:00:00. > :00:19.Good evening. time for the news where you are.
:00:20. > :00:20.First tonight, hundreds of police officers from
:00:21. > :00:23.four of our forces came together today to stop and search vehicles
:00:24. > :00:27.The major routes used by metal thieves,
:00:28. > :00:31.burglars and rogue traders to cross county borders and avoid capture.
:00:32. > :00:33.Cambridgeshire suffers more from rural crime than anywhere else
:00:34. > :00:38.in England, losing ?2.7 million pounds last year.
:00:39. > :00:41.In a lay`by on the A1, officers on the hunt
:00:42. > :00:46.for those using the region's roads to carry out a rural crime.
:00:47. > :00:49.Number plate recognition scanning for illegal vehicles.
:00:50. > :00:54.Motorbike police pulling over vans, wanting to take a closer look.
:00:55. > :00:58.We have only been here 20 minutes and already a dozen vehicles have
:00:59. > :01:06.The officers are checking everything, the driver's details,
:01:07. > :01:11.any passengers' details and checking what the vehicles are carrying.
:01:12. > :01:14.Theft of metal, we used to have a lot.
:01:15. > :01:22.You'll see us pulling in vehicles that are carrying
:01:23. > :01:24.tractors and checking and making sure...
:01:25. > :01:27.One tractor is as much as ?70,000, probably more.
:01:28. > :01:31.Further up the road, a van is seized, full of stolen metal.
:01:32. > :01:33.Both of the occupants have been stopped.
:01:34. > :01:35.They have been transferred to the local station.
:01:36. > :01:41.Mainly it is scrap metal from some containers
:01:42. > :01:47.Police out in numbers today, but is it enough to tackle rising
:01:48. > :01:58.As much as it is today, this is one tactic.
:01:59. > :02:01.There will be covert tactics that will be used and we will really take
:02:02. > :02:04.it to communities to give them the service they deserve.
:02:05. > :02:05.Today, forces combine to track criminals
:02:06. > :02:08.across county boundaries, a costly exercise, but they hope it will
:02:09. > :02:16.The wait is over for the region's teenagers earning
:02:17. > :02:22.Across the board, the proportion gaining A to C has
:02:23. > :02:26.risen, although the number achieving the top A star has fallen slightly.
:02:27. > :02:29.Grades in maths have risen sharply, but in English they've fallen,
:02:30. > :02:31.something many feel is down to a change
:02:32. > :02:39.For the first time in years, emphasis solidly on exams
:02:40. > :02:43.and attempts to improve academic standards.
:02:44. > :02:47.The pressure evident, not least at this school in Wellingborough.
:02:48. > :03:00.It has been good at the same time, as I am working towards something.
:03:01. > :03:04.I have had to put in a lot more work, revising more, and I think
:03:05. > :03:07.I am concerned about the focus on examinations.
:03:08. > :03:10.I don't think life chances should be based on the exam at the end.
:03:11. > :03:13.There should be flexibility, so it is fairer to a wider range
:03:14. > :03:20.At this school in Luton, some parents also had concerns.
:03:21. > :03:24.We had modules previously, it was stress`free as you had time to build
:03:25. > :03:30.up to the end result, but this was just the exam and we did struggle.
:03:31. > :03:33.Two years ago, this academy was the eighth worst performer in England.
:03:34. > :03:48.These are the first school exams that really matter.
:03:49. > :03:57.For Vicky and thousands like her it was a nerve`wracking morning.
:03:58. > :04:00.More than a third of girls will leave school without
:04:01. > :04:03.five GCSEs and according to a leading women's charity many will
:04:04. > :04:09.Twice as many women work in low`paid jobs compared to men,
:04:10. > :04:14.and they're more likely to need treatment for depression.
:04:15. > :04:17.Dr Carole Easton is from the Young Women's Trust.
:04:18. > :04:18.She says headlines about girls traditionally out`performing
:04:19. > :04:27.Once they get to 18, they are offered a narrow range of jobs,
:04:28. > :04:31.there are not as many jobs for them to do and they are being encouraged
:04:32. > :04:39.to study and work in traditional roles like nursing or childcare.
:04:40. > :04:41.The boys are being given a much broader range of options,
:04:42. > :04:44.more apprenticeships, and they are seen to have broader choices
:04:45. > :04:53.Young women are told they don't get second chances.
:04:54. > :04:56.If they take the wrong subject, they are stuck or, even worse,
:04:57. > :05:02.Does this come down to pure gender discrimination?
:05:03. > :05:04.I think gender discrimination on some occasions and narrowness
:05:05. > :05:14.I think people need help to understand that young women and
:05:15. > :05:20.Do we need to rewind a little here and say that careers
:05:21. > :05:29.I think careers advice has a mixed reputation among
:05:30. > :05:32.the young women we have spoken to and what they say is that they need
:05:33. > :05:37.So many young women don't know, many of us didn't either,
:05:38. > :05:41.what they want to do at 16, but by the time they get to 21 they may
:05:42. > :05:44.know more clearly what they want and they may not be given the second
:05:45. > :05:50.So, briefly, what advice would you give young women who have had
:05:51. > :05:53.If you have done well, congratulations.
:05:54. > :05:55.If you haven't, hang out there for a second chance,
:05:56. > :05:58.exam results aren't the be all and end all and you can...
:05:59. > :06:08.People do succeed and people do do well and we need to help them
:06:09. > :06:14.get the second chances that they might need a little bit later on.
:06:15. > :06:16.A man who's suspected of trying to get a gun
:06:17. > :06:20.into Northampton Magistrates Court this morning is in police custody.
:06:21. > :06:22.The 54 year old was arrested after he triggered the alarm
:06:23. > :06:28.It's not yet known whether the gun is real or an imitation.
:06:29. > :06:32.There's been speculation today that the American drug giant Pfizer may
:06:33. > :06:37.make a fresh bid to buy the UK pharmaceutical firm, AstraZeneca.
:06:38. > :06:39.The company is due to begin building a new global headquarters
:06:40. > :06:45.Under takeover rules, Pfizer could launch a new bid
:06:46. > :06:57.A risk of some showers developing overnight, not for everyone,
:06:58. > :07:00.some places stay dry, but there will be some cloud around.
:07:01. > :07:08.We start tomorrow with some cloud around, showers should clear,
:07:09. > :07:11.then it should brighten up with sunshine coming out.
:07:12. > :07:13.Still stays a little on the cool side and a risk
:07:14. > :07:19.Highest tomorrow of 18 Celsius with a moderate north`westerly wind.
:07:20. > :07:21.In a moment, the national weather, but here is our outlook.
:07:22. > :07:24.On Saturday, there will be some sunshine and
:07:25. > :07:27.showers around, it is looking like a dry day on Sunday, some chilly
:07:28. > :07:35.nights on the way with temperatures down into single figures.
:07:36. > :07:39.into a nice, fine day on Sunday with lots of sunshine. Then more rain
:07:40. > :07:43.pushes in from the west for the Bank Holiday Monday.
:07:44. > :07:49.Good evening. There's a feel of autumn about the weather at the
:07:50. > :07:54.moment. It's thanks to the fact we are pulling our off off the British
:07:55. > :07:59.Isles from the north making for a cold feel by day and chilly nights.
:08:00. > :08:03.Still some showers to contend with across England and Wales. Some heavy
:08:04. > :08:05.through the small hours of Friday, particularly around the Bristol
:08:06. > :08:11.channel and into the south-east towards the end of the night.
:08:12. > :08:15.Further north, the breeze eases. The showers fade away and with clear
:08:16. > :08:18.skies, temperatures will fall down into single figures in northern
:08:19. > :08:22.England, Northern Ireland and southern and central Scotland. For
:08:23. > :08:25.Friday, he wassier showers hanging back across the far south-east of
:08:26. > :08:26.England for the morning rush