:00:00. > :00:00.more power for Police and Crime Commissioners,
:00:07. > :00:08.as they could be put in charge of firefighters, too.
:00:09. > :00:26.Will the space industry stay in the East when Britain goes it alone?
:00:27. > :00:33.And they all die weather tonight. All the details coming up.
:00:34. > :00:36.Police officers and firefighters could soon answer to
:00:37. > :00:39.The Police and Crime Commissioners in Northampntonshire wants to take
:00:40. > :00:41.on responsibility for fire and rescue services, too.
:00:42. > :00:44.Several forces in the East are looking at the idea.
:00:45. > :00:48.But is integration a good idea? Tom Percival reports.
:00:49. > :00:50.Putting out fires, arresting criminals.
:00:51. > :00:56.Two very different jobs which could soon share one ultimate boss.
:00:57. > :00:58.Because the government says that Police and Crime Commissioners,
:00:59. > :01:02.elected to set police priorities, should take on fire services, too.
:01:03. > :01:07.It makes sure that our emergency services are working much
:01:08. > :01:10.more closely together. That the governance is streamlined.
:01:11. > :01:12.So, instead of having committees that nobody has ever heard
:01:13. > :01:15.of and hardly ever sees, there is very clear
:01:16. > :01:17.accountability and that Police and Crime Commissioner
:01:18. > :01:21.That is better for decision making, as well as transparency
:01:22. > :01:24.Northamptonshire says it was the first place in the country
:01:25. > :01:29.Fire and police here already share a range of things,
:01:30. > :01:33.including their headquarters, Wootton Hall.
:01:34. > :01:35.The Police and Crime Commissioner Stephen Mold says adding fire
:01:36. > :01:41.We will make sure the brands are protected distinctly.
:01:42. > :01:43.There will be two separate chief officers.
:01:44. > :01:48.Actually, it's about how we work together, but maintaining that
:01:49. > :01:51.And if anything, given that they're kind of lost
:01:52. > :01:54.in the county council with the fire authority at this moment,
:01:55. > :01:57.it's much clearer about the money they think is being spent
:01:58. > :02:01.The government insists that firefighters at places
:02:02. > :02:03.like this, in Northampton, will remain independent.
:02:04. > :02:05.But the union that represents them is worried public trust
:02:06. > :02:16.by a merger which they say is totally unnecessary.
:02:17. > :02:19.The fire authorities have been delivering against their objectives
:02:20. > :02:22.for an amount of time. Again, by no means perfect.
:02:23. > :02:25.When it comes to things like cuts, they unfortunately have
:02:26. > :02:27.not been as vociferous as we would like in opposing
:02:28. > :02:30.dangerous cuts and things like the cost of chief fire
:02:31. > :02:34.officer's salaries in some locations has been a big concern for us.
:02:35. > :02:36.But broadly, when you look at public satisfaction,
:02:37. > :02:42.people are quite happy with how the fire service is run.
:02:43. > :02:47.What some might call innovation, others claim is simply cost-cutting.
:02:48. > :02:49.A public consultation on merger plans will begin in Northamptonshire
:02:50. > :02:52.by early summer and, in Essex, it's already underway.
:02:53. > :02:54.Police and Crime Commissioners are still far from universally
:02:55. > :03:07.popular, but they could soon get even more power.
:03:08. > :03:09.But is there any demand for this change?
:03:10. > :03:12.I asked a lecturer in policing issues at Anglia Ruskin University
:03:13. > :03:17.and the former PCC for Essex, Nick Alston.
:03:18. > :03:20.What I found in Essex when I was PCC was public accountability, making
:03:21. > :03:24.the police service really responsive to public needs was not
:03:25. > :03:29.There was an old-fashioned authority that found it
:03:30. > :03:35.It is about delivering effective and cost-efficient services to the
:03:36. > :03:43.public and we should think of it as service to the public.
:03:44. > :03:46.If they were elected from a police brief,
:03:47. > :03:48.would they know enough about fire, would they know
:03:49. > :03:51.what they would need to do if a building was on fire?
:03:52. > :03:56.I would not think of telling the Chief Constable
:03:57. > :04:00.There would be an operational fire chief in charge of
:04:01. > :04:02.the fire service, but when you look at the estates, funding,
:04:03. > :04:04.human resource issues, those things are where the
:04:05. > :04:07.public expect good value and, at the moment, with the police
:04:08. > :04:09.and fire service not sharing facilities, you could take
:04:10. > :04:15.a different approach, as we have done in Northamptonshire,
:04:16. > :04:18.where you can reimagine how you deliver services for example to road
:04:19. > :04:21.accidents or people who have a fall at home and need
:04:22. > :04:29.It could be a fire officer, police, someone from the ambulance service.
:04:30. > :04:33.Let's get smart about delivering those services.
:04:34. > :04:36.There is a worry that firefighters are seen as neutral,
:04:37. > :04:40.Law enforcers are a slightly different thing, going into people's
:04:41. > :04:43.homes, and there is a worry that, if they are linked, people will not
:04:44. > :04:49.I hear that, but I am not entirely convinced by that.
:04:50. > :04:52.My experience in Essex, when people needed help from
:04:53. > :04:54.the police, they were welcome in their houses.
:04:55. > :04:58.Everyone wants a fair policing service.
:04:59. > :05:00.I would argue that the police deliver that to everybody.
:05:01. > :05:02.Let's remember that policing these days is
:05:03. > :05:10.Often, they are dealing with vulnerability, dealing
:05:11. > :05:13.Dealing with child abuse, dealing with victims of modern slavery.
:05:14. > :05:15.All of these issues require very careful and sympathetic handling
:05:16. > :05:18.by the police and I do not think it is the way
:05:19. > :05:31.to highlight any difference between the services.
:05:32. > :05:33.How will the international space industry cope with Brexit?
:05:34. > :05:36.In the same week the UK triggers Article 50 to start leaving the EU,
:05:37. > :05:38.a Stevenage-built rocket will be blasted into space from
:05:39. > :05:43.The East is the biggest region for space outside of London
:05:44. > :05:45.and the South-East - with 84 space companies
:05:46. > :05:51.headquartered here, turning over ?1.75 billion.
:05:52. > :05:55.Louise Hubball has been taking a look at how they might fare.
:05:56. > :05:58.It is hard to believe but, in 1960, Stevenage launched a rocket -
:05:59. > :06:04.57 years later, at Airbus, the town's space programme is thriving.
:06:05. > :06:13.This is the heart of a telecommunications satellite that
:06:14. > :06:15.will relay news from around the world, but with Brexit
:06:16. > :06:21.on the horizon, what could it mean for business?
:06:22. > :06:24.The European Space Agency is a separate body, so you do
:06:25. > :06:29.The UK will continue to invest in that and the European Space Agency
:06:30. > :06:36.is the customer for a number of our projects.
:06:37. > :06:38.The Mars Rover, solar orbital satellite, another satellite -
:06:39. > :06:42.a high proportion of the work we have in Stevenage.
:06:43. > :06:47.Stevenage has been dubbed the UK's space city and the range
:06:48. > :06:49.of businesses supporting the industry in the town
:06:50. > :06:57.Here, cutting-edge technology is used to develop the
:06:58. > :07:02.In this digital age, proximity to their main client
:07:03. > :07:09.We can just go and have collaborative meetings and discuss
:07:10. > :07:13.problems and it means face-to-face we can get together,
:07:14. > :07:20.With the complex interactive problems we have to solve
:07:21. > :07:25.with Airbus, it makes a huge difference.
:07:26. > :07:27.Down the road, this small family metalworking firm has had Airbus
:07:28. > :07:34.We are slightly worried, because Brexit is unknown and nobody
:07:35. > :07:42.knows what will happen with Europe and ourselves.
:07:43. > :07:45.We hope, because they are based in the UK it will not affect
:07:46. > :07:51.is but everybody will have to wait and see.
:07:52. > :07:53.Over the next 12 months, four satellites will be launched
:07:54. > :07:58.So, how will the Brexit process affect workers in the space sector?
:07:59. > :08:07.Anne Wesemann, an expert in EU law, joined me earlier to explain.
:08:08. > :08:15.I am sure they are waiting for the government to come up with the
:08:16. > :08:19.results of the negotiation process. A lot will be concerned with the
:08:20. > :08:30.movement of workers. If they were forced to have
:08:31. > :08:36.knowledge from one member state only, it would have an impact on the
:08:37. > :08:43.village the recount. Is the legal advice been taken so they can ensure
:08:44. > :08:50.continuity? I am sure they will offer looked into that. Employment
:08:51. > :09:01.law and immigration. The difficulty is we cannot foresee the deal that
:09:02. > :09:05.will be struck. We know it will most likely no access to the single
:09:06. > :09:10.market, but we do not know what the alternative will be. That is what
:09:11. > :09:15.creates this uncertainty, which is particularly difficult for
:09:16. > :09:22.businesses which plan for longer term, such as the space industry.
:09:23. > :09:24.Police in Luton say a man was dragged from his car
:09:25. > :09:27.and beaten with a metal bar, in an apparent hate crime.
:09:28. > :09:29.It happened in Oakley Close last Wednesday night.
:09:30. > :09:31.Five men approached the victim's car, smashed two windows
:09:32. > :09:34.and pulled him out on the street, where they attacked him.
:09:35. > :09:36.The group ran off when two members of the public got
:09:37. > :09:39.Bedfordshire Police want to speak to them.
:09:40. > :09:41.And anyone else with information can call 101.
:09:42. > :09:43.Elderly residents at a care home in Milton Keynes have
:09:44. > :09:45.been told it is closing on Friday.
:09:46. > :09:48.The Five Acres home in Simpson was due to be bought
:09:49. > :09:50.by Milton Keynes Council, but late last week,
:09:51. > :09:51.councillors decided it was no longer financially viable
:09:52. > :09:53.and say they are working hard to find
:09:54. > :09:57.new homes for residents, many of whom have severe dementia.
:09:58. > :10:05.I will leave you with the weather from Alex,
:10:06. > :10:10.but from the late team here, good night.
:10:11. > :10:12.After several cold nights, tonight is going to be much milder.
:10:13. > :10:16.We have got milder air and a lot of cloud across the region.
:10:17. > :10:18.It could produce some patchy rain as we
:10:19. > :10:20.go through the rest of the evening and night.
:10:21. > :10:23.But most of that will clear away by first thing tomorrow morning.
:10:24. > :10:26.Temperatures not lower than 9 Celsius for most of us.
:10:27. > :10:28.A light to moderate south-westerly wind and we start
:10:29. > :10:32.There is this weather system to the west, but it
:10:33. > :10:37.so a lot of the day does look as if it will be dry.
:10:38. > :10:40.It will be rather cloudy and breezy at times.
:10:41. > :10:41.But there should be some brighter spells,
:10:42. > :10:45.Temperatures perhaps not as promising as they were today.
:10:46. > :10:48.There will be more cloud around generally, but we
:10:49. > :10:50.could still get highs of praise of 16 Celsius.
:10:51. > :10:52.The national weather is coming up, but here is the outlook.
:10:53. > :10:55.Temperatures may climb to 18-19 Celsius,
:10:56. > :10:58.We hold onto that weather for Friday,
:10:59. > :11:05.before rain arrives later into a cooler weekend.
:11:06. > :11:10.of year. This stay tuned for the national weather forecasts with John
:11:11. > :11:14.Hammond. Good evening. Your parents might
:11:15. > :11:17.have told you once that life 's not fair and they were right. He is the
:11:18. > :11:21.proof. Over the next few days some of us will enjoy some lovely
:11:22. > :11:25.sunshine, temperatures in the low 20s. It will feel like early summer.
:11:26. > :11:31.For others, quite a lot of rain around and it will feel like late
:11:32. > :11:34.March. This is showers earlier on today and dampness this evening in
:11:35. > :11:38.the West Country and Wales. That is heading north eastwards. A different
:11:39. > :11:42.sort of night. A lot of cloud around, quite damp and misty in
:11:43. > :11:44.places. Cloud cover will prevent temperatures falling much