:00:09. > :00:18.Welcome to the programme. The headlines tonight: The sinister
:00:18. > :00:22.role of social media being used to spread hate among street gangs.
:00:22. > :00:26.Through these music videos and the tracks they are putting out, it is
:00:26. > :00:29.fuelling yet even more. Feeling the strain, claims our
:00:29. > :00:35.accident and emergency service will be under pressure due to a lack of
:00:36. > :00:39.planning. If they do not get an appointment with the GP, they will
:00:39. > :00:42.make use of A and B and that is inappropriate.
:00:43. > :00:44.The great Christmas get away, we will be live with the latest on the
:00:45. > :00:54.roads. And a year to remember for the
:00:55. > :00:57.
:00:57. > :01:04.local golfer crowned Young Sports Personality.
:01:04. > :01:10.Welcome to the programme. Tonight: A call to ban internet music videos
:01:10. > :01:13.which glamorise guns and violence. Urban street gangs in the West
:01:13. > :01:17.Midlands are accusing social media networks such as Facebook and
:01:17. > :01:20.YouTube to spread a message of hate and conflict. One leading
:01:20. > :01:23.campaigner who works to mediate between rival groups says the
:01:23. > :01:33.authorities simply don't understand what the coded messages mean or how
:01:33. > :01:35.
:01:36. > :01:38.dangerous they are. The music videos are plentiful,
:01:38. > :01:48.highly professional, the performers often talented but the lyrics are
:01:48. > :01:49.
:01:49. > :01:53.about guns and turf wars on the streets of the West Midlands.
:01:53. > :01:57.of the Commons they make with regard to what comes can do and how
:01:57. > :02:01.guns can be used against other people, they are not being
:02:01. > :02:08.understood by the powers-that-be. Because they can put things like
:02:08. > :02:11.this on YouTube, it makes it dangerous for committees.
:02:11. > :02:14.Social media on the internet is prized by every organisation, even
:02:14. > :02:17.gangs. The police have prosecuted some people when weapons have been
:02:17. > :02:23.openly displayed but the chairman of the Police Authority does not
:02:23. > :02:26.think censorship would work. there are criminal activities, the
:02:26. > :02:31.police will do with that but there is a whole issue of freedom of
:02:31. > :02:35.expression, freedom of a heart and I feel those negative lyrics and
:02:35. > :02:39.vibes are actually being committed by some very positive lyrics and
:02:39. > :02:49.fads. The police say some 45 street gangs operate across the region
:02:49. > :02:57.with 500 hardcore members. Gangs are about revenue, making money,
:02:57. > :03:05.respect, power and prestige and revenge, violence and intimidation.
:03:05. > :03:08.It has been 11 years since he got shot. White is so hard, I am just
:03:08. > :03:11.trying to think why are they to come. Golden Child is a rapper. His
:03:11. > :03:19.art reflects his friends and families lives. He is a performer
:03:19. > :03:23.and wants nothing to do with gangs. They have been so many gang related
:03:23. > :03:27.incidence and people need to realise that through these music
:03:27. > :03:30.videos and these tracks that they are putting out, it is fuelling it
:03:30. > :03:38.even more. Young people from across the region were invited to enter
:03:38. > :03:42.the police headquarters to discuss how gangs affect their lives.
:03:43. > :03:45.can't be an normal civilian citizen in this country if you are a gang
:03:45. > :03:49.member because you cannot walk through certain areas because
:03:49. > :03:54.you'll get seen. I am not comfortable walking around my
:03:54. > :03:58.neighbourhood at night mainly because of people that are just
:03:58. > :04:02.standing around trying to cause trouble. Especially the area where
:04:02. > :04:06.I live, you cannot get away from them. In the new year, a special
:04:06. > :04:09.police task force is being set up to tackle gang crime and culture.
:04:09. > :04:18.Peter Wilson joins us now. Can anything be done to ban these sorts
:04:18. > :04:22.of films on the internet? Things have been taking of particular
:04:22. > :04:27.sites, especially satellite channels in the past but that has
:04:27. > :04:29.merely been when there has been explicit sexual content, not these
:04:29. > :04:34.kinds of gang of messages. It is also interesting that the police
:04:34. > :04:39.don't feel it is their job to police the internet as far as these
:04:39. > :04:43.messages are concerned. I know the police have invested a lot of time
:04:43. > :04:49.and energy into social media themselves, to put their own
:04:49. > :04:53.messages across, and I think they are aware that they would face a
:04:53. > :04:59.backlash from the computer literate public if they did take action like
:04:59. > :05:04.this. You have met these gangs, why his music so important to them?
:05:04. > :05:08.is incredibly powerful and attractive and glamorous two young
:05:08. > :05:14.guys, especially on the streets of Birmingham and years ago, I sat
:05:14. > :05:18.down with one particular group who were playing the attract colt no
:05:18. > :05:22.more but at the same time, I was aware that the same song with
:05:22. > :05:26.different lyrics, talking about taking up guns and attacking their
:05:26. > :05:31.rivals, was also playing in the background. A lot of mixed messages
:05:31. > :05:33.out there. Still to come on the programme: Why
:05:33. > :05:43.it will be lonely this Christmas for record-breaker Mark, thousands
:05:43. > :05:43.
:05:43. > :05:47.of miles from friends and family. A teenager has been found dead in a
:05:48. > :05:51.grain silo on a Shropshire farm. The body of the 18 year-old was
:05:51. > :05:54.discovered on Wednesday night at Brockton near Much Wenlock. Police
:05:54. > :05:58.say there's nothing suspicious about the death but the Health and
:05:58. > :06:01.Safety Executive will carry out an investigation.
:06:01. > :06:04.Police have launched a murder inquiry after a woman was found
:06:04. > :06:08.stabbed to death at an address in the Erdington area of Birmingham.
:06:08. > :06:11.It's thought the 52 year old was attacked during a domestic incident.
:06:11. > :06:17.A 65 year-old man was detained in connection with the woman's death
:06:17. > :06:20.and remains in police custody. Not enough planning has gone into
:06:20. > :06:23.providing GP cover over the Christmas week, according to the
:06:23. > :06:26.chairman of one GP consortium as the NHS enters its most pressured
:06:26. > :06:36.period of the year. Peter Patel fears that the lack of cover could
:06:36. > :06:38.
:06:38. > :06:42.put more strain on accident and emergency departments.
:06:42. > :06:44.It's the calm before the storm in accident and emergency. This 13
:06:44. > :06:54.month-old from Solihull has a temperature and a virus but she
:06:54. > :06:55.
:06:55. > :06:59.need not necessarily be here. there is a time when surgery is
:06:59. > :07:04.closed, that is when we approach the hospital so it happened today,
:07:04. > :07:07.we came at a time when our surgery was not open. That is what this GP
:07:07. > :07:11.practices trying to avoid. It is opening a full day tomorrow on
:07:11. > :07:14.Christmas Eve and will open a full day next Wednesday but many GPs are
:07:14. > :07:17.not. Dr Peter Patel believes not enough planning has been done and
:07:17. > :07:26.notices on alternatives to A&E was sent out too late, 4:00pm on
:07:26. > :07:31.December 21st. It should not be left to hospitals to take the
:07:31. > :07:34.burden of debt. We have seen this in the past, that out-of-hours
:07:34. > :07:37.services and hospitals have been overwhelmed during this period.
:07:37. > :07:44.Heartlands Hospital's A&E is the busiest in the West Midlands. It is
:07:44. > :07:47.gearing up to treating 360 patients a day over the holiday. The
:07:47. > :07:51.hospital is doing everything it can to treat more people coming in.
:07:51. > :07:54.There is a dedicated GP and the people can be referred to from
:07:54. > :07:59.reception and it is an elderly person, there is a consultant on
:07:59. > :08:04.standby to make sure they get help as quickly as possible This year is
:08:04. > :08:08.potentially worse than ever because the holidays include two weekends.
:08:08. > :08:12.We prioritise patients on the basis of their clinical need but if a
:08:12. > :08:15.patient could have access to a service elsewhere, that helps us on
:08:15. > :08:18.focusing the patients who need to be cared for by us in the
:08:18. > :08:22.department. The best medicine though could be mild weather that
:08:22. > :08:25.keeps people well. Tonight the Birmingham and Solihull
:08:25. > :08:28.NHS cluster said that it is well prepared and confident in its
:08:28. > :08:31.winter planning. They said that opening GP surgeries over holiday
:08:31. > :08:34.periods doesn't work and that out- of-hours GP services and NHS walk-
:08:34. > :08:42.in centres have the means to increase their capacity if
:08:42. > :08:49.necessary. Thousands of Midlanders have been heading home for their
:08:49. > :08:51.Christmas breaks this evening by road, rail and air. For many it has
:08:52. > :08:54.been the last working day before the festive break. Motoring
:08:54. > :08:57.organisations say overall, things have run fairly smoothly. In a
:08:57. > :09:00.moment we'll be getting the latest information on the situation and
:09:00. > :09:09.the roads but first, how people have been coping with the last
:09:09. > :09:12.minute dash. Busy but not unbearable, this was a
:09:12. > :09:16.shopping centre this afternoon. There was still no shortage of
:09:16. > :09:20.tills ringing as people went on the hunt for last-minute bargains and
:09:20. > :09:24.presents. I think many people have already done the shopping. It has
:09:24. > :09:31.been a gradual process this year rather than a just one mad rush at
:09:31. > :09:33.the end. It is nice, a festive spirit, I like it. This really is
:09:33. > :09:37.make or break for some traders and every day in the run-up to
:09:37. > :09:40.Christmas counts. At least though they haven't had to put up but the
:09:40. > :09:45.snow and ice that kept some shoppers at home this time last
:09:45. > :09:49.year. Wind and rain made driving conditions difficult in some parts
:09:49. > :09:54.of the Midlands but motoring organisations reported few problems.
:09:54. > :09:58.Many motorways were busy but quieter than anticipated. 40,000
:09:58. > :10:02.passengers are expected to fly from Birmingham airport this weekend.
:10:02. > :10:07.Many spending Christmas in the sun like these holidaymakers bound for
:10:07. > :10:13.the Canary Islands. We haven't got a family at home so it's just easy
:10:13. > :10:17.for us to get away from it of and chill out abroad. Just get a bit of
:10:17. > :10:21.sunshine and is uncertain. I cannot stand a cold here any more!
:10:21. > :10:24.million passengers are expected to use the railways across the country
:10:24. > :10:29.over the past period. Some disruption is expected from Boxing
:10:30. > :10:36.Day because of engineering works but travellers at the station
:10:36. > :10:41.reported few problems today. Fairly busy but not horrendous. I left a
:10:41. > :10:47.message on the train and I had to go to crew to get it so it has been
:10:48. > :10:52.busy. No problems, lovely. Despite some to make predictions, Christmas
:10:52. > :10:55.appears to have got off to a smooth start for most travellers.
:10:55. > :10:58.What has it been like on the roads today? Let's cross now to the
:10:58. > :11:08.headquarters in Quinton in Birmingham and speak to the manager
:11:08. > :11:11.
:11:11. > :11:15.there. As we saw there, there have been heavy rain. Have the Rose been
:11:15. > :11:19.busy to read? Surprisingly not, we were anticipating it would be quite
:11:19. > :11:23.busy with it being the proper working day before Christmas. It
:11:23. > :11:27.has not been too bad. We thought it would be far worse plus the weather
:11:27. > :11:30.has not been great but it doesn't appear to have caused many problems.
:11:30. > :11:35.Do you think this is the calm before the storm, people are
:11:35. > :11:38.delaying their journey to Christmas Eve perhaps? Not necessarily, we
:11:38. > :11:42.noticed a spike late last week so a Thursday and Friday and early this
:11:42. > :11:47.week, which is when the the kids stopped school. Today was
:11:47. > :11:51.relatively quiet, we are expecting there will be a spike tomorrow at
:11:51. > :11:55.9:00am on the motorways and it will be busy inner-city centres at
:11:55. > :12:01.midday. Today was predicted to be ex incredibly busy, any idea why it
:12:01. > :12:04.was not? It could have something to do with the fact that school
:12:04. > :12:08.holidays started a week ago, it looks as if people have been smart
:12:08. > :12:14.and stagger their journeys slightly rather than making a mad dash for
:12:14. > :12:16.the motorways in one go. People have been fairly well informed.
:12:16. > :12:21.Our chances of having a white Christmas have gone but for
:12:21. > :12:26.Coventry explorer Mark Wood, snow is a certainty. He is now halfway
:12:26. > :12:31.across the South Pole. He set off at the end of last month and he has
:12:31. > :12:34.now covered 340 nautical miles. It is the first stage of his ambitious
:12:34. > :12:38.bid to become the first person to cross both poles back to back
:12:39. > :12:42.unsupported. For Mark, this Christmas will be spent entirely
:12:42. > :12:52.alone, thousands of miles away from family and friends in the bleak but
:12:52. > :12:56.
:12:57. > :13:02.beautiful landscape of one of the most hostile places on the planet.
:13:02. > :13:07.Here I am, finally in Antarctica. We are at base camp at the moment
:13:07. > :13:10.and the temperature is around minus ten. At the start of his epic
:13:10. > :13:13.journey and in good spirits. Since Mark Wood posted this video, he has
:13:13. > :13:16.skied over 300 miles and endured the kind of isolation beyond most
:13:16. > :13:24.people's imaginations. At home in Coventry, his partner Liz is
:13:24. > :13:28.preparing for Christmas without him. I have lots of friends coming for
:13:28. > :13:32.dinner and we will have a big roast turkey. Unfortunately for Mark, he
:13:32. > :13:40.will have a routine so he will do what he does every day. It is a
:13:40. > :13:45.good start, a good day. He will make his breakfast, get his water
:13:45. > :13:49.boiled, pack up his tent and walk 15 miles and then treat himself to
:13:49. > :13:52.an extra cup of tea in the evening. In fact, as the weekly phone call
:13:52. > :13:58.reveals, he has already treated himself to an early Christmas
:13:58. > :14:03.present. It is a fresh pair of socks and underwear. I think he
:14:03. > :14:08.must be here now. He is more than halfway there but the journey has
:14:08. > :14:11.not been without its difficulties. He has had to do running repairs to
:14:11. > :14:15.his binding to make sure he can carry on because it is so important
:14:15. > :14:18.that he can ski and not just walk. If you're one of those who have
:14:18. > :14:24.been following his daily blog, you will know his feet are not in the
:14:24. > :14:28.best shape. My feet are all cut up again but I am dealing with that
:14:28. > :14:34.and I am screaming at night, putting iodine all over the winds
:14:34. > :14:38.but that is just part and parcel, I am afraid, of this expedition will
:14:38. > :14:47.stop Mark is doing all this to raise awareness of the state of our
:14:47. > :14:51.planet. His page encourages people not to donate money but instead, to
:14:51. > :14:55.go green. He knows there are so much support for him and speaking
:14:55. > :14:59.to him today, he was in good spirits, you could hear from his
:14:59. > :15:03.voice that he is in good spirits. Getting past but halfway mark is
:15:03. > :15:13.really important or stop hopefully, the sledge will be lighter and it
:15:13. > :15:13.
:15:13. > :15:16.will be easier. Bearing in mind more is going to have to tackle the
:15:16. > :15:18.North Pole within weeks of conquering the south, socks I
:15:18. > :15:21.suppose are not a bad idea this Christmas.
:15:21. > :15:24.If you want to check on his progress across Antarctica, go to
:15:24. > :15:27.our Facebook age where there is a link to his blog which he is
:15:27. > :15:35.updating daily. While we're talking about a white Christmas at the
:15:35. > :15:40.South Pole, we are hardly likely to have Antarctic temperatures here?
:15:40. > :15:50.What a difference a year makes! Find out what we had back in 2010
:15:50. > :15:53.compared to what we are going to get in 2011 a little later on.
:15:53. > :15:57.By the time new year's day rolls round, the Premier League will have
:15:57. > :16:04.reached its halfway point. Which of our teams at the teacher's pet and
:16:04. > :16:07.who are the dunces in the corner for a half-term report?
:16:07. > :16:12.17 games in and our Premier League sides have alternated moments to
:16:12. > :16:15.treasure and reasons to despair. Sitting pretty at the moment are
:16:15. > :16:23.Stoke City - 8th after 17 games and through to the knockout stages of
:16:23. > :16:29.the Europa League. My chairman things it is one of the great years
:16:29. > :16:32.in the history of the football club. He is in his mid-Seventies and the
:16:32. > :16:37.club is over hundred years old. There were eight at the moment
:16:37. > :16:40.doing well at the League. We have a great tide coming up in February.
:16:41. > :16:50.If they can stay in the top 10, everyone will be very happy about
:16:51. > :16:55.
:16:55. > :17:04.what the club have achieved. places and three points behind them
:17:04. > :17:07.are West Bromwich Albion. Inconsistencies may be, but look at
:17:07. > :17:10.the points. Their New Year's resolution has to be to strive for
:17:10. > :17:13.consistency. And then there's Aston Villa. What can you say. It's
:17:13. > :17:20.rarely been boring off the pitch but the fans's big complaint is
:17:20. > :17:28.that the football has been dull on it. I have to try and prove that I
:17:28. > :17:36.am the right man for this job. I am still determined to do that. I'm
:17:36. > :17:39.trying to win over the fans are still have their doubts. There's no
:17:39. > :17:43.doubt though that Villa must do better in 2012. And that leaves the
:17:43. > :17:45.enigma that is Wolves. Just a place and a point above the relegation
:17:45. > :17:48.zone they've specialised in dramatic comebacks but too often
:17:48. > :17:54.only to salvage a point. So how does the boss feel about the season
:17:54. > :17:57.so far? I will let you will decide! There are only two winds now in 14
:17:57. > :18:01.games and that is the kind of thing but the fans are latching onto the
:18:01. > :18:05.moment. I still think there is a hard core of supporters that want
:18:05. > :18:08.to see a change of manager. Am not sure they would get it. There's no
:18:08. > :18:12.doubt improvement will be needed if they're to avoid another relegation
:18:12. > :18:15.battle in 2012. And you can keep track of how your
:18:15. > :18:22.club performs over the busy Christmas period by tuning in to
:18:22. > :18:25.your BBC Local radio station. Golfer Lauren Taylor from
:18:25. > :18:28.Warwickshire says it is an honour to win the BBC's Young Sports
:18:28. > :18:36.Personality of the Year award. She was crowned at the awards ceremony
:18:36. > :18:39.in Salford last night but she's now back home in Rugby. What a moment
:18:39. > :18:42.for Lauren last night. She is just 17 and she was thrust into the
:18:42. > :18:45.national spotlight collecting the trophy from the Manchester City
:18:45. > :18:48.manager Roberto Mancini and athlete Jessica Ennis. It was in
:18:48. > :18:51.recognition for becoming the youngest ever winner of the amateur
:18:51. > :19:01.British Open but she still managed to compose herself to thank
:19:01. > :19:07.
:19:07. > :19:11.everyone. 24 hours on, can you believe it?
:19:11. > :19:16.it is still a bit of a shock but it was such an honour to receive that
:19:16. > :19:21.award. How did you finish? I first thought was not to trip, to be
:19:21. > :19:26.asked. I was so shocked, I didn't think I was going to win. I was a
:19:26. > :19:31.habit. The night itself, there were three golfers in the top 10. Did
:19:31. > :19:39.you meet them? Yes, I met all of them and I had a few photos with
:19:39. > :19:45.them. Her fame is expanding already? I have a few more
:19:45. > :19:50.followers on Twitter. What have you friends and family said? They are
:19:50. > :19:56.beyond proud. My gran and gram pack came up earlier and my mum and dad
:19:56. > :20:00.and sister are so proud of me. is the plan now? I'm going to
:20:00. > :20:09.university next August in America and then after that, I am going to
:20:09. > :20:14.look to turn professional. Plenty of great days ahead? A lovely time
:20:14. > :20:17.of year for it to happen? Yes, it's a great Christmas present.
:20:17. > :20:24.Christmas celebrations have started early and they will have an extra
:20:24. > :20:27.trophy on the mantelpiece. Cast your mind back to this time
:20:27. > :20:31.last year and it was quite a different weather picture to the
:20:31. > :20:36.one we are experiencing at the moment. This was the scene at the
:20:36. > :20:39.Worcester Warriors rugby club ground exactly 12 months ago. Sub-
:20:39. > :20:41.zero temperatures and a blanket of snow and getting about wasn't easy
:20:41. > :20:45.either with cars struggling along on the ice-bound roads. This year
:20:45. > :20:55.it's more a case of wet-weather rather than a white build up to
:20:55. > :20:58.
:20:58. > :21:04.I can verify what you have just said that the facts and let the
:21:04. > :21:13.pictures speak for themselves. On the we had no falling snow last
:21:13. > :21:23.year, there was plenty of it lying around. The temperatures generally
:21:23. > :21:27.
:21:27. > :21:31.hovered around freezing weather might values way below zero. I
:21:31. > :21:41.can't say it's going to be as cold as that tonight but it is going to
:21:41. > :21:41.
:21:41. > :21:44.be a lot colder than it has been. You can see that banned right to
:21:44. > :21:47.the east and the skies are going to clear right across the region but
:21:47. > :21:52.it is the combination of that together with the north-westerly
:21:52. > :21:56.wind that will send temperatures down to one Celsius in rural parts.
:21:56. > :22:01.Some ground frost in sheltered spots and that may linger into the
:22:01. > :22:08.morning tomorrow. Abacus and see it to start Christmas Eve but we have
:22:08. > :22:12.some sunshine as well, particularly the further east you go. The odd
:22:12. > :22:16.spot of rain to western parts to the north to end the day. Overall,
:22:16. > :22:25.a colder day than today with temperatures rising to seven or
:22:25. > :22:32.eight Celsius. Through tomorrow night and into Christmas Day, the
:22:32. > :22:38.went springs up and introduces a milder air. Tomorrow night, you can
:22:38. > :22:44.see the impact already. Temperatures hardly altered from
:22:44. > :22:49.tomorrow's daytime value at around six or seven Celsius. The Christmas
:22:49. > :22:54.weekend is looking frosty to start, turning my and later with
:22:54. > :22:58.strengthening winds. For Christmas Day, we have highs of 11 Celsius.
:22:58. > :23:08.To that period, it will be largely cloudy but try and to break any
:23:08. > :23:11.
:23:11. > :23:13.records, we age -- need to reach Over the last couple of weeks,
:23:13. > :23:20.thousands of BBC local radio listeners across the region have
:23:20. > :23:23.been to the recording of a carol service. One of the biggest events
:23:23. > :23:33.saw hundreds of people turn out in the Square in Shrewsbury 10 days
:23:33. > :23:35.ago. Organised by Radio Shropshire and compered by breakfast show
:23:35. > :23:39.presenter Eric Smith, it's always one of the highlights of the
:23:39. > :23:42.festive season in the town. If you couldn't make it go, don't worry.
:23:42. > :23:45.You can hear that service on air on BBC Radio Shropshire tomorrow
:23:45. > :23:50.evening at 5:00pm. BBC Coventry and Warwickshire's service will also
:23:50. > :23:54.air their service at 5pm tomorrow. BBC West Midlands will be
:23:54. > :23:57.broadcasting their recording at 6:00pm.
:23:57. > :24:00.It's almost the end of our last main programme until January 3rd
:24:00. > :24:04.but we will have bulletins throughout the Christmas period. It