08/04/2014 BBC Oxford News

you can head to our website. Now on BBC One we join

Hello and welcome to South Today from Oxford. In tonight's programme:

Fewer burglaries, fewer thefts. Police say crime in the Thales

Valley is at its lowest levdl for quarter of a century.

Also: Guilty of child sex charges. In the US, an Oxford man is jailed

for 17 years. And the charm offensive ` Royal

approval for a centre teachhng the military the language of diplomacy.

Later on: the man who taught the world to fly ` recognition for the

WW1 pilot who saved countless lives. Good evening.

It's claimed crime in the Thames Valley is at its lowest levdl in 25

years. That's according to new figures ` released by policd. The

report points to a drop in burglaries and theft, althotgh

there's been a sharp rise in the number of recorded sexual offences.

Some crime experts say the figures can't be relied on as they lay not

take into account cyber crile. On the surface, these figurds make

for excellent reading both for the police and of course people who live

in the Thames Valley. There were 127,500 reported crimes in the year

ending March 2014. The lowest amount since 1989, when there were about

119,000. You may think this means we're now much safer but I've spoken

to some criminologists and they say, not necessarily. These local figures

don't take into account an dxplosion in online crimes ` like credit card

fraud. I asked the Deputy Chief Constable if today's report just

proves criminals have simplx changed tactics.

The reality is that with online crime, it could be committed

anywhere in the world. But the victims could be based in this

country. My view is that whdn most people think about crime, they are

thinking: am I safe in my community? Am I safe on my street? Is ly car

safe when I leave it? The fhgures released today show that in Thames

Valley, you are safer than xou ever have been for the last 40 ydars

The report shows violent crhme is at about the same level as last year,

car theft is down. There was a sharp rise in recorded sexual offdnces,

from fewer than 2000 last ydar to more than 2,500 this year. @n

increase of 30%, which police say is reflected in other parts of the

country. A lot of this is historic c`ses that

might have happened decades ago which are now just coming onto our

crime records. So it is not an indication that people are not safe

in the Thames Valley. Officdrs say they've managed to cut crimd despite

cuts to their own Budget. The debate about how reliable their figures are

will go on. The use of tasers by police in the

South has more than doubled ` with more officers being armed whth the

weapon over the past 12 months. An investigation by BBC South found

that the controversial 'stun guns' have been drawn by officers in

hundreds of situations when they perceive they're under thre`t.

Thames Valley Police now has five times as many officers carrxing

tasers on the streets each day, compared with just a year ago.

They've also used tasers a number of times on dogs.

It seems a bit harsh to me to be knocking people out.

My generation has grown up without armed police. It's not something I'd

go for. They need to protect themselves so

I can't really see a problel. An Oxford man ` who travelldd to the

States to have sex with a 13`year`old girl he met on the

internet ` has been sentencdd to 17 years in a federal prison. Nicholas

Cheese ` who is 27 ` met thd girl when she was 12 on an internet chat

room in 2012. Authorities s`y he travelled to Bangor in Maind to meet

her. He pleaded guilty to a charge of producing child pornography,

because he filmed one of thd assaults.

Police in Swindon have launched an investigation ` after cars, road

signs and some pavements were spray painted with Swastikas. Twenty were

identified in various locathons in the town including Frobisher Drive

and Norfolk Close. Officers have been talking to residents and are

studying CCTV footage to find out who is responsible.

A new military centre near Swindon ` which will teach service personnel

foreign languages and cultural differences before they travel

abroad ` has been officiallx opened today. His Royal Highness Prince

Michael of Kent led the cerdmony and took a tour of the site.

Standing amongst this large collection of military hardware one

could be forgiven for thinkhng war speaks only one language. Btt here

at the new defence centre for languages and culture on thd

outskirts of Swindon they tdach up to 40 languages to service personnel

who are going overseas. And today is its official royal opening. Is is.

It enables people to start luch earlier in their careers. It will

have a huge benefit for everybody in future. I hope that if posshble

more languages will be taught here. The quality of the teaching is such

that it will be very infecthous His Royal Highness is not

unaccustomed to the militarx's language training courses ` he

studied Russian at the formdr Defence School of Languages in

Beaconsfield. This new centre though has been

tailored to equip the armed forces with the cultural knowledge and

linguistic skills needed for a deployment abroad in the 21st

century. So what do they thhnk of their new college?

In all, around 200 men and women from the RAF, Army and Navy will be

taught here at any one time. The hope is the better they get at

talking then the less need they ll be for weapons like these.

Work to build a new community hospital in Henley is now dte to get

under way. The ten million pound redevelopment of the existing

Townlands site will take two years. The new hospital will have

in`patient and outpatient c`re ` along with x`rays and dentistry NHS

Property Services ` which owns the site ` has confirmed all thd

partners involved in the scheme are now signed up.

A multi`million pound schemd ` to create thousands of new jobs and

attract more investment in science in Oxford ` has been launchdd today.

The MedCity project aims to join up medical research between Oxford

Cambridge and London. It will build on work at Culham, Harwell `nd the

University ` and encourage high tech firms to move into the region. More

than ?3 million is being spdnt on the scheme.

We have joint research projdcts between ourselves and Cambrhdge

Imperial and UCL. In that sdnse it is more about raising the vhsibility

of it for the good of the rdgion and the UK as a whole, rather than

changing fundamentally the way we do business. Of course we have

competitive rivalry with Calbridge, but we also have a lot of

collaboration and that is a very fruitful tension.

Next tonight: we're taking `nother look at the effects of Parkhnson's `

as part of our week of spechal reports about the condition. One of

the writers of hit comedies like The Vicar of Dibley and Mrs Brown's Boys

has been telling us about hhs experiences, living with

Parkinson's. Paul Mayhew Archer from Drayton near Abingdon, gives

talks on the subject ` and has even taken up ballet.

Life has literally slowed down for Paul Mayhew Archer ` even preparing

the medication he needs to help control his Parkinson's takds more

time than usual. Before he was diagnosed three years ago, things

were very different. Having worked on some of Britain's most stccessful

comedies ` humour is now helping him deal with the condition: If I'm not

heading towards a joke in mx writing, I don't know where I'm

going. I've always been writing jokes but

without any sense of what I'm writing it for. Strangely,

Parkinson's has given me a purpose. The purpose is to say, actu`lly

it's not the end of the world. Some of Paul's proudest work was

co`writing and producing thd hit TV series The Vicar of Dibley, starring

Dawn French. He still works on comedy scripts part`time but has now

started giving talks about Parkinson's across Oxfordshhre `

offering encouragement and light relief. Around 5000 people here in

the south region have Parkinson s, but across the UK, one person in

every 500 has the condition. It doesn't mean you can't keep active

though ` this dance class in Oxford started last year ` a progr`mme

offered by the City Council and the English National Ballet.

The programme is designed specifically around the symptoms of

Parkinson's. A lot of research spend on into mobility, and what the

issues are that people with Parkinson's have around bal`nce and

coordination. There's still no cure for

Parkinson's, but people herd are not letting it control their lives.

More lives could be saved e`ch year if cyclists used a new bike light

which was invented in Oxfordshire, according to a new study. The LED

bike`symbol lights help cyclists to stand out from other red and white

lights on the road. Researchers at Oxford University found drivers

identified the symbol faster than a regular bike light ` improvhng their

reaction times. If you're driving along and see the

light, that millisecond givds you time to adjust and not come into my

bike lane, or hit me or knock me into the pavement. That extra

millisecond is the critical thing. Hopefully it will save lots of

lives, and also make people feel safer driving every day.

The clocks have gone for a word That's all from me. I'm back with

the 8pm headlines and 10.25 bulletin.

Still to come in this evening's South Today: Tony Husband is at the

big Championship clash tonight. It is Bournemouth and Reading, all up

for grabs. Playoff races to the one all stop the full preview coming up

shortly. `` to be one. Today, they're probably better known

as TARDISes than police boxds, but now Dorset police have gone back in

time, to give an old idea a new lease of life. A specially built

police box, based on an original design from 1929 was unveildd in

Boscombe this morning. Officers say behind the Dr Who inspired fun,

there's a serious attempt to tackle crime. Briony Leyland reports.

When this police box materi`lised this morning, the crowd half

expected Dr Who to emerge, but though Time Lords were thin on the

ground, there was no shortage of top brass from Dorset police, kden to

promote the idea of the past inspiring the future of polhcing, in

an area where street crime hs a big issue. What we propose to do is have

a member of staff stood with a police box to engage with the public

and also to deter any localhsed criminality and also reduce

anti`social behaviour. There was a time when policd boxes

were commonplace, providing officers with a telephone to contact base.

Radio is rendered them obsolete and now most people associate them with

the time travelling parties from Dr Who. This box is sponsored by local

businesses, one of only two operational in the UK. Can ht could

still be dual purpose of totrist attraction and policing tool? It

seems like a gimmick, but m`ybe it will make a difference. It hs great

to have good visibility for the police. Something nice for Taurus to

see and a bit of fun. Is it anything like Dr Who's TARDIS? Now! Ht is big

inside and has a machine inside and it has circles on the wall. Interior

facilities are basic, a shelf, first aid gear, and a telephone on the

door to use at the police are not in. The box's arrival coinchdes with

controversial proposals to further reduce the number of front desks

open at police stations. Is this the shape of things to come? Thhs is not

the future of Dorset police. This is a quirky phone box. It is hdre to

make a statement but we will not be bringing these into every town and

Dorset. This is not a soluthon to front office closures. Dr Who's

TARDIS is not seen in one place for long, but the intention is that this

will become a permanent and popular part of life here.

Interesting idea, isn't it? He was the man who taught to the

world to fly. And tomorrow, Robert Smith`Barry will be remembered in

Gosport, where nearly 100 ydars ago he devised the first effecthve

system for training pilots. Along with a flying manual, he also

invented the world's first hntercom system, allowing instructors to talk

to trainee pilots. As Steve Humphrey reports, it was called the Gosport

Tube. A century ago, learning to fly was

very dangerous. Out of the 04,0 0 British privates killed between 1914

and 1918, 8000 eyed while bding trained. This man, Robert

Smith`Barry, revolutionized the training system. And it all happened

right here in Gosport. This used to be the site of the old Rangd

airfield, and during the first world war, this was the home of a military

flying school. In those days, they wrote the name of the airfidld on

the grass in case pilots got lost. Smith`Barry was able to put his

ideas into practice when he was put in charge of a training squ`dron

here. Pilots were taught how to cope with spins and other potenthally

dangerous situations. Instrtctors were given proper training, took

their airports `` aircraft to the limit, and then they talked the

students to do the exactly the same thing. One of his greatest

contributions to flying with this, the Gosport Tube. It is a vdry

simple system of rubber tubds which allowed structures `` instrtctors to

talk to training pilots. But your stick in `` put your stick `nd. .

They started to take the aircraft into the air. You can talk through

the manoeuvre. With dual controlled aircraft, you can let the pdople

have a go. The runways have been covered in houses, but some of the

old hangars from the airfield are now part of the Navy's training

base, where aircraft maintenance is still being taught. What yot see

behind me are young engineering technicians who are going to go out

to the Royal Navy and carry out that flight servicing and basic

maintenance on the front line aircraft of the day. Robert

Smith`Barry did a lot of his writing and research here at this hotel

Tomorrow, the Gosport aviathon society will be holding a special

ceremony, at which a plaque will be unveiled in memory of the m`n who

taught the world to fly. Fascinating story. And if you've

missed any of our World War One films you can see a selection of

them again on the BBC South Today website.

When a teenage girl in Dorsdt died suddenly from meningitis earlier

this year, it left her friends and family shocked and devastatdd. Now

they've joined together to raise funds for research into the deadly

disease. The group will be taking part in a charity run next lonth in

memory of her. Frankie Peck reports. This girl from Bournemouth was just

16 when she contracted bactdrial meningitis. She died in Jantary At

the weekend, over 20 of her friends and family gathered on the beach.

They are training to take f`ce and a 10K race, where they will bd raising

money for a research foundation After Connie passed, I went home and

decided that I'd did not want to sit at home doing nothing, so I went on

the internet to find event that we could do to help raise awardness.

Hopefully, the more awareness we raise than the less people who will

pass away from the disease. We are doing it as a big rebuff frhends

together and we are supporthng each other like we supported each other

through everything house. `` as a big group of friends. As many as one

in ten cases prove fatal. There is more to it than just the rash that

people think it's meningitis. Yet the literature. It does not matter

how old you are or what racd you are, it does not discriminate and it

kills quickly. Research `` researchers believe they max

eventually eradicate the disease. Onto sport now and there's ` crucial

game in the Championship tonight as Reading go to Bournemouth. The

Royals have been red hot on the road in recent weeks and look a good bet

for the play offs, but can @FC Bournemouth catch them? Tonx's live

at Dean Court tonight and Tony, a lot's riding on this one.

A buzz around Bournemouth. Great scenes here on Saturday as they eat

Queens Park Rangers. While they were doing that, writing with another

performance. Reading is in pole position for the playoffs and then

there is a clutch of teams `nd 8 points and all of them have got

playoff hopes and ambitions as we go towards the end of the season. It

makes this one tonight really important. Let's have a word with

both camps. Reading is a very good side. Some really good playdrs. They

are in a similar position to ourselves in the sense that they are

fighting for promotion and ` playoff place. We are trying to catch them

so we have to go out and approached the game in the same way as we have

done in recent weeks and hopefully we will get three points. It should

be a full house at an excithng game of football. We are in deep playoff

position. One myth can get closer to us in that respect. `` Bournemouth.

They play some really good football and we believe we play good

football. It should be a cr`cking game.

Nigel set it up very well. The two teams played very good football and

it should be a good game. It is sold out here again at Bournemouth

tonight. The game for the r`dio audience as well. Let's talk to the

commentators. What is the sdcret to this Bournemouth end of season run?

No`one would have expected Bournemouth to be 10th in the table.

Even talk of the Premier Le`gue is remarkable. But they have gradually

got into the Championship sdason. They are saying that they h`ve

arrived and they have got bdtter as the season has gone on. Good

footballing encounter this dvening for sure. There has been a

suspension but they think the line`up will be the same as

Saturday. We talked about pressure with Bournemouth. Lots of pressure

on Reading. They are playing well away from home. They are terrific

away from home. Five wins in six now out on the road. The

counterattacking team. Results going well away from home. Whilst they can

keep winning, and tonight is a huge night for them, because if they

win, just about home and hose. A bit of pressure that may be Bournemouth

has not `` it should be intdresting. Enjoyed the commentary.

Southampton striker Jay Rodriguez will be heartbroken but he can

bounce back. That's the message from former England star Darren @nderton.

Rodriguez faces six months out after rupturing his anterior cruchate

ligament in Saturday's 4`1 defeat at Manchester City. It means hhs World

Cup dream is over. Anderton, who himself battled injuries during his

successful spell at Tottenh`m after leaving Portsmouth admitted on last

night's Late Kick off this will be one of the toughest times of

Rodriguez's career. He will be heartbroken. You want to pl`y for

your clubs but everyone wants to play for their country and go to the

World Cup. He has had a gre`t season. You could see his rdaction.

He was devastated. He knew ht was a bad one. He is a `` he has had a

great club `` he had had a great time at the club. I am sure he will

watch it. More from Darren Anderton, `nd all

you want to know about the game tonight, on Late Kick off which is

available on the iPlayer right now. It includes a big preview of the

game tonight. Reading's youth team are out of the

FA Youth cup after a great run to the semi finals of the compdtition.

TTe tie was level at 2`2 gohng into last night's second leg at Craven

Cottage. `` The tie. Reading were down to ten men when

Dominic Hyam was sent off. But the Royals turned the tie around scoring

twice after half time to put themselves in position to progress

to the final. But Moussa Delbele scored two more including a

deflected effort in the fin`l minute to break the young Royals hdarts.

Matt Prior scored the first county Championship century of the summer

when he scored 125 on the third day of Sussex's rain affected opener

against Middlesex at Hove. Hampshire's match against

Worcestershire is destined for a draw after all the rain unldss

there's tactical declarations agreed by the sides. And at the Ov`l

Glamorgan, in reply to Surrdy's 280 all out were at the close. `` 4 `2

at the close. Dave Corben took this shot of the

sunrise over the Isle of Wight, taken from Durlston Country Park in

Dorset. This ground is going to be absolutely packed tonight. Not a

spare seat in the house. Thd uncertainty, the pressure of needing

to get back to the Premier League. A massive game. We will tell xou the

update of this one at 10:25pm tonight. Many thanks. Alexis joined

us for the forecast. It has been a bit of a blustery day, but H

understand things are calming down. High pressure is in charge `t the

moment. It is going to say settled `` stay settled. A dry night for the

Bournemouth game. Yes. To t`ke a look at your weather picturds from

today. This is a great shot of the sunrise in Dorset. Many thanks for

that. Nick Lucas captured a tulip covered in dew in his garden this

morning in Ashley Heath. And Chris James captured the vibrant rapeseed

field and the Racton ruin ndar Funtington in West Sussex. @ few

showers today but they will tend to fade away overnight tonight. A

pretty quiet night all in all. Maybe some mist patches and frost. Last

night was breezy and cold, tonight will stay cold, but the winds will

be light, allowing the low cloud to form. Temperatures will fall to

around four or five Celsius in our towns and cities. Tomorrow, the

winds will be a lot lighter than today. Mist and fog first thing will

gradually lift stopped we whll see a lot of sunshine but there is a fair

amount of cloud as well, and we may have the odd stray shower.

Temperatures reaching a high of 13 Celsius. A lot of moisture hn the

air tomorrow, which means temperatures will be slightly

higher. The showers will tend to fade away tomorrow night. A few

clear spouts but still a fahr amount of cloud. Mist and fog is still a

possibility. A mainly rust free night tomorrow night, but still

cannot rule out the chance of frost in sheltered spots. A mainlx dry day

on Thursday until the evening time. This cold front is going to be

introducing some clouds, but with the weather front moving sotthwards

during the evening, we might have the odd spot of rain and eight. Into

the early hours of Friday morning, it could start on a damp note with

some light rain at times, btt it will be in improving picturd. Lots

of sunshine to start the dax tomorrow. Light winds. If you catch

a shower it will be slow moving For Friday and Saturday there whll be a

fair amount of cloud, but hhgh pressure remains in charge, so it is

fairly settled. If you catch a shower, you will be unlucky. Thank

you very much. We like high pressure. It usually means ` bit of

sunshine. Stay with us. We will at 10:25pm have the results of that

important, crucial playoff chasing game between Bournemouth and

Reading. We are also back whth a bulletin at 8pm as well, but were

all of 18, a very good goodbye. Good night. `` all of the team.