11/04/2017 Look East (West)

tomorrow's talks when he will try to persuade Russia to end

Hello, welcome to Tuesday's Look East.

Tackling racism in the police.

A former Bedfordshire officer hits out over delays

But it wasn't an easy place to go to work every day.

You know, I was OK at lower-level with the PCs but senior officers

would treat me like a leper, they wouldn't speak to me.

The Cambridgeshire company helping Prince Harry rid

Find out why the elephants at Whipsnade Zoo were

treated to a royal visit from the Queen.

And why statues in Bedford have started to talk.

First tonight - criticism over delays in investigating racial

discrimination in one of our police forces.

was awarded more than ?200,000 after taking

The court agreed he'd been discriminated against

But three years on and the Independent Police Complaints

Commission is still investigating 15 police officers and

Today Mr Bahra spoke out claiming the delay

Harmit Bahra passed his inspector's exam

on the first attempt but was never promoted.

He says that discrimination he faced cheated him

I would've been the first Indian police officer

who made it to chief inspector level.

No one can understand the damage it has done.

It damaged me as a person, it damaged me as a police

officer and the reputation of me as a police officer.

An employment tribunal in 2014 found that

Sergeant Bahra had been discriminated against by

Bedfordshire Police on the grounds of his race.

11 police officers of Chief Inspector rank and

above and four police staff are currently under

investigation by the IPCC for suspected gross misconduct.

So now they have retired, if they say sorry, we're not going

to get involved, we are not interested, the IPCC can't do

Even when the IPCC finish their investigation, they

refer it back to Bedfordshire Police as the appropriate authority so

no matter what the IPCC say, it will go back

to Jon Boutcher, if he says I

am not interested, he still doesn't have to do anything about it.

Speaking on Look East last week, the Chief Constable Jon Boutcher

wouldn't be drawn on whether an investigation into 11 the senior

officers was indicative of a wider problem.

That smacks of institutional racism, doesn't it?

The investigation needs to take its course.

It might find that there's not been any inappropriate

The IPCC told us that the reason they their investigation

is taking so long is that it has been complex and resource intensive.

It has now reached a significant stage

and they are working to bring it to a close.

What do you think of Bedfordshire Police's current

recruitment drive to bring in more ethnic minority

They were having recruiting drives then. The reason they do not achieve

anything in 30 years is because you get cases like mine. Recruitment,

retention, progression. They have stopped my progression. That is why

ethnic minorities cannot progress, no matter how good they are. Kei

police told us that the orchestrated by the length of the investigation

into Harmit Bahra's case. -- Bedfordshire Police. They look

forward to the outcome. They have told us they celebrate diversity and

they do not tolerate any discrimination.

Well, Inspector Mike Chand from Bedfordshire Police campaigns

to get more black and ethic minority officers in the force.

I asked him if recruitment drives are enough

or if more needs to be done to promote officers like

Historically and nationally, the police, I feel, haven't done

enough to first of all keep BME candidates,

The Government introduced positive action but I think as yet,

no force has taken positivity up so I think it's an area

We're talking today about a case where the man won

his tribunal in three years ago and he claimed that there was an

institutional racism acting against him that meant

Do you think that perception is a bad thing for people

thinking of going into the police force?

Well, first of all, I can't comment on a live case so I won't.

However, talking about the police force in general,

the perception BME people have of the police force is

actually they could be racist and historically,

and that generally is what people perceive it to be.

However, times have changed, people are now joining the

system, learning about the system and I think going ahead,

if it doesn't change, there'll be some serious issues

What more would you like to see done in terms of recruitment,

retention and progression of BME officers?

Well, I'd like all police forces to take up the option

of positive retention, positive promotion.

At the end of the day, the law's been made, rules have

been engaged by the government in order to solve these issues and if

then what's the point of having them there?

The demographics of society have changed.

If the police forces don't change with them,

then I can say they won't be doing the service that the public require.

It's not just about the numbers and statistics, is it?

Why is it important that the police force reflect

Well, ultimately the public are the police and

If we're not reflecting our communities then how

I mean, ultimately that's the goal of any police force

and if communities are not being served because actually there's

no one that looks like them, talks like them,

understands their culture, then

how can you possibly reflect them and how can you serve them?

People need to understand that you need BME minorities

within the executive ranks so they can make those

informed decisions on cultures and communities.

Without that, you are simply going to get a biased view of

the world and ultimately biased decisions.

Inspector Mike Chand speaking earlier.

A Cambridgeshire engineering company is helping Prince Harry's charity

The Halo Trust in the global fight against landmines.

Armtrak, who are based in Burwell, build specialist mine

They're used all over the world to remove hidden explosive devices

left in the ground in conflict zones, making the land safe again.

There are thought to be more than a million mines scattered

Some left over from distant wars, many the result of

The cost to human life is catastrophic.

Across the globe, mines kill over 800 people every month.

An international mine banning treaty was introduced 20 years ago,

effectively stopping the use of all antipersonnel mines.

Now, although some states still do use and produce them,

the number's fallen dramatically thanks mainly to this treaty.

But perhaps more importantly, tens of millions of mines

have been cleared, thanks, in part, to these machines

It's got titanium spikes which then rips up the ground.

Any mine which is underneath it, it will either explode it

Armtrak specialise in robotic machines too.

There's too many landmines, it's going to take many

As quick as we clear them, other countries are still laying

We're making a change, slowly, but not fast enough and every

Every one of these machines out there hopefully

Armtrac are currently preparing one of these

machines for Prince Harry's charity, The Halo Trust.

Last week, the prince pledged to continue his mother's legacy

to clear the world of landmines.

My mother had been shocked and appalled by the impact

that landmines were having an incredibly vulnerable people,

She didn't understand why more people were not

willing to address the cause of so much suffering.

She refused to accept that these destructive weapons

should be left where they were just because they were perceived as too

They cost tens of thousands to build but with the weak pound,

However, the real value is in lives saved.

Jozef Hall, BBC Look East, Cambridgeshire.

Police are appealing for witnesses after thieves used a JCB digger

to steal a cash machine from a Cambridgeshire

Four men wearing balaclavas used the digger to destroy

the wall of the Co-Op store in Longstanton High Street

They removed the cash machine from the building and then left

The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh have been in the region today

visiting Whipsnade Zoo in Bedfordshire.

They were there to open a new Elephant Care Centre.

The centre will replace an earlier elephant building which was first

The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh arrived at Whipsnade Zoo

The Queen, in her light lilac outfit,

It was hoped that she would feed the elephant the banana, that's

what we were hoping but we weren't quite sure on the day so

when she actually agreed to do it, that was quite,

The phrase that was used, "Would she be minded

to actually feed the elephant a banana?"

A term I am not familiar with, really, but it was quite nice

to hear it and, yes, she was happy to do it.

As well as feeding Donna, she met 10-month old baby elephant

Elizabeth who's named after the Queen because she was born

the day before Her Majesty's 90th birthday.

She would behave impeccably and that is part of the training and the bond

that the keepers have with our elephants,

that we can work with them so closely.

So being in such close contact and close proximity of

After all the attention during what's been a very long day,

this herd of nine Asian elephants are getting ready to be

taken inside their new home, a ?2 million centre

where they'll be spending their first night.

There are also sand mounds to play with

or lie against, as elephants prefer to sleep on a slight gradient.

Which they're likely to get here lying against a

metre deep sand mound for maximum comfort.

A few things that have gone in, yeah, with modern days and

all that so we've actually got automatic feeders that feed

They lower hay nets down from the ceiling at various times

We have a special kind of screen that shows the public

elephants communicating because they actually communicate by infrasound.

Designed by award-winning architects, it's hoped the centre

will play host to a growing family of elephants, providing a modern

space for them and plenty of pampering for a new generation too.

Waseem Mirza, BBC Look East, Whipsnade Zoo.

The Royal and Derngate Theatre in Northampton has said today

performances of Death Of A Salesman will not go

ahead until the 18th of April at the earliest.

The production was postponed following the death of the actor

Tim Piggott Smith, who died suddenly last week during rehearsals

The play was due to have opened last night.

The theatre says it is contacting all ticket holders and is working on

a contingency plan. That's all from me

for now, more at 10:30. For now though, let's join Stewart

and Susie for the rest of Look East. She still to come, we will have the

weather. And listen to this. John Bunyan here, the next big thing on

the tourist trails, talking statues. I often wondered how John Bunyan

would speak. Now we move. -- now we know.

Have you heard of the racehorse Eminent?

Maybe not, but in Newmarket there's a buzz in the air ahead

Because Eminent is the son of Frankel, one of the most

successful racehorses of all time. It's now four and a half

years since Frankel was retired to stud unbeaten.

And this season some of his fillies and colts will compete

in the Classics for the first time, starting next month

Tom Williams has been to see Eminent in training.

As with all the fame comes a great expectation.

All eyes on Eminent, centre of attention

The first offspring for the unbeaten wonder-horse Frankel.

Not a trainer around that wouldn't want to work with a mini-Frankel.

It is a real privilege to do this, and knowing that he has got ability.

The way that he won his maiden was fantastic and everything he has

done for us since has lived up to that.

How much pressure is on your shoulders, having

Luckily he doesn't know about it too much, so that's all right.

That's why he is yawning and he is quite happy, but for me

This is a great hope for us to be able to put the yard on the map

and hopefully he will live up to everything we expect of him.

Frankel is widely regarded as the greatest ever racehorse,

unbeaten in 14 outings, a Guineas winner, ending

an illustrious career with victory on British Champions Day.

Eminent has started his career well with a debut win at Newmarket,

suggesting Frankel's foals are growing into

We had the first crop of two-year-olds last

year and the question was whether they would train on.

Often the horses are precocious and they don't travel through,

but it's had one or two winners this season already so clearly...

And the way you look at the horse, Eminent here looks fantastic.

Eminent will race at Newmarket's Craven meeting next week.

A traditional trial for his Guineas, where he will hope to follow

Frankel demolished the field that they in that famous race that

And we're probably going to be blessed with a very strong

And Frankel could be represented by at least three colts.

Unfortunately, you know, if we just had the only one,

but there are a lot of other good ones, so he is obviously proving

He's a bright hope, and Eminent wants to prove

Two friends from Suffolk have just returned home after walking

a quarter of the way around the world.

Henry Dunham and Sam Crimp set off in May and walked 6500 miles

to cross their finishing line in Kathmandu in Nepal.

Henry's sister Annie, from Framlingham, died a year ago,

after being diagnosed with a brain tumour.

The pair have now raised more than ?14,000 for charity, including

We'll speak to them in a moment, but first this from Kim Riley.

Arrive in Istanbul and head towards Ankara.

Planning their big adventure around the kitchen table last May.

The trek was Hendry and Sam's contribution

to Annie's Challenge, a

charity set up in tribute to Annie Hughes' love of life.

difficulties, married and had two young children.

She lived eight months after her diagnosis.

Here supporting early fundraising efforts.

She was just 29 when she died, leaving behind her husband,

David, and children Lilly and Noah. She was the inspiration that drove

They walked beneath blue skies, sheltered from torrential rain.

I would have to say being stuck up in

the mountains in Romania was very gruelling, for two or three days.

Among the places they had taken refuge, a shepard's hut.

Later they were arrested by Turkish police for

They saw some amazing sites - the view

from Mount Sandakphu in the Himalayas.

Finally, on the 27th of March, after some 13 million steps,

a reception committee of friends and relatives

As the banner said - Kathman-done-it.

Did you have any idea what you were taking an? Short answer no. We went

to the gym a lot and were well-trained but nothing can prepare

you that. How much weight did you lose because presumably food was

scarce. We did not have the best diet. Bread and jam most nights. We

both lost around eight kilograms. You had to take a detour at one

point? In India we did. There is a separatist group who can cause quite

a bit of mischief and we got two thirds of the way along and tall by

our security friend we had to take a very sudden detour so we got a train

to Calcutta and then continued our route down to Kathmandu. I know you

had helped along the way but what is interesting in the richer companies

never be helping -- richer countries know that they helped you, only in

the poorer countries. I think it is empathy with the see a struggling

and the wanted to help us out. What I do not want to say anything bad

about Germans or Austrians! But we found a little but they were not so

keen to help. Did you have any very low points you thought you could not

continue? There were certainly low point but we never once a vocally

said we should give up. In Turkey the political situation once more

caused ranks between us and the locals and it was also raining the

whole time we were there. -- had caused some banks. But the contest

he flew after that. There is a very serious side to this and told me

some interesting facts about the brain tumours. The sad thing about

brain tumours as it is often referred to as the young person's

can serve as it kills more people under 40 than any other cancer. But

there is a very little funding for it, it received 1% of Government

funding which is why people like us and the charity we support try to

make a difference. And you did this all because of

Annie, and how are her family coping now? Obviously it is incredibly

difficult, to lose anyone but Annie was this incredibly brave character,

just the most gentle person you will ever meet. She had these two

beautiful young children who sadly will probably live the rest of their

lives never really remembering their mother and that is the biggest

sadness of all. Congratulations to both of you. What we have both done

is amazing and I'm sure she would be very proud of you.

Tourist bosses are always looking for new ways

And today an idea which has already proved popular

in Chicago and Berlin, has been unveiled in Bedford.

Basically, it involves a mobile phone,

and some history lessons about the great and the good of Bedford.

Louise Hubball has been to hear for herself.

In Bedford you do not have to go far before you find a statue.

And now these figures from the town's history can

Simply scan the sign with your smartphone

and there is a message from this famous Puritan preacher.

John Bunyan here, one-time sinner and bestselling author of

Born of humble origin in the year of our Lord 1628.

Other familiar faces on the tour include jazz

musician Glenn Miller, who performed here during the Second World War.

Now, you don't happen to know where I can find

Across the river, the imposing knight on top of the war memorial

Most people stroll past with their ice cream, cans of drink,

I imagine him rather lonely up there.

He is also an all-purpose medieval warrior, so I thought of him

as perhaps angry at the First World War being fought by millions of

He wants war fought by professionals like

And the speech for John Howard, the famous prison reformer

from the 1700s, has been written by inmates from Bedford

prison working alongside a local theatre groups.

I ask you to remember the sweetness of

freedom and the relief of forgiveness.

The team behind project are keen to get the

They really engaged with the project and were

excited to be part of it and talk about the fact once they were out of

prison they would be able to come and hear the statues talk and know

for the John Howard statue they were part of the project.

The reflections of Bedford sculpture is voiced by the comedian

You've checked out my lacy underparts, right?

I represent the lace makers of Bedford as well as

The project, produced by Sing London, has already had

So Sing London have taken the project from

Chicago to Berlin, to Manchester, Leeds and now here in Bedford.

We are hoping it will put our statues on the map and also local

people will engage more in the history of their town and these

So next time you take a stroll through Bedford it

is worth seeing what the statues have to say.

That is a very good idea. The weather with Alex. Thinking

about the Easter weekend, it will be a bit cooler by the weekend and the

chance of some rain. We have had above average temperatures and some

more fine weather today. Some lovely sunshine here on the beach and

another photograph looking at Northamptonshire, glorious. The

satellite image shows a lot of sunshine today and this weather

system coming down from the north is pushing cloud in our direction so

although the deep end is fine with some sunshine, the evening and night

will see cloud increase from the north-west which could eventually

produce some rain by the end of the night. With more close than must

lead it will be more mild and temperatures tomorrow morning around

seven Celsius. Tomorrow starts with the few of rain and this weather

system coming and Andy cold front bringing some fresh and conditions

expected -- expected to be more blustery. It should brighten up on

the whole of the Day looks much cloudier than today. Quite a

blustery wind in from the west. As we get into the afternoon it will

cloud over once more from the north-west and although it will not

amount to very much there could be some spots of rain here and there

but some will miss that entirely. Slightly fresher conditions behind

that cold front and clearer skies meaning a chilly start to Thursday.

Some uncertainty for Easter weekend depending on the behaviour of this

weather system. Fresher for Easter weekend and the chance of some rain

but a brightly on Thursday, killing a lot fresher, chance of an isolated

shower in western counties -- feeling a lot fresher. On Friday at

the risk of one or two showers but largely dry. Cooler and fresher on

Saturday with some sunshine and the risk of some rain over Easter

weekend. I will have an updated picture tomorrow.

Colder and possibly wetter than last weekend.

That is all. Goodbye.