed by the club and they say they are looking at alternatives but

it is pretty clear that the stadium will not be ready for 2017 `s

planned, and so the uncertahnty continues. Apologies for th`t sound

glitch. Thank you. Tickets for the 2015 Rugby World Cup

go on sale tomorrow. London has three venues hosting matches but

none of the games in the capital offers the cheapest seat prhces So

our sports reporter Sara Orchard has been finding out how fans c`n apply

and how much it costs. Not long to go until the rugby union

showcase tournament. This vhdeo by England World Cup winner Lawrence

Dallaglio explains the tickdting process. Some seats are alrdady sold

for clubs and hospitality. But today nearly 1 million tickets go on

general sale and the clubs that Millwall can't wait. I am actually a

Scotsman, so for me to go and watch some of the games is a fant`stic

opportunity. When you think back to the excitement of the Olymphcs, I am

really looking forward to gdtting behind rugby. Much like the

Olympics, you have to register with the World Cup website. You have from

the 12th of September to thd 29th to select the games you would like to

attend. You apply for tickets at this time, and then any match which

is oversubscribed, and we anticipate England badges will be, will go into

a ballot. None of London's three World Cup venues have the bdst

prices in the country. If you want to find the cheapest tickets in the

capital, you have to go to the Olympic Stadium, by the best price

for an adult starts at ?20 child at ?15. If you want to watch England at

Twickenham, cheapest price for an adult to ?75. If you want to go to

the World Cup final, prices start at ?150. I don't think I can afford

that at the moment but if I had the money, I definitely would p`y it.

For the World Cup final, yes. As an arrogant Englishman, I think we will

win. And what about missing out on cheaper tickets? Do you havd the

opportunity to go to Wemblex, Twickenham, Olympic Stadium with ?15

entry price is something we are proud of. Successful applic`nts will

be notified in October and `ny remaining tickets will be sold in

November. For some fans it will be too much but for others a World Cup

ticket is priceless. She's got one of the most

distinctive voices in rock lusic and has enjoyed numerous hits whth The

Pretenders including Brass Hn Pocket and Don't Get Me Wrong. Next week

Chrissie Hynde plays some of her first solo music at the Roundhouse

in Camden. She's been talking to our entertainment correspondent Brenda

Emmanus about her music and # You remember how good it

tasted... She moved to London and bec`me

the lead vocalist of The Prdtenders, a dominant force in rock music for

decades, but despite her new album being a solo project, Chrissie Hynde

still enjoys the exchange of ideas. Is it the collaborative expdrience

that you thrive on as a mushcian? I really thrive

on playing with the band. Then more recently I have enjoyed

collaborating with people. I used to just sit alone with

the guitar, and that was kind of a lonely thing

to do, but that was all I h`d and I The veteran rock star has whtnessed

many changes in the industrx, I am a little bit disappointed that

there aren't so many bands `ny more. That seems to be a dying brded now,

bands. They still exist obviously

but not like in their heydax. I have lived in London

for over 40 years. I love urban environments,

to be honest, When I get on a bus nobody

really pays any attention to me Although a solo project,

the sound of the new album will still appeal to Pretenders fans

showcasing Chrissie's passion I love jazz and other types of music

but there are so many good `rtists doing that and rock is kind of

a dying breed so I try to stay and Chrissie will be co`headlinhng with

Blondie at the iTunes Festival. It takes place at the Roundhouse

in Camden next Tuesday. OK, let's check on the weather.

September has been rather lovely. Absolutely. Find spells of September

sunshine and more of the sale for the next few days. We have this big

area of high pressure firmlx in charge of the weather right across

the UK. That has been bringhng as dry conditions. As you can see, we

have had cloud drifting in `cross the South East of England. Fairly

cloudy today that it has bedn thinning recently, so some dvening

sunshine over the next couple of hours. Dry and fine outside. That is

how it stays overnight with clear spells in the cloud and light winds.

No problems with misty nursd, but it could be a bit grey. In the

countryside temperatures down to six or seven so cool to start on Friday

but it will warm up and brighten up nicely through the day. A mhxture of

sunny spells, patchy cloud here and there and then dry throughott the

day. The winds picking up a bit but generally fine. Temperatures above

average for this time of ye`r. If you are lucky enough to be heading

to the Invictus Games, then the next few days will be dry with cloud and

some sunshine. The winds will be picking up through the causd of the

weekend so turning breezier at times. Saturday's starting off

cloudy but then another lovdly David patchy cloud `` lovely day with

patchy cloud. Temperatures tp to 22. High pressure in charge through the

course of the weekend and looking mainly dry and cloudy and the winds

picking up. All in all, a fhne spell of September weather. We can't

complain. Thank you. Two of the UK's leading ret`ilers

have warned that shoppers in Scotland are likely to f`ce

higher prices if the countrx votes Oscar Pistorius has been cldared

of murdering his girlfriend The judge in Pretoria accepted

he hadn't set out to kill hdr. A full verdict will be given when

the hearing resumes tomorrow. An inquest has heard how nurse

Jacintha Saldanha, who was found hanged, told

a colleague she thought it was her fault that details of the Dtchess's

treatment for morning sickndss two And police investigating

the disappearance of 14`year`old Alice Gross say it's vital that they

trace her missing Apple iPhone. She disappeared from her hole in

West London two weeks ago. More on the day's stories

on our website. And Alice Bhandhukravi will

be back with our late news. From all of us here, thanks for

watching and have a lovely dvening.