23/03/2017 Look North (Yorkshire)

Some lovely weather on the way. This guy is looking like this for the

next three days, join me for the very latest. -- the skies.

Good evening - policing across Yorkshire has been stepped up

following yesterday's terrorist attack at Westminster in which four

There are more armed officers on the streets

at railway stations, shopping centres and

In a special programme, we'll speak to those caught up

in the terrifying attacks and we'll hear how Yorkshire's

different communities are vowing to stand together.

But first our Home Affairs Correspondent Spencer Stokes reports

200 miles north of Westminster, a very visible sign that

what happened at Parliament yesterday has had

Armoured police on patrol in Leeds this morning and police forces

across the county increasing the amount of uniformed officers.

The intention is to hear share -- reassure. There is no intelligence

about an imminent threat. The national security levels have been

severe for some time but there is no change. It is right in the wake of

such a tragic incident to provide that reassurance. In Bradford, hints

that security has been beefed up, a move welcomed by some. It does

benefit people more to have more security. It is important to have a

safe environment for people in general so I think it is quite

positive. I do not feel a bit safe, I think it is a threat all the time.

Yesterday's attack was startlingly simple, the

weapons a vehicle and a knife but that simplicity had been foreseen.

Two weeks ago, the head of counterterrorism in Yorkshire and

the North East told Look North about measures to foil this kind of

Nationally right now, since 2014, our threat level has been

assessed as severe which means an attack is highly likely.

When we think about what has happened in

Europe over the last few months in terms of the horrific

attacks with the HGVs, and in terms of knife attacks

broader than somebody leaving a suspicious package on public

transport or something of that nature.

The authorities have been preparing for the kind of terror assault we

saw yesterday in London. These planters actually hide huge concrete

blocks which would make it harder for a vehicle to drive into a

pedestrianised area. Today has also been a date respect for those who

died. at half-mast across Yorkshire

and Questions have been raised about

whether police should be armed. This is something which has to be

addressed, it is important we expect people that we protect people. It is

nearly 12 years since lives were claimed in such a manner in this

country but yesterday's attack will have civil, political and community

repercussions. Panic, fear, all hell

breaking loose. The words of some of those caught up

in yesterday's terror attack. The palace of Westminster

was locked down for hours, among those trapped inside most

of the regions MP's and some students from the

University of Sheffield. the work of the emmergency services

and vowed they will not allow Though today it's been business

as usual for some this attack has I could hear a woman screaming there

was a man with a gun. I ran into a cupboard with six others, they

prefer from the House of Lords. I never feeling absolutely terrified.

I was upstairs in the refreshments and I saw our body. Someone was

talking about as shooting. A security guard ran in and said get

away from the glass, that was really frightening. After that it was just

we had people stealing out of the window, there seem to be chaos, we

saw officers running everywhere -- everywhere. We were told to get to

another part of a building. As soon as we all got together, I think we

knew we were all going to be fine. All this security services and the

emergency services did such a great job at keeping us calm and

collected. They did not know what was going on either and they were

really good at feeding back information about the situation as

it unfolded. We shall no observe a minute's silence. The fact we were

all back in Parliament today sums up we will not be deterred by this kind

of action. It was very sombre. Killing a lot of sadness about the

deaths, not only the police officer but the people on the bridges as

well. Yesterday an act of terrorism tried to silence our democracy but

today we meet as normal. It was very sombre, people were quite and

respectful but we are going about our business. We had a fantastic

statement from the Prime Minister and tributes to the fallen from

colleagues today. Terror, these lunatics will not defeat democracy

and I am glad to day business is as usual in the Commons. Those who

attack us hate our freedom. So much sorrow for the people who died and

were injured. People are all struggling with the death of the

police officer. The police are phenomenal. Nigel Evans said today,

we see them checking identification and we seek taking selfies with

them, they are just amazing, they go beyond the call of duty everyday and

to think he died protecting us, it is really hard to accept. The quick

thinking of another Yorkshire MP saved thousands of innocent

bystanders from being caught up in the terror attack yesterday.

Mary Creagh - the Labour MP for Wakefield was on her way to vote

in the Commons when she heard the shots outside.

She immediately ran to shut down Westminster tube station -

not knowing whether the attacker was still at large.

It is good to say you are well, what was going through your mind when you

heard the shots? I was just on my way to go and vote in parliament.

People were running towards me seeing someone had fired shots, that

is a shooter outside. When people say things like that, you do not

wait to be told a second time. There was only one exit out of the

building, into the tube. The contrast between the chaos and fear

I had left behind and the tranquillity of Westminster Tube

station, with tourists and people milling around, I just thought, we

have to tell the control room that something bad has happened and they

have to get everyone out of you as quickly as possible and not out into

a very violent incident which was still unfolding. It was very quick

thinking. Today, 24 hours or one, has it sunk in what you did? Not

really. I was Shadow Transport Secretary for a while and I have

some experience, I visited security control centres for Transport for

London, I have talked to police and transport workers about improvements

Putin after the bomb attacks 12 years ago so I knew there was a good

security response that would be in place but what I wondered about was

whether they knew what was happening. In an incident like that,

my instinct was to try and go and help somebody or do something, that

was the only thing I could think of which was useful to do. Once I had

done that, I went outside and joined my colleagues, we were just standing

around. I remembered that new Scotland Yard had just opened 100

metres down the road and I suggested that we went to the police station

which would be the safest place for us so we walked down the embankment,

totally unaware of what happened on the bridge and banged on the windows

to get the police officers to let us in. Thankfully you were then safe.

How important was for the house to sit as usual today and for business

to go on as normal? I think what we saw yesterday was an attempted

attack on our democracy. It is an attack that the police, medical and

emergency services had planned for but it is an attack we always pray

does not come. That attack was defeated and we showed how it was

defeated by standing together across the country and across our great

capital city by our parliament meeting as usual and debating a wide

range of issues and debates that go on as normal, I think there was a

debate on the site of an incinerator today. As I was leaving today, that

was going on. We needed to stand together and as a family of

Parliament, we needed to come together and show our solidarity

with the family of the-year-old police officer PC Keith Palmer who

ran towards the attacker as we were running outside the building. Our

thoughts are with the little girl who will be left without her father.

Absolutely, our thoughts are with them. In what way will yesterday's

events change the way you work as an MP? We have had a lot more security

adviser upgrades since the terrorist murder Jo Cox last June. So we feel

better protected in our constituencies and our homes and

Parliament has seen huge security upgrades in the last 12 years, much

better alarm systems Putin. There will be a review but that is a

discussion for another day. But we have to keep our parliament, which

is the home of human rights, free speech and our fundamental freedoms,

open to our constituents, schoolchildren and the people who

live and work there to show that we are open and functioning democracy.

Thank you so much for your time tonight. We will have to leave it

there. We will have more on top story later in the programme.

West Yorkshire Police have charged 29 people with a number

The offences are alleged to have happened in the Huddersfield area

Our reporter David Rhodes joins us now from Huddersfield.

29 people have been charged by West Yorkshire Police, 27 of them are

believed to be male. Two are believed to be female. They have

been charged this afternoon with a range of alleged historical offences

which include the rape and sexual exploitation of children. The

possession and supply of class a drugs as well as child abduction and

the distribution and intention to make indecent images of children.

What we know about the victims? Very few details from the police. We know

there are 18 alleged victims, all of them are alleged to have lived in

the Huddersfield area when these offences were supposed to be

committed. The police have told us the victims were aged between 11 and

17 at the time. All of those charged by the police will appear at

Huddersfield's magistrates Court on the 12th of April. Thank you very

much. Other news from around our region.

Nat West has announced a number of high street branch

The bank says people are choosing to do business in different ways.

Almost a dozen branches mainly in North and West

Between 2010 and 2015, online transactions increased

by more than 400% and mobile transactions by more

A pregnant woman from Leeds has appeared in court in Rwanda -

on charges of spreading state secrets to undermine President Paul

Violett Uwamahoro, a Rwandan-British youth

Her husband - who is an opposition activist -

He and her two sons have asked the UK government to intervene,

saying they fear the trial is fixed and cannot be fair.

Some of the school children who were visiting the Houses

of Parliament when yesterday's terror attack happened have returned

The Year five youngsters from Herringthorpe Junior School had

to be taken to safety as gunshots sounded outside.

Parents have had an anxious 24 hours and were relieved

Back home safe and sound, to my coaches drove through the school

gates this afternoon. Their school trip shortened because of the terror

attack. They were in the Houses of Parliament at the time, they were

just about to start their tour of the building. They were inside at

the engines when they were alerted to what was happened and taking --

and taken away somewhere safe. The children did not know much about

what was going on outside and were kept inside parliament for three

hours until the police said it was safe to leave. There are

schoolchildren being escorted away from the Palace of Westminster...

The Prime Minister was asked if it was safe for school trips to

continue to Parliament. Showing the value of Parliament is an important

part of that. I think it is important for children and to see

her Parliament works and wave it is housed. After an anxious 24 hours,

the children were finally reunited with their families, the relief on

their faces playing to see as tonight. I am very sorry for this

tragedy. Just not knowing and not being able to speak to him was the

worst part of it. It has been a restless night, I am just happy that

all the children are well. I have, I have given him a long hug and a kid.

This was the school's first ever trip to the Houses of Parliament and

it is a trip these youngsters will probably remember for the rest of

their lives. Good to have them home safe and sound.

So how has Yorkshire responded to the attacks

Our reporter Abi Jaiyeola has spent the day on the streets of Leeds

where people were determined to show solidarity.

In the aftermath of the attack come calls for unity.

The Muslim community in Leeds is going

through the same emotions as

anyone else in the country, the sense of fear, shock

and repulsion but we are not afraid, we will not

looking after your own, it is simply about doing

It is 12 years since the 7/7 bombs in the capital.

Two of the four men who orchestrated those

Today people express their sadness but also a

It feels like yesterday, it brought all the memory back again.

I am really upset and I cried when I watched.

It is not the same, people are not the same,

They are saying Muslims are all the same, it is not fair for them.

Communities need to stand together and get something worked out.

So-called Islamic state has claimed responsibility for what

In Leeds there are some fears that the

attacks will cause tensions between communities.

Any terrorist activity which happens anywhere in the world

weather home or abroad, the Muslim community feel victims of

Islamophobia that ensues straight after the terrorist attack.

At this mosque in Leeds, prayers will be

said for those who lost their lives in Westminster.

These terrorists want to divide communities and

The more we stand together - we have more in common

than not and we must show that to terrorists.

For one Yorkshire family, the Westminster attacks

They are Brendan Cox and Kim, Jean and Gordon Leadbeater.

loved one, Jo Cox MP, also died at the hands

They've been giving their thoughts on how best to respond

to what they've described as an 'act of evil.'

Once again the flag flown by Battley Town Hall is at half-mast.

The town knows how feels to lose someone to

terrorism - when SNP Jo Cox was murdered

the response was an outpouring of grief and love.

Today Jo Cox's Husband Brendan articulated his

determination to focus not on the perpetrator

of the Westminster attack but on the victims.

Yesterday there was one act of evil but there

are thousands of acts of kindness and heroism.

PC Palmer for example who put his life on the line and

died defending people, to the people who are helping

Jo Cox's sister and parents have also

One of the reasons that people do these things

is to gain notoriety, they want to make a name for themselves.

One of the things we should do is make sure

we keep the emphasis not on them, I do not

care what is the name of the

person who killed Jo, I want to remember the person I loved.

Remembering this first and foremast, that impact on

individual's lives should be at the forefront of our minds today.

Last month the family launched plans for a

community get-together in June which seems even

They are inspiring words from a family that has known

Pictures there of the sister and parents of Jo Cox.