18/12/2017 London News

And on BBC One, we now join

the BBC's news teams where you are.

Good afternoon and welcome

to BBC London News.

I'm Sonja Jessup.

There's been a huge rise

in the number of victims of sexual

assault coming forward to the Met

Police.

Figures obtained by BBC London show

it's gone up by more than seven

thousand in the last four years.

The Met says it suggests victims

are increasingly confident that such

crimes will be taken seriously.

But support groups say many cases

are still not reaching the courts.

Here's our Home Affairs

Correspondent Nick Beake.

Jen wants to speak out about what

happened to her. She says she was

raped by a man she knew well.

It was

a really difficult decision for me

to come forward about it because it

involved a lot of people that I knew

and a lot of friends and took me

quite a few days to decide to go to

the police. I was in a lot of shock.

I did that and I ended up being on

this absolute emotional roller

coaster of a court system.

It took

police a year to charge the man and

the court case was delayed twice

before being dropped, just three

days before the trial.

The first

time was absolutely devastating

because, as a diligent worker that I

am, I'd organised my time off and

cover and I was determined to come

back, get on with my job and get on

with life and I was so mentally

transfixed on this date as being the

time it would be over. Then it moved

and I couldn't imagine going through

another six months of waiting and

waiting.

There's been a big rise in

the reporting of sexual assaults.

Ten thousand in all back in 2012,

last year more than 17,000. The

number of reports of women being

raped went from 3,000 to more than

5,400 and reports of male rape have

tripled in the last four years. Mary

Mason's charity is supporting more

and more victims of sexual crimes.

She says the increased reporting had

not been matched by a similar rise

in prosecutions.

They'll say the

woman won't make a credible witness

in court which I find deeply, deeply

troubling, so because somebody's

vulnerable, that is not acceptable.

Police officer Richard Unwin has

supported victims of sexual offences

for over a decade. His force says

it's now better at investigating and

attitudes have changed.

There are

things that have been in place for a

long time. The attack down a dark

alley because of what someone was

wearing or by a stranger, that can

happen but it's not something that

we deal with all the time. What we

tend to deal with are assaults,

sexual violence involving partners

or friends.

The Crown Prosecution

Service says more defendants have

been convicted for sexual offences

than ever before. It insists it

wasn't its fault Jenn's case was

delayed then dropped but campaigners

say more offenders need to be

brought to justice.

A police officer is still

critically ill in hospital

after he and a colleague

were seriously injured.

When they were hit by a car

on the North Circular in Neasden.

The driver's been arrested.

The Met Commissioner Cressida Dick

says it's a stark reminder

of the dangers officers face.

A little earlier, police told us

what they believe happened.

Officers were dealing with another

incident, a vehicle ended up coming

off the North Circular, colliding

with walls and ultimately hitting

both constables, one of which was

trapped under the vehicle. Both

suffered significant injury. I would

just like to pay tribute to the

emergency services and their

colleagues.

Fail to pay the congestion

charge from the New Year

and you'll face a bigger fine-

that's the warning to

drivers in central London.

The penalty is going

up from £65 to £85.

Emma North has this report.

A tougher deterrent to rule breakers

or a way of punishing honest

motorist who is make a mistake?

Whichever way you see it, if you

fail to pay your congestion charge,

the fine is going up. The amount you

will pay will rise from £65 to £85.

If you don't pay quickly enough,

that rises from £130 to £160. In the

last five years, the number of

people paying the fine has gone up

and it's a sign, says TfL, that the

penalties no longer put people off.

It's led to accusations that the

system's just too tough on those who

already can't afford it.

It's not

just the hike in the fine that is

the concern, it's everything else

toppled on small businesses, the

cost of doing businesses going up,

so this is now going from £130 to

£160. When you consider that small

businesses, the cost of rent and

rates is 30% of their turnover, you

have got employment costs, there are

now charges coming in on emissions

zone, it's another way of doing

business in the capital.

How can I

help you...

Maybe it's not just the

system that's changing. This small

business in Elstree has to deliver

computer equipment into Central

London. But the way it works now

means travelling is less and less

important.

I've got a phone that

will ring either on my mobile phone,

on the computer, a phone like this,

I can work from anywhere.

TfL says

it wants to make London safer and

healthier and less dominated by the

car. The congestion charge fine

rises on the 2nd January.

Did you know that next year marks

100 years since women in the UK

were first allowed to vote?

Various events are planned to mark

the centenary and today

London's Mayor has been visiting

schoolchildren in Stockwell.

They've been learning

about the history of the campaign

for gender equality and sharing

their hopes for more

change in the future.

Sadiq Khan has been speaking

to our reporter Ayshea Buksh.

London is the greatest

city in the world.

But it is still the case in 2017

that if you are born a girl

your life chances are less

if you were born a boy.

If you are a woman you are more

likely to be a victim

of crime than a man.

That is not acceptable.

That is why we have this campaign.

We are announcing today,

all the art on the Underground

will be women artists

who are commissioned.

A whole year of events

is taking place.

We will use 2018 to renew our

efforts to make London the greatest

city in the world to be a girl

or a woman.

We should be encouraged

to follow our dreams

regardless of gender.

I don't feel just because

I am a female I can't

pursue this or that.

It doesn't matter if you are

biologically different.

Some people are better

than us, some aren't,

something you have to accept.

If you want to be better

than someone, you can work hard.

It doesn't matter

what gender you are.

I feel at school everyone treats

you the same, it is equal.

But when you get to the real

world it is different.

The Fawcett Society is running

their own campaign around

educating young people.

They say they wholeheartedly support

the Mayor, but point out

there is still a long way to go,

particularly with regards

to equality the workplace.

Ayshea Buksh reporting there.

Time to take a look

at the weather and Kate Kinsella

is here, how's it looking?

is here, how's it looking?

Sunny but chilly. This is earlier

this morning, bits of frost here and

there. Clear skies absolutely

beautiful sunshine and sun rises as

you can see from one of our

weather-watchers earlier on this

morning. Not much cloud today and

the blue sky will stay with us

throughout the afternoon. It's

feeling chilly. That is about to

change as well. For the afternoon,

we have got a gentle north-westerly,

we are not going to really feel it.

Lots of sunshine. Temperatures

managing to get up to four or five,

possibly six by the end of the

afternoon. You will notice patches

of fog starting to form as it gets

dark. Once it gets dark, dense fog

patches and the Met Office has

issued this yellow weather warning

for the fog. Overnight, it's going

to be very dense. Visibility

considerably reduced and also the

temperature is going to drop

significantly as well. We are

looking at a minimum of 0, maybe

even below, meaning we could get

some freezing fog by taunt tomorrow.

It could cause all sorts of problems

out on the road so extra care

needed. A very murky start tomorrow

morning, mist and fog being stubborn

as well. It will take its time to

lift. It should lift into the

afternoon, so brighter spells there,

then we run the risk of the fog

reforming as it gets towards dusk.

Feeling hilly again tomorrow at

around six Celsius. Tuesday night

into Wednesday, milder air moves in

from the south-west. Notice the

temperatures are going to get milder

for Wednesday but with it a lot of

cloud.

That's it from us this

lunchtime, you can join

Riz Lateef though at 6.30.

She'll be here with our

evening programme.