09/01/2014 BBC News at Six

with black communities. Mark Duggan's family say they don't want

any more violence - but community leaders have their own message for

the Met. The police need to ensure that they are having an effective

engagement robustly with young people - they need to be more savvy

in how they engage with young people. But today, London's mayor

said the police have a tough job to do. Armed responses on about 10,000

times in the last few years, and on only six occasions have they

actually fired their weapons, discharged police weapons. We'll be

looking at the challenges facing the police. Also tonight... Latest sales

figures show it wasn't a very merry Christmas for some of the biggest

names on the high street. The weather's easing up, but the misery

goes on - insurers count the cost, but for some, there's a brighter

side. And the hidden sugars in everything from flavoured water to

bread - campaigners call on food companies to cut back.

Tonight on BBC London - we hear from the man responsible for restoring

trust in the borough where Mark Duggan was shot by police. And ten

fire stations close, but campaigners claim lives will be put at risk.

Good evening and welcome to the BBC News at Six. A day after an inquest

concluded that Mark Duggan was killed lawfully by an armed officer,

the head of the Metropolitan Police has acknowledged that there needs to

be an improvement in relations with the black community. Mark Duggan's

family are planning a vigil this weekend and they say they don't want

any more violence while they pursue the case. Mark Duggan's death

sparked off riots in London and elsewhere two years ago. Matt

Prodger reports. After the verdict, the

soul-searching has begun. The police feel vindicated after an inquest

found the killing of Mark Duggan was lawful. But Britain's most senior

officer today tried to rebuild bridges with the family, and many

black Londoners. At a time of all the emotion we just described, they

thought to say to people, you have got to follow the legal process, and

we do not want violent protest. That is a really hard thing I think for

anybody to say when you are angry about losing somebody you love. So I

think they deserve our praise for having the majority to be able to

say that. Today, community leaders from Tottenham and across the

capital that the police for talks. Top of the agenda, a vigil for Mark

Duggan to be held this weekend Robbie Weir have just looked at the

best way forward to ensure that the concerns that the family genuinely

have about the verdict can be expressed in an effective fashion at

the vigil this weekend. The inquest has thrown the spotlight on how

police use their guns. This exercise, filmed by the police, is

the kind of operation known as a hard stop. It ended with the death

of Mark Duggan. But it is these scenes, of officers shooting down

the killers of Drummer Lee Rigby in Woolwich last year, which the police

want the public to remember. Number of crimes involving guns in England

and Wales in fact dropped, from more than 11,000, to just over 5000, in

seven years. The number of operations in which police officers

were authorised to use firearms has also fallen, from just under 16,000

to around 12,500. According to the most recent year's figures, officers

actually fired a gun on five occasions. I hope that underscores

for us in London the massive restraint of our police, in the way

that they handle the use of force. Split second decisions are called

for by our police, and of course, they are much more difficult if

somebody is carrying a lethal weapon. Armed police officers like

these at Downing Street are only supposed to shoot someone if they

have a reasonable belief that that person poses an imminent threat to

life. It is often a split-second judgements, but one with

consequences both for the police and the target. In Tottenham, many

believe the police are anything but transparent. A friend of Mark Duggan

says misinformation in the wake of the killing was the real cause of

the riots. At the end of the day, the only reason the riots occurred

is because nobody was answering any questions, a mother lost her son,

children lost a father, a wife lost a husband, so everybody was angry

and upset. At the end of the day, all we want is just peace, happiness

and the truth, nothing but the truth. The Prime Minister said today

he hoped Tottenham would remain peaceful, and the Duggan family has

also appealed for calm. They say they will fight for justice through

the courts. With me now is our home editor, Mark Easton. The inquest was

clear, it was unlawful killing, but we have heard quite a lot of

criticism of the police. Yes, I asked the Metropolitan division of

whether he was proud of the way that his firearms officers had behaved.

He replied that he was proud of all of his officers, and particularly

proud of his firearm officers, who, as Boris Johnson said in that

report, make these incredibly good, split-second, life-and-death

decisions, often in a highly charged, emotional atmosphere. He

said he gave them absolutely his full backing. And another

intervention today from the chief constables Greater Manchester, Sir

Peter Fahy, who was asked about the same thing for a BBC interview, he

warned actually of a siege mentality in policing, where we feel the

public just don't appreciate the reality of what we face on the

ground. And I think that there is a concern within the police that

somehow the public, at the moment, they don't appreciate just how

difficult and challenging it can be for officers, as I say, particularly

those who are called out in incidents where firearms are around

and have to make these very difficult decisions in a spit

second. No one in the police says that officers don't need to be held

to account, but I think there is a feeling that the public need to

understand better actually just some of the huge challenges that we ask

our officers to take. Some of Britain's leading high

street stores have had a somewhat less than Merry Christmas, according

to figures out today. Marks Spencer and Tesco both reported a

fall in sales of just over 2%, but it was Morrisons that fared the

worst, with a drop of more than 5.5%. Our business editor, Robert

Peston, looks at the reasons for the poor sales.

Three of our most famous and biggest retailers have had their hopes of a

bright, booming Christmas shattered. Fortunes spent on lavish adverts.

M's model filled literary pastiche, Tesco's nostalgia -fest.

The nation's favourite entertainers at Morrisons could not get those

all-important sales motoring. Here is the thing - the lacklustre

performance of these giants was the exception. Has this been a good or

bad Christmas for retailers? I think overall, when we look back in a

couple of weeks time, we will think it has been a good Christmas, it has

been in positive territory. I think there was maybe an expectation it

would be more positive, but it has been positive. What we have seen is

a polarisation between those who have done well and those who have

done less well, but that is for their own reasons, for their own

goods and services not being up to scratch, rather than the fact that

there is not the demand from the consumer. On the face of it, M's

performance was not too bad. Sales rose 2% in the Christmas period, but

including a terrible October, clothes and general merchandise fell

21%. As the Tesco, it's Christmas UK sales, on a so-called like-for-like

basis, fell 24%. And worst of all was Morrisons, down 5.6%. Morrisons

suffered in part because it had almost no internet presents, and

home deliveries of food bought online start tomorrow. 14 years

after Tesco launched Tesco.com. In the six Christmas weeks, Tesco's UK

online sales surged 40% to a substantial ?450 million. And

perhaps the biggest retailing story this festive season has been the

surge in digital buying. So, retailers tell me that this was the

Christmas of so-called multichannel sales, where many of us used our

mobile phones and tablets to buy stuff. Now, I have used this thing

to buy online, but I am interested to know whether I am typical, so I

am going to ask people on social media. So, Gail says that she bought

everything from online retailers, using her iPad, and she is at home

with a one-year-old and two-year-old and was not brave enough to go to

the shops with them. However, another person said he did not buy

anything with a mobile phone or tablet because he does not own those

devices. And this one said he bought 99.9% of Christmas on a tablet. The

0.1% was an expensive trip to Bond Street for his wife's present.

Consumption by all of us by household has been driving what

looks like a strong UK economic recovery. That spending continued in

the traditional season of pinching, but not, as it turns out, for some

of our most famous stores. Insurers are preparing to pay out

tens of millions of pounds to the owners of homes and businesses

flooded during the winter storms. More than 2,000 properties have been

damaged and with flood waters still rising, the clean-up operation has

not yet begun in some areas. Our correspondent Duncan Kennedy is in

Streatley in Berkshire. George, the insurers say it is too

early to say how much all this is going to cost to clear up there are

you're right, they do say it is going to cost tens of millions of

pounds. Of course, not everybody can afford flood insurance, it is too

costly for them. Others say that they will just have to wait and see

whether their premiums go up. It is all just one more problem for these

people, in the wake of these winter storms. The River Thames, where

Berks becomes Oxfordshire, a tale of two weather battered counties, and

two people who are counting the cost of being flooded, won a pensioner,

the other, a businessman. Conservatory - swimming pool...

Diana has lived here for 30 years and can no longer afford the flood

premiums. This looks like the last of Christmas. Better take it up out

of the way. So now, it is clear up and pay up. We weren't insured in

2003, and then after that, it became astronomical, so we just whisked it

for a biscuit. Any idea how much all of this is going to cost you? The

washing machine under tumbled right have gone, but there are so many

bargains about these days, it is probably cheaper to replace them

than have them insured. Across the river, the X one pub and hotel was

not spared, either grumpy the river level has risen above the floor

here. Gary only took over here five weeks ago. The restaurant and lounge

have been ruined, and again, the cost to fix it will be painful

grumpy we are looking at tens of thousands of pounds' worth,

definitely. That sounds expensive crummy it is, particularly as we

refurbished this whole area in March last year. Most flood defences in

Britain have held out in this recent run of storms. Nearly 2000

properties have been flooded and the insurance industry knows that will

cost tens of millions of pounds. Back in 2007, we had some very

severe flooding, which cost in excess of ?3 billion. At the moment

we are not looking at things of that size, no, but it is too early to say

what the final cost is going to be. Can only guess at what insurers

would think of this. Just posted on Youtube, it is a wake border are

being pulled down a country road in Surrey behind a 4x4. Clearly not for

amateurs. Clearly even amid calamity, a few can find some

levity. But the floods will drain the smiles from the faces of most

people, especially when confronted with experiences like this, the wet

and expensive aftermath of this winter's storms. Well, the insurers

say they hope to have that final figure of what all this is going to

cost in the next few weeks, and that they are working flat out to assess

all of those claims. But this is a lot more than just financial cost,

it is of course an emotional cost as well for all of those people who

have and their businesses in these winter storms.

No warning or May Day message was made from a helicopter before it

crashed, killing all four crew members, a US Air Force Commander

has said. Captain Sean Ruwane, Captain Christopher Stover,

Technical Sergeant Dale Mathews and Staff Sergeant Afton Ponce died in

the crash in north Norfolk. Their helicopter came down in

Cley-next-the Sea on Tuesday. Today their wing commander spoke of his

and the team's grief. I am deeply saddened by the loss of

these great airmen. They have made the ultimate sacrifice, training to

save the lives of others. I'd like to speak directly to the families.

As a husband and father myself, I cannot imagine how heart-broken you

must feel now you are missing part of your family. I speak for the

entire wing when I say we are thinking of you, we're praying for

you and we're here for you. A leading children's hospital has

taken short cuts and operating theatres to avoid cancellations. An

internal review of practices at Alder Hey Children's NHS Foundation

Trust in Liverpool concluded that staff believe senior managers are

aware of poor working conditions and the use of high-risk practices but

that patient safety hadn't been affected. The hospital says that

following the review, measures to improve safety and staff wellbeing

are being put in place. How did a routine evening at Belfast's Royal

Victoria Hospital turn into one of the busiest ever? There was no major

incident, no unusual outbreak of disease but staff were worked off

their feet. In the end, they had to declare a major incident, opening

additional beds and calling in extra help. Andy Martin has been finding

out what went on. Patients had to be redirected to other hospitals last

night. Staff at the Royal said they were at breaking point. 42 people

were left on trolleys. It is embarrassing, we watched doctors and

nurses in tears, simply because they were struggling. Trying their best

to provide a service. Stephanie, who has a neurological disorder, was

waiting for almost 14 hours. It was absolutely manic. At one point there

were 130 people waiting to be seen and 15 people waiting for beds and

every inch of the corridors were lined with people in wheelchairs and

beds. By 9pm a major incident was declared and more than two dozen

nurses and ten senior staff answered calls to come in and help

colleagues. There were no dramatic incidents and staff are now worded

about capacity to deal with this serious event. We have major

concerns. Our members are telling us there are real issues around

staffing levels and the ability to deal with if there had been a major

incident. But Northern Ireland does have a greater number of emergency

departments per head of population than other parts of the UK. So what

caused this incident? The Health Trust says that on a normal night,

28% of those attending the unit would be admitted. Last night, that

stood at over 40%. The Health Minister describe it as a one-off.

We had an unusual spec in the numbers coming through. And that

situation was responded to. Consultants have repeatedly raised

concerns about the safety of A but further cuts are planned and some

departments are now on shortened opening hours. It is 6:17pm. Our top

story -- a page from the Metropolitan Police in the weird --

wake of the Mark Duggan inquest. Edsel Burger axe macro -- Edsel

Burger axe Mac Still to come: The first Premier League player to come

out as gay talks about his decision to go public. Later on BBC London:

Taking to the skies to save lives. London's Air Ambulance celebrates 25

years. And hope for the South East's flood-hit communities with drier

weather on the way. Sugar - many of us have some with a cup of tea. We

know there's quite a lot of it in a bar of chocolate. But now a campaign

group is setting out to cut back the hidden sugars we don't really know

about. They say that Britain's obesity crisis could be halted in

five years if food companies gradually reduced the amount of

sugar in their products. Our medical correspondent, Fergus Walsh,

reports. First fat, then sold, now campaigners were targeting sugar.

Much of it hidden in the food we eat. If we look at the amount was

added and natural, this flavoured water contains 40 spoons and this

can of soup has five. And this large part of 0% fat yoghurt as the

equivalent of 11 teaspoons. It is an unnecessary source of calories in

our diet, added sugar, which can slowly be reduced by the industry to

reduce calorie intake. Get rid of the Bay City and help slow down the

number of people getting diabetes. On average, Britons consume around

15 teaspoons - that's around 60 grammes - of added sugar a day. The

maximum recommended by the World Health Organisation is ten

teaspoons. Experts there are considering lowering that to five.

Action on Sugar says a 30% reduction by food firms would cut 100 calories

a day from our diet, which would help tackle the growing epidemic of

obesity. In the past decade, supermarkets have cut salt levels in

food by up to 40%. Bringing clear health benefits. The juicing the

risk of heart disease and stroke. As for sugar, we know it can rot teeth,

but what about increasing the risk of diabetes and obesity? The

evidence is hotly disputed, not least by the food and drink

industry. A blanket called to reduce the nutrient in product seems to

miss the point. The bigger challenge we face is tackling obesity and that

is what the industry is focused on at the moment as well as previous

efforts to cut saturated fat and salt. But while as a nation we are

getting fatter, the amount of calories we eat has actually fallen

by 10% in a generation. The trouble is, we are more sedentary. Cutting

out sugar will help but more exercise is essential. Two years ago

South Sudan became the world's newest nation. But now the optimism

has gone as fighting intensifies between two factions within the

national government. The conflict, which started in December, has

pitted troops loyal to the president against those allied to his former

deputy. At least 1,000 people have been killed. Nearly 200,000 people

have been forced from their homes. In the key rebel-held city of

Bentiu, civilians have been sheltering in a UN compound as

government forces approach. From there, our correspondent, Alastair

Leithead, reports. People in South Sudan know when trouble is coming.

They have been running from war for decades. This dusty time is

temporary. The capital of estate rich in and rebel held. But even

these soldiers who have switched sides know the wind is changing.

Thousands fled here to the safety of a UN compound and the time fell two

weeks ago. Which tribe you were from suddenly became a question of life

or death. They came into our home in the midnight and they when we

replied in our language, they started shooting. They have food and

clean water but supplies are short. It is no place for a baby to be

born. I am worried about the fighting and staying here. For how

long shall we stay? And the fighting is coming to Bentiu again. The front

line suddenly shifted and the government troops advancing. We

thought the battle had begun but this was the rebels, destroying

ammunition they could not retreat with. More people in need of help,

but with food running low, the UN decided to take a risk. An aid

mission into time to fetch food supplies from a warehouse as

civilians continued to flee. This is a UN compound in the centre of

Bentiu. They came to pick up food for the camp before the fighting

started. If we come to this area, more than 1000 people came into this

compound to try to get shelter. And now they have become the priority

and the UN will take these people and get them out, hopefully before

the fighting starts. With gunfire already heard nearby, they have to

move fast. There is never enough time but when an opportunity like

this comes, they took the Likud and will return for the rest. They

reached the camp safely but the mission for food and water has

brought only more people and historical rift between tribes has

been reopened by this crisis. While talks about peace go nowhere, the

fear is that more fighting will come. The Chancellor, George

Osborne, has warned that a large rise in the minimum wage could be

self-defeating and could actually cost jobs. The hourly rate is

currently ?6.31. He made his comments ahead of a report next

month from the Low Pay Commission, which is likely to recommend a rise.

Let's speak to our political correspondent, Iain Watson. I

suppose this plays into this debate about the cost of living? At does

and Labour have highlighted that and they think this is a natural

territory and have called for a significant increase in the minimum

wage but Conservative ministers want an inflation busting increase

because they will show that the Conservatives are on the side of

hard-working families. But it is not the politicians, it is the Low Pay

Commission, which recommends the level of national minimum wage and

what the Chancellor said is that they opt for a more modest increase

and he makes it clear he will not overrule that. Some colleagues

believe he is missing a political trick but he has support from the

Lib Dems, you want to see the national minimum wage rise but they

backed the decision that there should be taken by the experts and

not a political foot well. Thank you. The former Aston Villa defender

Thomas Hitzlsperger says he hopes one day that a Premier League

footballer will be able to come out as gay while still playing.

Hitzlsperger came out earlier this week, having recently retired from

the sport. In his first television interview, he says part of his

decision to go public was to help other gay footballers. Natalie Pirks

reports. Whether playing in the Premier League for his country,

Thomas Hitzlsperger was most at home on a football pitch. But coming out

was a different story, a process he said that was long and difficult.

The German international retired in September and he feels neither is it

time to help you road stereotypes. In professional football you must be

strong, powerful. And they think that being gay is you are the

opposite, you are soft, and why do people think being gay also means

you are weak? I have proven the opposite. The reaction has been

supportive, as it was when Robbie Rogers also revealed his sexuality

last year. But when Justin Fashanu became the first player to come out

in England in 1990, it was the opposite. He took his own life eight

years later. He was black and gay, which was probably at the top of the

two worst things to be back then. But in 2014 we are moving on and I

really hope that a Premiership are who happens to be gay will have the

courage to be who he really is. Chanting from the stands is an

important part of the atmosphere of the whole but where campaigners have

worked hard over the years to eradicate racist chanting from the

game, gay rights activists say football can still be a toxic

environment. Racism, who people