23/03/2017 Look North (Yorkshire)

Good evening and welcome to the late Look North.

Armed police on the streets of Yorkshire as security

is stepped up in the wake of the London terror attack.

And 29 people are charged with serious sex offences

Some fine, dry and sunny weather over the next couple of days. I will

be back later in the programme with a look ahead to the weekend.

Policing across Yorkshire has been stepped up following yesterday's

terrorist attack at Westminster in which five people died

There are more armed officers on the streets

at railway stations, shopping centres and

Our Home Affairs Correspondent Spencer Stokes reports.

200 miles north of Westminster, are very visible sign that

200 miles north of Westminster, a very visible sign that

what happened at Parliament yesterday has had repercussions

Armed police on patrol across West Yorkshire and a general

increase in the number of uniformed officers mingling with the public.

Only to make clear there is no intelligence around and

We know the security levels nationally have been at high

That hasn't changed, but I think it's right in the wake

of such a tragic incident that we provide that reassurance.

In Bradford, hints that here too, security has been beefed up.

It does benefit people more, them putting on extra control

I think it's important to have a safer environment

I think that's really important and a good thing.

So I think it's quite positive, yeah.

Yesterday's incident was startlingly simple.

A vehicle driven into pedestrians before PC Keith Palmer was stabbed

to death by 52-year-old Khalid Masood.

But that simplicity had been foreseen.

Just two weeks ago the head of counterterror for Yorkshire

and the North East warned of possible dangers.

Our threat level has been assessed as severe,

which means an attack is highly likely at any time.

When we think about what has happened in mainland Europe over

the last few months in terms of the horrific attacks with the use

of HGVs and knife attacks in Germany and France etc,

it is much broader than someone leaving a suspicious package

on public transport or something of that nature.

The authorities have been preparing for the kind of terror assault

These planters in Leeds city centre actually disguise

They would make it harder for a vehicle to drive at speed

Today has also been a day to pay respects to those who died.

Flags flying at half-mast across the county and books

of condolence opened, like this one at

Inevitably, an attack fuels debate and questions have been raised

about whether police should be routinely armed.

It's certainly something we are going to have to revisit

because what we have to bear in mind is, the general public have a very

legitimate expectation that we will protect them.

So what is equally important is we protect the very people

who are expected to carry out that duty.

It's nearly 12 years since terror on this scale

claimed lives in Britain, more than a decade

But yesterday's Westminster attack will now have political, security

The Palace of Westminster was locked down for hours -

among those trapped inside most of the regions MPs,

as well as children from a school in Rotherham.

Everyone has praised the work of the emergency services

and vowed they will not allow the terrorists to prevail.

Our reporter Ali Fortescue has the latest on the reaction

It's a day that Britain won't forget and one day on,

what happened in Westminster has brought calls for unity

Across the country there's a sense of shock, there's a sense of fear,

But that the same time, we're not afraid.

We will not let these terrorists win.

We get on with it and that's not about looking after your own,

it's simply about doing what's right in difficult circumstances

For these nine and ten-year-olds from Herringthorpe Junior

School in Rotherham, it was a lucky escape.

They were on a school tour when the attack happened

and then on lockdown in the Houses of Parliament for three hours.

Today, there was a collective sigh of relief from their parents

My son has come back here and I'm very sorry for this tragedy.

It was just not knowing, not being able to speak to him.

That was the worst part of it, but it's been a restless night,

I'm just happy that he and everybody, all

We can't predict anything like this ever happening, however,

I think it is important for children to see how democracy works

For Yorkshire's MPs, the grim reality of what happened

I could hear a woman screaming that there was a man with a gun.

I somehow ran into a cupboard, there was about six others.

I believe the other members were members of the House of Lords.

I remember getting in there and just feeling absolutely terrified.

I think we are really, really struggling with the death

I think Nigel Evans said in the chamber today,

we see them let people in, we see them checking people's ID.

We also see tourists taking selfies with them, things like that.

Once again, Batley Town Hall's flag was flown at half-mast today.

This is a town that knows all too well, the devastating

Last year their MP Jo Cox was murdered in broad daylight.

Today, a message of love from her husband.

Yesterday there was one act of evil, but there were thousands of acts

of kindness and heroism, from PC Palmer, for example,

who put his life on the line and died defending people.

To the people that were helping people on the bridge.

Red, white and blue, the three colours lighting Leeds

tonight, a simple message, Yorkshire will stand up to terrorism

and will remember those who lost their lives yesterday.

In other news, West Yorkshire Police have charged 29 people with a number

The offences are alleged to have happened in the Huddersfield area

David Rhodes has sent us this report from Huddersfield.

Of the 29 people charged by West Yorkshire Police today

we know that 27 are male and two are female.

They've been charged with a range of alleged offences that supposedly

took place between the years 2004 and 2011.

West Yorkshire Police say they've been charged with rape,

sexual activity with a child, the possession and intent

to supply class A drugs, as well as child abduction

and the possession and making of indecent images of children.

We also know that there are 18 alleged victims

All of the victims were supposedly aged between the ages of 11 and 17

and all lived in the Huddersfield area when these alleged offences

All of those charged by West Yorkshire Police will appear

at Huddersfield magistrates on the 12th of April.

A suspected burglar has died after getting trapped

Police believe the man removed roof tiles to break

into Rowlands Chemists in Queensbury near Bradford.

They're treating his death as an accident and think

he was asphyxiated after his clothing became caught.

His body is thought to have been in the roof-space for several weeks

before being discovered by members of staff.

A pregnant woman from Leeds has appeared in court in Rwanda

on charges of spreading state secrets to undermine

Violett Uwamahoro, a Rwandan-British youth worker,

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.

NatWest has announced it's closing ten high street branches

Ten branches across the two counties will shut down by October.

NatWest says there's been a big fall in the number

of customers visiting branches, as more people choose

to do their banking online or on their mobile.

It says it's created a specialist task force to help customers

The cycling team run by Sir Bradley Wiggins says it's

"surprised and disappointed" after being excluded from next

The five-time Olympic champion, who's retired, founded the team

But it's been omitted from the race, which runs from April

Race organisers say the event was oversubscribed.

One Rugby League result to bring you.

In tonight's Super League match, it finished Wakefield Trinity 28,

Some nice spring sunshine to come over the next couple of days because

high pressure is in charge. A fine, dry day and we will enjoy some

lovely spring sunshine. As high dominate over the next few days and

into next week, but at this time of year when we have very little cloud

we may have warm sunshine during the day but by night it can be chilly.

There is the risk of some frosty nights. If you live close to the

coast, it is quite cool at this time of year so temperatures will

struggle. But in the sunshine, feeling pleasant. Little change at

the moment. Mr Cross the hills and there could be some low cloud here

as well. It is going to be a cool night, so a touch of ground frost is

possible, anywhere apart from the coast. But inland, temperatures

could dip to freezing or below. So it chilly, frosty start tomorrow.

More cloud threatening parts of South Yorkshire and the North

Midlands, but generally a fine, dry day, plenty of spring sunshine. In

the afternoon away from the cool coast, it will feel quite pleasant.

Warm in the sunshine. 11 to 13 degrees. Cooler along the coast with

the villains of the sea. Similar day on Saturday, cloud the Sunday. Here

is the part of the weekend. 1415 degrees.

Still quite breezy. Here's Thomas with the national picture.

Good evening. Some good news on the weather front of this evening. The

weekend is looking sunny for most of the UK. We have got clear skies

across the country and it promises to be a sunny day