:00:00. > :00:00.Details at 6.30pm. and on BBC One we now join the BBC's
:00:00. > :00:00.Hello, and welcome to Midlands Today.
:00:00. > :00:08.Police make arrests after raiding two areas of Birmingham
:00:09. > :00:14.following yesterday's terror attack in Westminster.
:00:15. > :00:17.It's believed the killer lived in the West Midlands.
:00:18. > :00:19.All the police and the armed police were there downstairs
:00:20. > :00:24.Then it started more and more loudly.
:00:25. > :00:27.In Birmingham city centre, heightened security.
:00:28. > :00:32.I have been talking to community groups, listening to their reaction.
:00:33. > :00:35.The attacker has been identified as 52-year-old Khalid Masood.
:00:36. > :00:37.We'll be asking a security expert what the police
:00:38. > :00:45.The number of cases of child sex offences in the region have
:00:46. > :00:50.And after the dull and damp conditions of yesterday,
:00:51. > :00:53.things are staying dry, bright and settled into the weekend.
:00:54. > :01:12.Birmingham has become the focus of police investigations
:01:13. > :01:14.following the terror attack in Westminster yesterday
:01:15. > :01:25.Police have carried out searches on Hagley Road in the city and
:01:26. > :01:27.at an address in Winson Green, and a third as yet
:01:28. > :01:32.They have arrested at least seven people, five men and two women.
:01:33. > :01:34.Police have identified the attacker as 52-year-old Khalid Masood
:01:35. > :01:38.who was most recently living here in the West Midlands.
:01:39. > :01:41.The first of our reports tonight comes from Giles Latcham.
:01:42. > :01:45.In Winson Green, west of Birmingham city centre,
:01:46. > :01:48.police search a former home of Khalid Masood, the man
:01:49. > :01:53.they believe carried out yesterday's attack at Westminster.
:01:54. > :01:56.My partner talked to him just once but it was just, how are you?
:01:57. > :02:06.Barely a mile away, the shutters came down at the premises
:02:07. > :02:09.where the 4x4 car driven at speed across Westminster Bridge
:02:10. > :02:16.An armed police officer was standing right there.
:02:17. > :02:19.On the Hagley Road, this man, who didn't want to be identified,
:02:20. > :02:22.looked on last night as police officers carrying automatic weapons
:02:23. > :02:27.I didn't think it hit so close to home.
:02:28. > :02:30.I am really shocked and concerned all this has happened.
:02:31. > :02:38.So what do we know about Khalid Masood?
:02:39. > :02:41.Born in Kent, he'd lived most recently in the West Midlands.
:02:42. > :02:42.He had previous convictions for assault
:02:43. > :02:47.But significantly no terrorism offences.
:02:48. > :02:52.Police are doing their job and if we let them do their job,
:02:53. > :02:55.they can do a better job to make us all feel safe.
:02:56. > :02:59.On the Hagley Road, a restaurant owner, who rented out
:03:00. > :03:00.the flat raided by police, read a statement
:03:01. > :03:08.Like Londoners, it is business as usual for us in Birmingham.
:03:09. > :03:11.And I shall be opening my restaurant as usual.
:03:12. > :03:13.United we shall stand against such evil people carrying out
:03:14. > :03:21.From the authorities too, a call for unity.
:03:22. > :03:26.The people perpetrating these things are a tiny minority.
:03:27. > :03:30.And what we mustn't do is allow that small minority who are trying
:03:31. > :03:33.to undermine our democracy, people are trying to undermine
:03:34. > :03:36.the peaceful way of life that we have, we are not
:03:37. > :03:38.going to let them do it by forcing us apart.
:03:39. > :03:41.For others, today was a day of reflection, reflecting
:03:42. > :03:44.on the moment they saw terror up close.
:03:45. > :03:47.Jayne Wilkinson from Sutton Coldfield was sightseing
:03:48. > :03:54.I saw a man running along with a very large knife,
:03:55. > :03:58.not your standard flick knife that you pop in your pocket,
:03:59. > :04:01.this was a big kitchen-sized knife, running towards the police officers
:04:02. > :04:04.That is when we heard the three shots as he disappeared.
:04:05. > :04:07.A butcher from Redditch was on the House Of Commons
:04:08. > :04:09.terrace with his wife, receiving an award when
:04:10. > :04:17.A lot of people had left the wards slightly
:04:18. > :04:18.early and they might have
:04:19. > :04:23.So, your heart goes out to the families and the people
:04:24. > :04:28.This fast-moving inquiry is being led by the Metropolitan Police.
:04:29. > :04:31.The attack was on our capital but an attack it now seems likely
:04:32. > :04:36.was conceived and planned in the second city.
:04:37. > :04:39.And Giles joins us now from outside the property in Hagley Road
:04:40. > :04:41.which has been the subject of a police search
:04:42. > :04:54.is still a busy scene, police officers are on guard outside the
:04:55. > :04:59.premises in question, their colleagues had been upstairs in that
:05:00. > :05:04.top floor flat they have raided, throughout the day, I imagine
:05:05. > :05:07.assessing full potential evidence, examining the tensions.
:05:08. > :05:11.The Met Police have released a statement in the past half hour
:05:12. > :05:15.about the arrest, it turns out there are seven arrests, a man and woman
:05:16. > :05:21.in their 20s arrested in address number one, at the second, we think
:05:22. > :05:26.it is this one, three men, and a woman in her 20s, and at a third
:05:27. > :05:31.address, a 58-year-old man arrested, all of them on suspicion of
:05:32. > :05:37.preparation for acts of terrorism. This is a well-known location. To
:05:38. > :05:42.find it at the centre of a terror in quarry will be shocking. Peter
:05:43. > :05:48.Wilson spent the day assessing how communities have responded to the
:05:49. > :05:49.events today and watching as police mount high visibility patrols on our
:05:50. > :05:51.streets. Birmingham's Council House,
:05:52. > :05:54.the city's flag at half-mast. New Street Station, extra police
:05:55. > :05:56.officers to greet those In the shadow of the Rotunda,
:05:57. > :06:03.officers in 4x4 vehicles, others There is a lot of police
:06:04. > :06:12.around from this morning. I was at work at seven,
:06:13. > :06:15.there were a lot of police. The police want to reassure
:06:16. > :06:18.the public they are in good hands People do need reassurance,
:06:19. > :06:23.that is a good thing. Things could be so much worse
:06:24. > :06:26.and I feel quite protected and safe in the knowledge we have really good
:06:27. > :06:30.strong people protecting us. We feel safe, this is our home, our
:06:31. > :06:34.country and we will stay together. In Parliament today,
:06:35. > :06:36.one of the city's MPs This attacker and people like him
:06:37. > :06:42.are not of my religion, And we should condemn
:06:43. > :06:48.all of them who pretend to be of a particular religion
:06:49. > :06:51.because they are not of religion. If they were, they would not be
:06:52. > :06:56.carrying out acts like this. We have to stay united and show them
:06:57. > :07:00.they cannot win on these grounds, Last night at this church,
:07:01. > :07:09.prayers and candles lit for the four This morning, people
:07:10. > :07:12.gathered together again at the Holy Trinity Church,
:07:13. > :07:14.Birchfield. Comfort in a cup of
:07:15. > :07:18.tea and shared talk. Birmingham is a city
:07:19. > :07:20.where communities, religions, Birmingham, I hope we will be
:07:21. > :07:27.as strong as we always have been, to stand tall, to support each
:07:28. > :07:30.other, to support our neighbours, Early this morning, I was invited
:07:31. > :07:39.to a mosque in Balsall Heath. Some of the earliest Muslim
:07:40. > :07:41.immigrants to Birmingham What happened in London has been
:07:42. > :07:49.called an Islamist terrorist attack. No one will accept this kind
:07:50. > :07:52.of action whether it is Absolutely we are against any kind
:07:53. > :07:59.of heinous act like this. Our thoughts and prayers
:08:00. > :08:02.are with the people who were victims of this, who were killed by this
:08:03. > :08:06.despicable and deplorable act. What can the Muslim community do
:08:07. > :08:12.to help the security services? Any criminal act where we have
:08:13. > :08:15.information to help an investigation, you should support
:08:16. > :08:19.the security services and give them the help they need,
:08:20. > :08:21.give any assistance necessary to put The message from the Prime Minister
:08:22. > :08:28.Theresa May was a simple one today. That message has been echoed
:08:29. > :08:38.on the streets of Birmingham. The people who live here have also
:08:39. > :08:41.given a simple piece of advice, the only way the terrorists can win
:08:42. > :08:46.is if we, the people, are divided. The extra patrols and security
:08:47. > :08:49.were not the result of any immediate The police repeat that their
:08:50. > :08:56.operation is one of reassurance. And Peter Wilson joins us now
:08:57. > :08:58.from Birmingham city centre. Peter, what have the police been
:08:59. > :09:12.saying to you tonight? I have been speaking to one senior
:09:13. > :09:18.officer off camera and what he said to me was this attack was no
:09:19. > :09:22.surprise, it was never a case of if something like this was going to
:09:23. > :09:28.happen but when. They have been preparing for just this eventuality
:09:29. > :09:31.since 2005, they have been changing their tactics as the terrorists
:09:32. > :09:39.around the world have changed their tactics. He also said to me that
:09:40. > :09:44.there needs to be a debate, a public debate, about security, about Civil
:09:45. > :09:49.Liberties and also about people's personal sense of risk. In the past,
:09:50. > :09:53.that debate has often been against the police, this time he says it
:09:54. > :09:56.needs to be with the police because this involves us all.
:09:57. > :09:57.For the moment, thank you. Joining me now is Phil Ingram,
:09:58. > :10:00.a security intelligence expert. What will the police be looking
:10:01. > :10:12.at following the arrests? The police are trying to look at the
:10:13. > :10:16.motivation behind the individual, how he has prepared for the attack
:10:17. > :10:23.and any associates. What they want to do is look at whether he was
:10:24. > :10:28.assisted or inspired to carry out this act and identify if there was
:10:29. > :10:30.anyone else involved, get them out of the circuit, and carry on their
:10:31. > :10:32.investigation. The attacker, Khalid Masood
:10:33. > :10:35.was known to police. He had a range of previous
:10:36. > :10:38.convictions for offences including He'd also been investigated
:10:39. > :10:41.by security services, but seemingly then went
:10:42. > :10:53.off the radar. None of the crimes listed would
:10:54. > :10:56.suggest he had come onto the security services radar in the first
:10:57. > :11:00.place so there was something we are not being told. He would have fallen
:11:01. > :11:03.off because he would have been assessed as no longer in risk. That
:11:04. > :11:18.is a reasons as issue. That could be quite significant. It
:11:19. > :11:23.is not the profile of the youngster radicalised. It is identifying why
:11:24. > :11:28.he has been radicalised. It could have been as quickly as within the
:11:29. > :11:31.past week or month. He could have been a long-term supporter, police
:11:32. > :11:37.will want to identify that. If they're more come out?
:11:38. > :11:42.A lot more about the whole thing. Thank you very much fewer time. --
:11:43. > :11:44.For your time. So, as the identity of yesterday's
:11:45. > :11:47.attacker was revealed and his links to this region became clearer,
:11:48. > :11:49.international attention turned to Birmingham
:11:50. > :11:51.and the city where his journey towards radicalisation
:11:52. > :11:52.may have begun. Elizabeth Glinka has been
:11:53. > :11:54.following the international reaction We've heard from Phil Ingram
:11:55. > :11:58.about the intelligence aspect. Well, as we've heard,
:11:59. > :12:07.the attacker Khalid Masood had been And with homes raided
:12:08. > :12:11.and other arrests made in Birmingham overnight,
:12:12. > :12:13.the city has been attracting These are just a few
:12:14. > :12:18.examples of tweets from Across Europe, we've
:12:19. > :12:25.got Italy's RAI News, channels in Spain, in Russia,
:12:26. > :12:27.and across the Arab world as well, all mentioning
:12:28. > :12:29.the Westminster attacks, terrorism, and Birmingham
:12:30. > :12:33.in the same breath. This one's in English
:12:34. > :12:40.from France's biggest rolling news station France 24,
:12:41. > :12:43.their version of the News Channel. and this is a report
:12:44. > :12:47.from Romanian TV. And here this is another French
:12:48. > :13:00.channel from earlier today. In this section the reporter goes
:13:01. > :13:04.on to refer to Birmingham That's an expression that was also
:13:05. > :13:12.used last year about the Molenbeek suburb of Brussels where the two
:13:13. > :13:14.people who attacked So clear parallels being drawn
:13:15. > :13:27.in some people's minds. And I suppose it's natural to be
:13:28. > :13:30.asking again, does this mean we, Birmingham, have a
:13:31. > :13:31.particular problem? Well, a recent report
:13:32. > :13:34.from an anti-extremism think-tank flagged up that 18%
:13:35. > :13:36.of the UK's terrorist offenders, 39 people, have come
:13:37. > :13:38.from the West Midlands. And three-quarters from
:13:39. > :13:41.the same deprived areas What we think we now know is that
:13:42. > :13:51.at least seven of the arrests made in connection with yesterday's
:13:52. > :13:54.attack were made in Birmingham. And as the police investigation
:13:55. > :13:56.continues, we can continue to expect interest in the attackers'
:13:57. > :14:03.connections in this region. We will return to this story later
:14:04. > :14:06.in the programme. The NHS trust which runs
:14:07. > :14:10.the Royal Stoke and County Hospitals, has been placed
:14:11. > :14:13.into special financial measures. The University Hospitals Of North
:14:14. > :14:16.Midlands is one of ten trusts across England
:14:17. > :14:18.listed as failing to meet It will receive expert checks
:14:19. > :14:22.on issues such as rota planning, to reduce their dependence
:14:23. > :14:24.on high-cost agency staff. The trust says it welcomes
:14:25. > :14:30.the extra support. Members of the campaign
:14:31. > :14:32.group Our NHS Worcestershire held a demonstration in front
:14:33. > :14:35.of doctors this morning. The group's calling for a pause
:14:36. > :14:38.in plans to move some emergency services from the Alexandra Hospital
:14:39. > :14:41.in Redditch to the It's after the death
:14:42. > :14:45.of eight-year-old Callum Cartlidge earlier this month when paramedics
:14:46. > :14:47.were told not to take him to the Alex, despite living
:14:48. > :14:52.only two minutes away. There is a confusion
:14:53. > :14:55.about the model. It seems to be saying,
:14:56. > :14:58.if you have a sick child and you've taken to the Alex,
:14:59. > :15:00.you'll be seen. If you call an ambulance,
:15:01. > :15:03.that is a 30-minute Is it right that a hospital that
:15:04. > :15:10.serves 200,000 people cannot see the sickest children
:15:11. > :15:15.in an emergency situation? Cases of child sex offences
:15:16. > :15:17.in the region have That's according to figures obtained
:15:18. > :15:22.by the NSPCC from police forces They show numbers rose
:15:23. > :15:25.to more than 2,500 I want you to tell me
:15:26. > :15:33.what makes children feel I'm going to put
:15:34. > :15:39.a brick into the sack. Each worry you give me,
:15:40. > :15:43.I will put a brick in the sack. We will see how that
:15:44. > :15:45.sack feels at the end. It's a delicate issue,
:15:46. > :15:48.but one which can't be ignored. NSPCC workers are at
:15:49. > :15:51.Heathlands Primary School in Castle Bromwich today to talk
:15:52. > :15:53.to children about keeping themselves safe from danger
:15:54. > :15:59.including sexual abuse. Last year, 39,000 children
:16:00. > :16:02.across our region attended an assembly just like this one,
:16:03. > :16:06.and they are really effective. A few weeks ago, a man was jailed
:16:07. > :16:09.for rape in Nottingham. His young victim had been
:16:10. > :16:12.to an assembly like this by the NSPCC and a follow-up
:16:13. > :16:14.workshop, and then had From a Freedom Of Information
:16:15. > :16:21.request to police forces in the West Midlands,
:16:22. > :16:24.the NSPCC found that sex offences against children rose from 1,265
:16:25. > :16:26.in the year 2014 to 2015, It is sad that there are that many
:16:27. > :16:42.children that come forward. But on a positive note,
:16:43. > :16:48.because of the work we do at the NSPCC doing these workshops
:16:49. > :16:50.it is encouraging more All staff at this school receive
:16:51. > :16:57.training in safeguarding and child If the worst were to happen, they're
:16:58. > :17:01.confident of spotting the signs. You would look for a child becoming
:17:02. > :17:04.suddenly more withdrawn, perhaps not attending
:17:05. > :17:12.school as regularly. Coming in perhaps with some flashy
:17:13. > :17:14.gadgets they might not have had before, might
:17:15. > :17:16.suggest they are being Speak out, stay safe that's
:17:17. > :17:19.the message these chidren Sarah Bishop, Midlands
:17:20. > :17:23.Today in Birmingham. A national charity is warning
:17:24. > :17:26.the level of personal debt in the West Midlands
:17:27. > :17:27.is getting worse. Christians Against Poverty provides
:17:28. > :17:30.help to people who have The charity is currently supporting
:17:31. > :17:41.487 people in West Midlands, together they owe
:17:42. > :17:43.four-and-a-half-million pounds. That's an average of
:17:44. > :17:44.almost ?10,000 each. Our reporter Amy Cole has
:17:45. > :17:47.been to meet a family You want beans instead
:17:48. > :17:53.of vegetables? For the past year, the Baylis
:17:54. > :17:55.family has been slowly With a budget in place,
:17:56. > :18:07.Kelly's now spending ?60 to ?70 Next door, their debt coach
:18:08. > :18:26.Owen O'Brien is looking through the budget plan
:18:27. > :18:28.with her husband Karl to see Are the costs for the car on track,
:18:29. > :18:34.is that still realistic? So we have freed up
:18:35. > :18:40.that bit of money. The family got into difficulties
:18:41. > :18:43.when Karl lost his job and racked up They knew the situation had
:18:44. > :18:48.got really bad when... You didn't want to open letters,
:18:49. > :18:57.letters were coming through and you knew, you looked
:18:58. > :18:59.and you knew what letter was. With two children to
:19:00. > :19:01.support, they turned The charity is unique
:19:02. > :19:04.in that it sends debt And it helps clients by dealing
:19:05. > :19:10.directly with their creditors. It is going to be difficult
:19:11. > :19:12.to actually work out And that is often where people feel
:19:13. > :19:17.they can't do it or face it. We come in and we stand
:19:18. > :19:21.in the gap for them, we speak to the creditors
:19:22. > :19:24.for them, so all they have to do is speak to us
:19:25. > :19:27.and we take that pressure off them. We looked at it and thought
:19:28. > :19:32.it is going to be difficult Looking back now, it is very easy
:19:33. > :19:37.to stick to if you are prepared I am not stressing about money any
:19:38. > :19:52.more because I know what my budget What luxuries have you sacrificed?
:19:53. > :20:01.Take aways, stuff like that, you don't need those.
:20:02. > :20:02.Has it been hard? It is hard, especially when you want those
:20:03. > :20:02.things. The family will continue to receive
:20:03. > :20:05.help until they become debt-free. Amy Cole, BBC Midlands
:20:06. > :20:07.Today, Birmingham. We'll return to our top
:20:08. > :20:09.story in a moment. Looking promising
:20:10. > :20:21.towards the weekend? It is good news with our weather.
:20:22. > :20:25.Today was a turning point. We started with some drizzle and
:20:26. > :20:29.cloud. But steadily through the day we started to see the sun
:20:30. > :20:34.breakthrough that cloud. By this afternoon, there is plenty to enjoy.
:20:35. > :20:37.There was still a keen breeze, temperatures only make it up to 10
:20:38. > :20:42.Celsius. The satellite shows this nicely,
:20:43. > :20:47.this cloud across the south of the country, this is the rain overnight.
:20:48. > :20:54.The cloud broke down and in the afternoon the sun came out. Tonight,
:20:55. > :21:00.we will continue to see the skies containing too clear. But there is
:21:01. > :21:05.some cloud lifting temperatures up to six Celsius. Crossed the north, a
:21:06. > :21:11.touch of frost but high pressure is in control through the weekend. The
:21:12. > :21:15.winds will drop out as well. Tomorrow, we will see plenty of car
:21:16. > :21:19.through the morning but that will break, and we will see the sun
:21:20. > :21:24.coming out, lots more sunshine in the day. Lighter winds, temperatures
:21:25. > :21:29.up to 11 Celsius. The breeze is from the east. Then
:21:30. > :21:35.the cloud will melt away and overnight it will be chilly. A
:21:36. > :21:38.warning to gardeners, there will be some frost into Saturday as
:21:39. > :21:44.temperatures dipped down. On Saturday, lots of sunshine. And
:21:45. > :21:47.lighter winds. The same for Mothering Sunday. High-pressure
:21:48. > :21:49.keeping it settled. policing in Birmingham
:21:50. > :21:54.following yesterday's terror been following developments
:21:55. > :22:01.throughout the day. Peter, give us a sense
:22:02. > :22:15.of what people have been Throughout the day, people have been
:22:16. > :22:20.saying the same thing. Yes, we know Birmingham will be labelled a
:22:21. > :22:24.terrorist capital, but they say that is not the city they recognise, not
:22:25. > :22:30.the city they know. Birmingham has a good history of
:22:31. > :22:36.community relations, and people say that the terrorists must not be
:22:37. > :22:41.allowed to drive a wedge between communities. Their message to the
:22:42. > :22:43.terrorists is, you will not win. My colleague Giles latch is on the
:22:44. > :22:51.Hagley Road. The horror in Westminster has been
:22:52. > :22:56.described by some as a so-called lone wolf attack. And maybe it was
:22:57. > :23:01.but it has become clear as the day has gone on as well as a wife and
:23:02. > :23:05.child, Khalid Massoud had a number of connections in this city. A
:23:06. > :23:14.reminder, seven people arrested in Birmingham overnight, two women,
:23:15. > :23:18.five men, and properties including this one on the Hagley Road have
:23:19. > :23:23.been raided. Police will be trying to find out as a matter of urgency
:23:24. > :23:28.whether Khalid Masood acted alone, if there are others in this city who
:23:29. > :23:31.share his mindset of hate, or others prepared to act on it.
:23:32. > :23:32.Thank you for that. I'll be back with the latest at
:23:33. > :23:39.the slightly later time of 10.45pm. For the latest developments, you can
:23:40. > :23:48.tune