:00:13. > :00:17.Good evening. Our top story: Fit to dance, fit to work, but are genuine
:00:17. > :00:23.claimants in the Northwest being forced to perform for tribunals
:00:23. > :00:26.when they are really sick? Also in the programme tonight: Child sex
:00:26. > :00:31.exploitation. Lancashire Police lead a nationwide fight against
:00:31. > :00:36.grooming. Join me on the banks of the river Mersey to find out which
:00:36. > :00:44.animal has returned here after 30 years. Find out what an intrepid
:00:44. > :00:48.reporter did when he went a step too far for North West Tonight.
:00:48. > :00:58.ten years afterwards that film was used address a BBC training film -
:00:58. > :01:00.
:01:00. > :01:05.don't do this. Tony is here with all the fallout
:01:05. > :01:11.from last night's champion league games W the emphasis on Manchester
:01:11. > :01:14.City and United, face elimination in the group stages. It isn't
:01:14. > :01:18.pretty. Stick with us. First, we are asking if too many people are
:01:18. > :01:22.having to fight for benefits in the tribunal system because of a
:01:22. > :01:26.Government push to get the sick and disabled back into work. It is a
:01:26. > :01:32.year ago that the Government said it wanted to expose fraudsters and
:01:32. > :01:40.help those trapped on benefits to improve their lives. Has reform
:01:40. > :01:48.produced just as many victims as it has exposed cheats? They are the
:01:48. > :01:52.images which anger everyone - the dance pro who claimed to be
:01:52. > :01:56.crippled with arry tus. David Fish thinks he represents the other side
:01:56. > :02:04.of the story. They say there is nothing wrong with me. The NHS says
:02:04. > :02:14.I have had a stroke. I am not fit for work. Last year the Government
:02:14. > :02:19.
:02:19. > :02:25.reassessed everybody on incapacity Those stats don't show the backlash.
:02:25. > :02:32.David Fish worked on and auve since he was 15, until he had a -- off
:02:33. > :02:41.since he was 15 until he had a stroke. I cannot retain information.
:02:41. > :02:46.If someone asks, they will say how and when. I forget. His GP has said,
:02:46. > :02:49.he's not fit to work. His consulant has said he's not fit to work.
:02:49. > :02:55.Three Work Capability Assessments have said he is. Each time that
:02:55. > :03:02.happens he's signed off his benefit and told to sign on to job seekers.
:03:03. > :03:11.Something he is too scared to do. I meet him on his way for the third
:03:11. > :03:16.appeal. What do they do for mon this. I'm not fit for work. I meet
:03:16. > :03:23.him at home, where the latest tribunal results have arrived.
:03:23. > :03:27.appeal is allowed. The decision is overturned at appeal.... Again.
:03:27. > :03:33.It's a big merry go round from one person saying one thing, another
:03:33. > :03:37.saying another. In fact the tribunal courts are awash with
:03:38. > :03:42.these appeals. The figure of 95% in the past two years. Of course
:03:42. > :03:47.that's a reflection of the reform working its way through the system.
:03:47. > :03:53.Also a reflection of the number of people unhappy about the impact of
:03:53. > :03:57.that reform on their lives T outcome of those appeals, in 37% of
:03:57. > :04:00.cases, the Government is losing. I agree that there have been too
:04:00. > :04:06.many cases which have gone to appeal and been overturned. That is
:04:06. > :04:10.why we made the changes we did earlier this year. It is not taking
:04:10. > :04:14.effect? It is too early. Improvements, he says, will be felt
:04:14. > :04:19.soon. There were 55,000 appeals last year. 14,000 a month this year.
:04:19. > :04:23.The cost of all this, the Ministry of Justice says it's impossible to
:04:23. > :04:28.say. Some in the medical profession fear political targets are being
:04:28. > :04:31.put ahead of individual lives. Those targets change with every
:04:31. > :04:36.Government. We used to get patients who would be turning up, having
:04:36. > :04:39.tried to sign on for employment benefit, but wanting sick notes. In
:04:39. > :04:45.many cases they really weren't justified. Now, we are going the
:04:45. > :04:51.other way around. It's funny when you've been in practise for a long
:04:51. > :04:54.time. You see things going around in circles. The reforms might have
:04:54. > :04:58.exposed cheats, they have helped others back into fulfilling work.
:04:58. > :05:04.But David Fish says he is resigned to the fact he'll soon be
:05:04. > :05:09.reassessed and that will probably end back in appeal.
:05:09. > :05:15.The Government has admitted the problem of under 18s in England
:05:15. > :05:20.being groomed for sexual activity takes place in far greater numbers
:05:20. > :05:24.than imagined. Money, food, alcohol is used as coercion. Now agencies
:05:24. > :05:33.are ensuring a strategy to ensure they are not sexually exploited.
:05:33. > :05:38.Lancashire Police are leading the way. Lancashire police officers
:05:38. > :05:47.from Operation Freedom are trying to protect children from sexual
:05:47. > :05:51.exploitation. You get raped the first time by one of them. You
:05:51. > :05:56.think to yourself, I'm not going back. Then you do. You keep on
:05:56. > :05:59.going back to the same person because you feel afraid.
:06:00. > :06:05.Government is tackling exploitation's plan will see
:06:05. > :06:09.specialist training for police and other bodies, help for parents to
:06:09. > :06:14.recognise exploitation. Just saying it's not a problem around here is
:06:14. > :06:18.not an excuse. It is an admission somebody is not doing their job
:06:18. > :06:25.properly. It is actually happening in every part of the country.
:06:25. > :06:32.majority of abuses are white. The specific problem exists in some
:06:32. > :06:35.areas of Asian men targeting young girls. There are Sikh temples,
:06:35. > :06:38.Hindu temples, community leaders coming together saying we have to
:06:38. > :06:43.be forthright and open about this. More importantly we have to work
:06:43. > :06:46.with families to make sure the people involved in the crimes are
:06:46. > :06:52.reported to justice. Lancashire Police was consulted on the draft
:06:52. > :06:55.plan. Here the constablery has set up six child sexual explotation
:06:55. > :07:00.teams, which include police officers and other agencies as part
:07:00. > :07:04.of their work. Here, they are focusing on Internet grooming and
:07:04. > :07:07.victims who see their abusers as boy friends. I think it's important
:07:08. > :07:12.that we look at the problem and that we make sure there's support
:07:12. > :07:18.for the children to go through court, to assist, to be assisted in
:07:18. > :07:22.investigations in some of the major work we have on. The aim remains to
:07:22. > :07:28.encourage more victims to come forward.
:07:28. > :07:32.Earlier I spoke to Nicola Dunn from the children's charity Barnardo's,
:07:32. > :07:38.which is one of the agencies involved. I asked her what she made
:07:38. > :07:42.of the Government action plan? a Barnardo's perspective we are
:07:42. > :07:46.pleased. It is something Barnardo's has campaigned on since we launched
:07:46. > :07:51.our campaign. This is what we wanted the Government to come out
:07:51. > :07:55.with. The problem is widely reported at times. It is worse
:07:55. > :08:00.perhaps than people might imagine of people being, young people being
:08:00. > :08:04.groomed by older men? I think the issue is that sexual explotation is
:08:04. > :08:07.hidden. Most young people will not come forward and disclose they have
:08:07. > :08:11.been abused in this way, which is why it is crucial that people are
:08:11. > :08:16.starting to take it seriously and starting to think about some of the
:08:16. > :08:19.issues in terms of identifying the young people at risk. It crosses
:08:19. > :08:23.boundaries. One thing which was particularly identified and the
:08:23. > :08:29.media have picked up on, is Asian men and white girls. Is that
:08:29. > :08:33.problem as bad as it is portrayed to be, do you think? I think sexual
:08:33. > :08:38.exploitation is happening in every community. Every community has to
:08:38. > :08:44.be vigilant about this and be weary of it. I don't think it is helpful
:08:44. > :08:48.to pinpoint one group necessarily. This report calls for agencies to
:08:48. > :08:51.work better together. What have you done previously? What might you be
:08:51. > :08:55.able to do better? There are different models across the country.
:08:55. > :09:01.Some local authorities are responding very well. Others have
:09:01. > :09:05.still got a lot of work to do. For example the Oldham service, which
:09:05. > :09:09.is a multi-agency response, involving the police, local
:09:09. > :09:13.authorities, Barnardo's and health. As a Greater Manchester group of
:09:13. > :09:16.authorities and also as Greater Manchester Police Barnardo's are
:09:16. > :09:20.working closely with all those authorities to look at how we can
:09:20. > :09:27.respond better. You get support from them? Yes. Do you think that
:09:27. > :09:34.goes across the Northwest, or do different areas need to work better
:09:34. > :09:38.together? It is fair to say each area is at a different stage. From
:09:38. > :09:40.a Barnardo's point of view it is encouraging all the Greater
:09:41. > :09:44.Manchester authorities and police are coming to sit around the table
:09:44. > :09:48.and look at this issue and how we can deal with it across the board.
:09:48. > :09:55.Do we make it easy enough for young people to come forward and report
:09:55. > :09:59.this? It is difficult. A lot of people who have been sexually
:09:59. > :10:05.exploited think they are in a loving, consensuel relationship
:10:05. > :10:09.with somebody who happens to be older than them and they are
:10:09. > :10:14.showered with money and affection and sometimes drugs and alcohol. It
:10:14. > :10:17.is about warning young people of the dangers of sexual exploitation
:10:17. > :10:23.and what young people need to do to respond. The Prime Minister has
:10:23. > :10:27.paid tribute to a soldier from Liverpool killed in Afghanistan.
:10:27. > :10:34.25-year-old Lance Corporal Peter Eustace of 2nd Battalion The Rifles
:10:34. > :10:39.died when he was hit by a bomb last week. David Cameron praised the
:10:39. > :10:43.bravery of Lance Corporal Eustace and other soldiers when he spoke in
:10:43. > :10:47.the House of Commons. The Metropolitan Police Commissioner
:10:47. > :10:52.agrees with the police constable of Greater Manchester that the riots
:10:52. > :10:54.would not have happened elsewhere if the police in London acted
:10:55. > :10:59.faster. Bernard Hogan-Howe said he wished
:11:00. > :11:03.he had not said it because it created tension between police
:11:03. > :11:07.forces. Have you wondered where to turn when you want to contact the
:11:07. > :11:16.police. Maybe it's not an emergency. You found yourself dialling 999.
:11:16. > :11:19.Well, you would not be alone N the north-west 70% of 999 calls are for
:11:19. > :11:24.non-emergencies and calls waste police time and can leave the
:11:24. > :11:34.caller frustrated. Today in parts of the north-west a new number was
:11:34. > :11:34.
:11:34. > :11:39.launched. It is 101 and can be used. Good evening. Maybe think of it
:11:39. > :11:42.this way, those three numbers, 101 could revolutionise the way we use
:11:42. > :11:47.emergency services. Just chatting to the team here from Cheshire
:11:47. > :11:52.police, they say already it's making a difference, elevating some
:11:52. > :11:56.pressure on genuine emergency calls. That is after less than 12 hours.
:11:56. > :12:01.It has been similar for Greater Manchester Police and Merseyside
:12:01. > :12:06.Police, where I spend this -- spent this morning. You have not seen the
:12:06. > :12:09.owner back for three weeks. Adam has received a call from a woman
:12:09. > :12:13.who is concerned a car on her street has been there for three
:12:13. > :12:20.weeks. She has heard about the new number and dialled it. Is that the
:12:21. > :12:26.kind of call you sometimes get to 999? You get all sort of strange
:12:26. > :12:32.calls. I've had a theft of a snowman. You get people on a
:12:32. > :12:37.Saturday or Sunday night with people having an argument with a
:12:37. > :12:44.bouncer. You get all sorts. idea is you call 101 when there is
:12:44. > :12:48.not an mediate threat to you or your property. Some people say it
:12:48. > :12:52.will not make a difference, we have seen schemes like this before.
:12:52. > :12:56.will make a difference. For the public it means you can ring a
:12:56. > :13:01.short-dig get number, which is easy for them to remember. It does not
:13:01. > :13:05.matter where you call from in the country you will be able to call on
:13:05. > :13:15.this non-emergency number. It will save the time and the nerves of
:13:15. > :13:25.
:13:25. > :13:32.Sometimes it is what is the weather like? 999 is so deeply embedded in
:13:32. > :13:38.everyone's consciousness. All the time people will become more aware
:13:38. > :13:45.of it. That is the key issue. You can use this service where ever you
:13:45. > :13:49.are. If you are watching in Lancashire or Cumbria and asking
:13:49. > :13:54.when you will have access to the handy number, the answer is 12th
:13:54. > :13:58.December. If you were wondering what happened to the stolons Bowman,
:13:58. > :14:05.the police said that by the time they found that the suspect had
:14:05. > :14:09.melted! If you drive past any school you
:14:09. > :14:14.will see a host of warning signs asking you to slow down but not all
:14:14. > :14:19.motorists do. Speeding drivers in Wirral are being hauled in front of
:14:19. > :14:27.a children's court. The pilot scheme brings speeding motorists in
:14:27. > :14:32.front of a children's court. It is an attempt to reduce speeding in it
:14:32. > :14:42.that the region. Did you realise that you were going
:14:42. > :14:44.
:14:44. > :14:51.too fast? Know. I had to get into the office. These schools children
:14:51. > :14:57.are taking the law into their own hands. They are not impressed with
:14:57. > :15:07.the excuses of the drivers. They should not have that. They gave us
:15:07. > :15:07.
:15:07. > :15:10.different excuses. Some of the excuses were bad. The scheme was a
:15:10. > :15:14.joint venture with the school and local authorities. Drivers caught
:15:14. > :15:20.speeding were given the option of taking penalty points, or sitting
:15:20. > :15:26.in front of the children's court. This is Greasby Junior School. It
:15:26. > :15:29.is in a 30 mph stretch of road. On the morning of the operation at
:15:29. > :15:33.nine speeders record here and six chose to go one front of the
:15:33. > :15:40.children's court. Their head teacher is pleased with
:15:40. > :15:47.the results of the scheme. Adults were understandably upset. It will
:15:47. > :15:54.stay with them forever, unlike their penalty points. It will have
:15:54. > :16:00.a big impact. The message got across. They will not speed again.
:16:00. > :16:10.With the children's court having had its first sitting, everybody
:16:10. > :16:15.
:16:15. > :16:21.now hopes it will keep on running. Here is the sport.
:16:21. > :16:28.Manchester City lost at Napoli. They now face possible elimination
:16:28. > :16:32.at the group stage. They will be eliminated if Napoli defeat
:16:32. > :16:37.Villareal cuts Villareal. And Manchester United could only
:16:37. > :16:42.get a draw at Old Trafford against Benfica a.
:16:42. > :16:48.Wait until you see the end of this piece. Manchester United are not
:16:48. > :16:53.safe either. They must travel to Basel next. Even if they do make it
:16:53. > :16:58.they could face top seeds like Barcelona. It was a night to forget
:16:58. > :17:01.all round. The Champions League is at tough
:17:01. > :17:11.competition. Chelsea have spent years trying to win it. Manchester
:17:11. > :17:12.
:17:12. > :17:16.City might have the same problem. The Italians took the lead.
:17:16. > :17:21.Manchester City equalised. The Italians went ahead again.
:17:21. > :17:24.Manchester City are on the brink. They are top of the Premier League,
:17:24. > :17:31.so it be a disaster to be eliminated from the Champions
:17:31. > :17:38.League. I do not think we're good enough for the Champions League.
:17:38. > :17:43.Winning the league is the top priority. Not much noise from
:17:43. > :17:51.neighbours Manchester United. They could only draw with Benfica. Phil
:17:52. > :17:56.Jones fired home in the wrong end. But just a united then equalised.
:17:56. > :18:01.When Darren Fletcher scored it looked like business as usual, but
:18:01. > :18:11.then this happened. Manchester United now face a winner-takes-all
:18:11. > :18:11.
:18:11. > :18:21.clash in Basel. Alex Ferguson would not admit defeat. I standards
:18:21. > :18:26.
:18:26. > :18:29.slipping? Are you serious? Do not worry - he was not running away.
:18:29. > :18:34.Blackburn Rovers have dismissed reports that they have extended the
:18:34. > :18:39.contract of their manager. The club has issued a statement saying it
:18:39. > :18:47.has revised the contract, and says that the duration of a contract is
:18:47. > :18:57.not affected. Salford City Reds have made Phil
:18:57. > :19:03.
:19:04. > :19:13.Veivers head coach. He replaces That is cryptic regarding Blackburn
:19:14. > :19:18.
:19:18. > :19:24.Rovers is it not? Who knows? Rangers were delighted when it they
:19:25. > :19:28.stumbled across otter paw prints on the River Mersey.
:19:28. > :19:33.It is evidence that the River Mersey which was a polluted river
:19:33. > :19:38.is now returning to his former glory.
:19:38. > :19:45.Richard Topley came across the poor Prince last month. Today we
:19:45. > :19:53.discover more. These are probably female. That is a good sign.
:19:53. > :19:57.Something is sustaining them here. The fact that we have seen them
:19:58. > :20:03.again today shows it is not just a one-off. We did not come across the
:20:03. > :20:08.real thing. These pictures of otters are from our archives. They
:20:08. > :20:16.used to be a regular sight on the River Mersey. 250 years ago the
:20:16. > :20:20.river was pristine. Then came the Industrial Revolution and pollution.
:20:21. > :20:24.Waste was pumped into the water. Over the last 25 years there has
:20:24. > :20:27.been a sustained campaign to clean up the river. Judging by the poor
:20:27. > :20:37.Prince it seems to have been working.
:20:37. > :20:38.
:20:38. > :20:48.People have been involved at every level. Companies have been a false.
:20:48. > :20:50.
:20:50. > :20:58.-- have been involved. Otters on the left in healthy rivers. This
:20:58. > :21:02.shows that that food chain is improving. The plan is to clean up
:21:02. > :21:12.their a rare and install holts to encourage the animals to stay for
:21:12. > :21:19.good. It is nice to see the otters back.
:21:19. > :21:25.Such a glamorous life for a TV reporter - or is it?
:21:25. > :21:30.I am missing my dog from last Friday!
:21:30. > :21:35.Hour news homes have sniffed out the stories that matter. -- hour
:21:35. > :21:43.news hounds. As part of a special series marking
:21:43. > :21:47.the end of our time at Oxford Road Studios be at this report.
:21:47. > :21:55.Dozens of reporters have faithfully documented the events of this
:21:55. > :22:00.region. Some are remembered with fondness. I was at the docks at
:22:00. > :22:04.4:00am every morning. For the studio presenters it is an easy
:22:04. > :22:07.life. All the have to do is read the words out loud. For those of us
:22:08. > :22:15.out in the field it is a different matter. We face all kinds of
:22:15. > :22:22.weather. We have to meet the public. Little green men at coming towards
:22:22. > :22:27.us. We have to remember our words and sound as if they know what
:22:27. > :22:29.we're talking about. Over the decades dozens of
:22:29. > :22:37.reporters have faithfully documented the events and
:22:37. > :22:47.happenings of this region. Some are remembered with fondness. Fantastic.
:22:47. > :22:51.
:22:51. > :23:00.4AM every morning. I became known as afresh. Fish merchants used to
:23:00. > :23:08.invite me to their annual ball! seems almost inconceivable now...
:23:08. > :23:15.This reporter did this beat for many years. I used to get lost all
:23:15. > :23:23.the time. The newsroom was at the back of the building. I could not
:23:23. > :23:29.find my way down to it. And in addition to the camera over there I
:23:29. > :23:37.have a camera on my helmet. Some reporters liked to appear fearless
:23:37. > :23:46.in pursuit of a story. Some keep a stiff upper lip more
:23:46. > :23:51.successfully than others. This man was truly fearless. He
:23:51. > :23:59.earned a reputation for going where most reporters would fear to tread.
:23:59. > :24:05.We went up that ladder. It was a 40 mph winds. You could feel the thing
:24:06. > :24:14.flexing. It was terrifying. There was no safety rope or harness. For
:24:14. > :24:20.10 years afterwards that film was used as a BBC training film.
:24:20. > :24:28.Sometimes reporters can add extra drama to a story.
:24:28. > :24:35.This reporter asked Hess cameraman fought a close-up. Then he Smita
:24:35. > :24:40.violently. Big gold dust erupted. It was all over my hair and his
:24:40. > :24:50.hair. All over the floor. They guy who had Cameron was apoplectic
:24:50. > :24:52.
:24:52. > :25:00.because he had lost several hundred pounds.
:25:00. > :25:04.This reporter made the final story his own for many years. Doing funny
:25:05. > :25:12.stories is not to everybody's taste. There were only a few who could do
:25:12. > :25:21.it. I threw myself into it. You have got to be creative.
:25:21. > :25:29.Tell them I am engaged! There are some household names who got their
:25:29. > :25:33.first breaks on this programme. Take That's look more embarrassed
:25:33. > :25:43.Take That's look more embarrassed than anyone else.
:25:43. > :25:53.Here is the weather: For once Dave Guest told the truth! All you do is
:25:53. > :25:53.
:25:53. > :25:57.read the words. When the Rui Marques -- this if you
:25:57. > :26:02.were sent in pictures of daffodils. Could they be an eight at this time
:26:03. > :26:11.my here? I think we will be in double
:26:11. > :26:16.figures for a huge portion of the night.
:26:16. > :26:25.Temperatures will not fall very far overnight.
:26:25. > :26:33.Drizzly rain on the Isle of Man. Remit may come into Lancashire and
:26:33. > :26:41.Cumbria. -- rain. The rain will travel back north and the early
:26:41. > :26:45.hours of the morning. Double figures for most of us. When you
:26:45. > :26:50.start a day with high temperatures, they will not get much higher. We
:26:50. > :26:56.have a lot of cloud cover. Drizzly rain pushing north as the morning
:26:56. > :27:01.goes on. It will leave as quickly. Look at that. A lot of cloud. A
:27:01. > :27:11.glimpse of sunshine every now and then. Similar to the weather we had
:27:11. > :27:13.
:27:13. > :27:19.today. We have got nothing to say because
:27:19. > :27:25.We have got nothing to say because there is nothing on the autocue! I