22/12/2016 Midlands Today

Staffordshire Police have issued handwritten warning letters

to homeless people suspected of begging in Stoke-on-Trent.

They're telling them to leave or face potential prosecution.

Homeless people in the city claim they're being treated like rats

Here's our Staffordshire reporter, Sian Grzeszczyk.

This is where I was when the police came and they turned around

Gary's been on the streets for the last 22 years,

last month he was given a letter by police accusing him of begging

and threatening prosecution if he didn't move on,

For example, if I was to see you in the street, love,

I would ask you, "Please, could you spare a little change

or get me a hot drink or something to eat, please?"

That's not not a beggar, that's asking for help in an hour of need.

What's the atmosphere like amongst homeless people

We feel run down and we're being treated like rats.

Like we are part of the sewer system or something, and we're not.

We're general human beings, just like the rest of society,

Glyn and Jeanette provide hot meals for homeless people in the city,

they think the police are being heavy-handed.

We were quite outraged when we actually read it because,

I mean, there's quite a few moments in there that state he's

Well, he was at the time of receiving the letter,

But it's just the way that they're portraying the homeless.

No-one was available from Staffordshire Police

for interview today, instead they released a statement

saying that they work closely with partners trying to offer advice

Sometimes it gets a bit awkward, when you're coming in and out

But, that said, there have been a few where we have give them money

because we do feel sorry for them, especially at this time of year.

We need to give them more support rather than just

keep moving them around, passing them around.

They need help, not just pushed away.

Homelessness is a problem across the country and the West Midlands.

In Gloucester, a new team tackling begging says the problem is made

worse by people who are just trying to help.

When well-meaning people give food instead of money,

that just frees up the money that people would have spent on food

So we really are hoping that some people will consider alternative

Sian Grzeszczyk, BBC Midlands Today, Stoke-on-Trent.

Tonight, Stoke-on-Trent City Council told us they're working hard

with a number of agencies across the city to help homeless

We're joined now by our reporter, Bob Hockenhull, who's

And, I understand, Bob, there has been some good news

for those who are trying to solve the problem of

That's right, Nick. Charities are welcoming the news that ?1.7 million

is being donated by the Government to tackle the root causes of

homelessness in Birmingham and Solihull. The money will be used to

fund a dedicated team to help vulnerable people.

It's about time that the Government puts some more money into homeless

services because anyone can see, just walking around the streets

of Birmingham, what a visible problem we've got and that's just

the people on the streets, but obviously a lot more

people are sofa surfing, they're in hostels.

They may be in squats that are unsafe.

As I said, Solihull is benefitting from this cash as well. Many think

of it it as a prosperous area. Solihull Council say it has its fair

share of social problems. This grant will help us in many ways

because homelessness isn't just about housing,

it's about mental health. It's about people's skills,

so they can get jobs. It's about adult social care,

care and education. So it's going to help us

in lots of ways to help Organisations work together. One of

the things that this money will do is support vulnerable people when

they are leaving custody or hospital if they have no address to go to.

Bob, thank you. Every year more than 14,000 people

are reported missing in our region. Nationally, police are called about

a missing person every two minutes. The vast majority, 95%,

will return home within a week. What of the impact on their

families, who're struggling to cope Sarah Bishop's been to meet

the parents of a Shropshire farmer who disappeared without trace,

six months ago today. Our way of coping is just to get

on with the work, isn't it? We have good days and

bad days, don't we? We have good days, we feel real

positive and then we have, obviously, the bad days

where we think, perhaps he has done something,

but we're hoping not. On the evening of June 22nd,

Andrew Green put his two young children to bed

and then seemingly disappeared. His long-term partner had just

told him that she was to leave. It's the not knowing that

messes your head about. We thought he might have

done something drastic because he'd gone with a rope,

and we didn't find him or the rope. But, as time goes on,

we're just hopeful he hasn't. The 33-year-old got into his car

after an apparently normal conversation with his father

and then vanished. It was down here in these woods,

less than half a mile from Andrew's farm, that his car

was eventually found. There have been extensive searches

of this entire area of farmland, around 700 acres of it,

by the police and the community, The police say they're treating

Andrew as a high-risk missing person, but they're keeping an open

mind as to what may They can't believe they haven't got

a lead, there's just Statistically, things

happen within so many... I don't know, 1,800 meters

from a vehicle or a house or something, but they haven't

found a thing. The police intend a fresh

search in the new year. In the meantime, Christmas

for the Greens', on the farm their son loves so much,

will be a tempered affair. With no body, no contact, they're

stuck between hoping and fearing. Sarah Bishop, BBC Midlands

Today in Shropshire. People in Herefordshire

are being warned they face hefty fines or even a prison sentence

if they're caught harming buzzards. A recent spate of deaths

is causing concern. West Mercia Police say they know

of 10 birds deliberately Although it's illegal to kill birds

of prey without a licence, x-rays show a number of the buzzards

had been shot. We had to euthanise some of them

because they were so badly injured and you find

all these gunshot pellets. So, yes, it was a terrible

thing to find. It makes me wonder how many more

in the past we might have found A Gloucestershire hospice

is celebrating the longstanding Prince Charles attended

a special reception today at the Sue Ryder Leckhampton Court,

near Cheltenham, where he's The Prince of Wales normally

makes a private visit here just before Christmas,

but today was different, celebrating three decades of his involvement,

he was here to meet staff, And, as ever, willing

to get involved. In the art room, he was invited

to make a felt snowman. It involves stabbing the felt

rapidly with a needle, You have to pay attention

to these things. Thankfully, everything was OK

as it was on to then pull This was, without doubt,

a visit to lift the spirits of everyone, from the staff,

to the patients who rely so much The staff here are absolutely

brilliant and the volunteers understand our needs because,

largely, they've been through something similar

to what I'm going through. A big difference because it gets me

out and helps me meet If I'm at home, I only

see the family, really. As well as this daycare, the hospice

also provides 16 in-patient beds, the only unit of its type

in the county. The Prince paid a private visit

to see those patients, the more seriously ill for whom this

Christmas may well be their last. The patients are really

lifted up by his visits. He has a kind word for everybody,

and so to have him as our And then, before he left, cutting

a cake to celebrate his three decades as patron and his own chance

to pay tribute to the Meeting the patients,

they all say such marvellous things about the quality of the care

and the attention they receive. So I hope you have many,

many more years of making sure people are looked after at this

particularly difficult As the Prince left there was music

from the local primary school, but he will be back here again

to say thanks for the vital work done here, not just at Christmas,

but every day and night of the year. Steve Knibbs, BBC

Midlands Today, Cheltenham. Time to catch up with

the weather now from Rebecca. Thank you. This was the calm before

the storm. We had a pleasant end to the day clear spells, but it's not

long before Storm Barbara will make her presence felt. We have a Met

Office yellow weather warning for strong gusts of wind, 50mph-60mph

and heavy rain which could cause travel disruption. This is what it

looks like. The wind will start to strengthen. A band of heavy rain

following on behind. Tonight, we have clear skies. Temperatures will

fall away. More high cloud will filter in from the west through the

next few hours. That should help temperatures a little bit. The

breeze will pick up. We should get down to one Celsius, lower than that

in sheltered spots. A chilly start to tomorrow. We see the cloud

starting to work its way in the breeze, it will strengthen during

the day and the rain will arrive. It will blow through quickly. It will

be heavy showers. Difficult driving conditions, temperatures between

nine and 11 Celsius. Christmas Eve is better. More information on the

national forecast. I will leave you with

itself, it's not white, but it's warm. Temperatures could reach