22/02/2017 Points West

A reminder of the day's main story... The

claims that lives have been put at risk after the computer system

handling calls for one of our emergency services failed.

It's simply been a matter of chance that lives have not been lost today.

Safety has been compromised and it is taken as longer to deploy fire

engines. Avon and Somerset police say they're

investigating two allegations There are calls for more to be done

to change cultural perceptions. The rates lottery -

we'll be looking at who'll end up paying more and less

as the Government And meeting the sitcom stars -

the siblings from Cirencester who've turned their childhood

into a hit BBC show. It's claimed that failures

with the computer system handling calls for Dorset

and Wiltshire Fire Service The ?7.5 million system,

which is also used by the Devon and Somerset service,

crashed at least ten One control room operator has told

us she's ended up using online Dorset and Wiltshire Fire

and Rescue Service have responded to more than 42,000 calls

since the new call handling system, provided by Capita,

was put in place in the It's designed to break

down borders between the three fire rescue areas it covers

and deploy fire engines from the closest

station to every incident. Well, just on Monday,

we had two very common faults Kate Scott is a control room

operator and local rep The system fails and we're unable

to mobilise fire engines. trying to do the best you can for

that personal the end of the phone. When you cannot do that as

effectively as you would like, it is both frustrating and stressful by

the operators. A Freedom of information request has revealed

that they have been several problems of the last 18 months. This includes

the system failing to work and the calls come to be taken by different

control rooms. The union says that the system must be fixed. It's

simply been a matter of chance that lives have not been lost today. But

safety has been optimised and it has taken as longer to reach some

incidents because of this system. We have seen a fire engines mobilised

from the wrong fire station. The three areas using this system all

insist that it is safe. Of course we are aware that their urban problems

and we doing everything possible we can it to ensure the problems are

resolved. There is no risk of us not responding. In the event of a

emergency, dial 909 and we will respond and be with you as quickly

as possible. -- dial 999. The company says that it will continue

told the issues are resolved. -- the told the issues are resolved. -- the

Fire Service so that the issues are resolved.

Earlier I spoke to the MP for South West Wiltshire, Andrew Murrison.

I asked for his reaction to the computer failures.

I think we're all used through computer glitches

in our daily lives but this is in a different league

something where life and limb could be at risk and serious damage

to property, so I think this is something we can

It's just not acceptable to have ongoing glitches of this sort.

The Fire Brigades Union want it taken to a Public

That's something you could help with.

Yeah, I think both the south-west and London appear to have had

I think the first thing we need to do is get the Home Office take

on this matter because I think overall it probably

is the Government department with the overview of this

and needs to, I think, look at places where it has been

a problem and try to get to grips with why it's happened

I think it's important to say that this sort of software is great

in improving response times and generally improving the service,

We certainly do need to make sure that any glitches are dealt

with as a matter of priority and also that there is a plan B that

doesn't put the operators that you have described in the invidious

position they clearly have been in when the system crashed.

So how would you reassure your constituents going forward that this

will be treated with some sense of urgency?

Well, as I said, I think it is urgent because they cannot

accept this sort of thing happening regularly in a system

which is safety critical, whereas we would perhaps excepted

-- perhaps accept it in ordinary computer terms,

clearly this software is special and I am alarmed that both

in the south-west and in London we appear to have a system that

routinely goes down for protracted periods of time in the way

So what is the first action that you are going to take on this now?

Well, I'm going to write to ministers find out

what overview they have taken, whether they share my concerns,

which I sincerely hope they do, and what they will do

Will you come back to us so that we can follow up on this?

I think this is something we need to deal with as a matter of urgency.

Forensics officers are continuing their investigation of a former home

of the convicted murderer Christopher Halliwell.

Gardens and the garages behind two properties

Halliwell is serving a "whole life" sentence after killing Becky Godden

A teenager's been taken to hospital after a tree fell

It happened on the Bath Road in Brislington this afternoon,

when the large tree came down near a pedestrian crossing.

The road was closed for several hours and emergency services were at

the scene. Avon and Somerset Police say

they now have two active investigations into cases

of female genital mutilation. It's illegal here but it's

common in many African countries and is a particular

concern in areas of Bristol where Today a leading FGM charity held

a meeting to share ideas on how The majority of the women in this

room will have suffered But to speak of it

is still shameful. There's a culture of

silence, which makes A lot of these women have also been

through multiple kinds of trauma. They may have come from countries

where there has been war You have the FGM, you have

the conflict from the war, so you have to sort of unpack

and unpick all these issues and ensure that the woman

is adequately supported. Many women here grew up

in African countries In Somalia, Sudan, even Egypt,

80% of girls have their genitals cut or changed for no

medical reason whatsoever. The police and social services

are doing what they can to try These communities come

from countries where they have actually been persecuted,

they are fearful of You know, I think if we spoke to any

person in Bristol and said, social services and the police

are coming to your house, But they go to houses

for every form of child abuse and FGM is just another form

of child abuse and we need to reassure them that we don't treat

this any differently. In a short space of time,

perception has started to shift. The message about the risk

to women's health is But new women and refugees continue

to move to this city, so the work to spare future

generations from this brutal Joining me now is Detective Chief

Inspector Leanne Pook from Avon and Somerset Police -

she's the lead officer in the South West on FGM

and was at today's conference. You've been the lead officer in the

Selt west. Do you think this is a fighting tide? Can you win against

this? I absolutely believe we can. We have developing a really strong

relationship with affected images. Some really tremendous individuals

within these communities that are trying desperately hard to educate

people about the half-point winters. If I didn't believe that we could

engage together, I wouldn't be here. -- to educate people about the

health risks. Prosecution is one part of a really bigger and much

more complex approach to ending FGM. Anybody would tell you that

education and prevention is priority. Some of our job is around

prevention and education. You've been here for five years, the

communities are crawling, how do you come -- how do you combat this? --

the communities are growing. If it were done to police to do all the

policing... Does the community police itself? You don't have to

rely on the community to come forward with these sort of stories.

have to rely. We do not get enough have to rely. We do not get

intelligence from the communities intelligence from the communities

and we are trying to address that. We're performing these

relationships. You get information and you work towards amending

have mutual trust. These people have mutual trust. These people

often come from countries in which police are not to be trusted. It is

a slow burning piece of work. You do not gain trust and mutual was begged

overnight. We are getting there. -- mutual trust overnight. What about

the men in the community? How are you targeting them? The has-beens

and real progress with the men. They are posting in their own way. Quite

often they work alongside the woman but not publicly. Increasingly, we

are involving men and young men as well. That is very important. We

have challenges, particularly youth charities, who have really good

representation of young men that are tomorrow's dads. Holiday period is

coming in. This must be a time when you monitor family is coming apart.

Did I feel like they are being targeted when you visit them? I

think they might. How do you combat that? Through dialogue and

discussion. As a police officer that would like to integrate probably in

these communities and stand alongside them, I don't only go and

speak to them about FGM. I've become a no decrease in that community and

that's happy you begin to develop these relationships. -- I've become

a known face in that community. We don't have a different approach. We

have a series of risk factors to look at and apply to risk

situations. The world in general is uncomfortable with risk. FGM isn't

really like that. We are working together to try and address that.

Thank you for talking to us. Thanks for watching BBC Points West

on this Wednesday evening. Cutting off a rat run -

the plants being used to keep school And tomorrow's weather story is all

about the storm. What is the impact in the rest?

Two Avon and Somerset Police officers are being investigated

for gross misconduct after a man was mistakenly tasered in Bristol.

It's part of an inquiry by the Independent Police Complaints

Commission into what happened during the incident in January.

Our home affairs correspondent Charlotte Callen reports.

Filmed on a phone by a neighbour - this is Ras Adunbi being confronted

He was on his way home after walking his dog in Easton.

I see him every day walking his dog, he's a lovely bloke.

Police think - mistakenly - that he's someone they want to question.

Then the female officer fires her high voltage taser.

Shot in the face - Ras was taken to hospital.

Then to a police cell in Patchway - before

The incident was refered to the Independent Police

Today they've served two officers with gross

misconduct notices advising them that their conduct is now

They have always denied any wrongdoing.

Avon and Somerset Police say they will cooperate fully.

Big changes are on the way for business rates in our region.

In April, the Government wants to look again at the amount

businesses pay so that it matches changes in the property market.

For much of the west it's good news - rates will go down.

The biggest winners include south Gloucestershire,

where, on the whole, business rates are set to fall

by 10%, Taunton Deane, where it's an 11% reduction

and Swindon, where they'll go down by 12%.

But the story is very different in the West Somerset council area,

where firms are facing one of the biggest increases

in the whole country - up an average 66%.

And even if businesses are in the same street,

they could end up paying very different rates.

Clinton Rogers has been finding out more.

It is, says this Minehead businessman, the most confusing

But what he does know is that he's about to face a 28% increase

The rateable value of shops like this is set as pounds

per square metre and yet, oddly, not all figures are the same.

You only have to cross the road to see a slightly different picture

because under the new figures shops over here will have a rateable value

If you go down to the corner, there is a shop there actually

Why it must be, because we get the morning sun.

It must be a mistake and yet the valuation

Just across town, this joinery workshop is facing a 60% increase

Are you talking about losing people or what?

We've just taken on two apprentices but it's dodgy.

The average increases in west Somerset are skewed significantly

by one rise in particular - here at Hinkley Point B

The figures here are breathtaking - from ?8 million now

EDF says politely it is in talks with the Valuation Office Agency.

Council leaders in west Somerset say the Hinkley figure makes no sense.

They are an independent organisation and when we question them

about Hinkley Point B they've said, we have done the figures and this

The Valuation Office Agency says it won't comment on individual cases.

But that rateable values are influenced by a number of factors -

including the potential rental value of properties - which leaves

business owners here wondering whether spotting a unicorn is more

likely than successfully appealing the new figures.

Children say they feel safer now that a popular rat run cutting

through their primary school in Bristol has been

After parents campaigned to make the crossing safer,

the City Council decided to block off the road for 18 months

More than 300 pupils go to Ashton Gate Primary School.

Until recently, they've had to cross a busy road

to get from the playground to their classroom.

In the morning, there would be cars rushing up and down here,

people parking all over the place, it was absolute chaos.

It was a bit dangerous because you had to look

out for the cars coming across and you could have the chance

We've had some abusive drivers, we actually had a driver once stick

But this trial closure over the next 18 months means those drivers can

These planters came from a local nursery.

The council did consider barriers and pop-up bollards

but says this is a cheap, quick, effective way to close the road.

It would just make it so much easier for staff.

They won't have to worry about stopping cars.

It feels much safer and parents don't have to worry so much.

When the planters first appeared, they did cause some confusion.

Others are angry that it's a full time closure.

Children are at school from 8:30am-3:30pm so I think that

Not all the time, not when the school's closed

This is a bit of an experiment - the council wants to

But for now drivers will have to find another way round.

Bristol City take on Fulham tonight at Ashton Gate

City are currently one place and two points above

They'll have to do without their leading scorer Tammy Abraham

who is out for at least two to three weeks with a leg injury.

A Bristol teenager has moved a step closer to a career in Formula One

after being snapped up by the McLaren racing team.

They've signed Lando Norris up to their young driver programme,

saying he's a "fabulous prospect" in the sport.

This year the 17-year-old will take part in the European

Formula Three series - where Lewis Hamilton once raced.

What? Just the excitement. You don't know what to do with that.

The Cotswolds is often used as a filming location.

In fact, Northleach was recently used for JK Rowling's

But now the town is the location for a new BBC mockumentary that's

It's written by and stars a brother and sister from nearby Cirencester

who wanted to show a different side of the Cotswolds.

Here's our Gloucestershire reporter, Steve Knibbs.

Northleach - a textbook Cotswold town.

And in This Country it's home to cousins Kerry

I was walking in the Co-op and he came out and he said after year and

I said, no, after you. He's so humble.

In real life Kerry and Kurtan are brother and sister

What's it like to work together as brother and sister? It's really

annoying. Our mum has two split up a reverse. You're really annoying. No,

you're really annoying. The show isn't the view

of the Cotswolds that you'd normally expect -

and that's deliberate. You love the Cotswolds. We want to

do shall decide that we knew and grew up with. -- we wanted to show

the side that we grow up with. We love living here and wouldn't want

many big characters. You find out a many big characters. You find out a

lot about people and provide to stand.

So you get to hear about the frustrations of the annual

scarecrow competition, their excitement at the death

of a teacher they hated and meet the locals like Mandy -

Who is that? That is grant from Eastenders.

But many of the stories are based on Daisy and Charlie's

real life experiences - like this...

Somebody has been throwing fruit at my house. We have a tree growing up

in our garden and we had so many children throwing fruit at ever has.

My dad was just Jason. This Country reflects the rawness

of real life and definitely isn't family viewing

so hasn't been everyone. But how's it gone

down in Northleach? I think that the language could be

toned down. If you don't think that this is a documentary, it is just a

comedy programme done well. People have been amazing and it means so

much trust. It is a dream come true. But do you think your impact on the

image of the Cotswolds will be? Getting chucked out. Getting fruit

thrown at us. Yet, getting pretty thrown at us.

Daisy and Charlie's irreverent take on where they grew up, This Country,

is on iPlayer and on BBC One on Saturday nights -

you think? It's great. I love the you think? It's great. I love the

fact that you can have a drive-bys with plums!

Let's find out if Storm Doris is approaching?

Yes, she is approaching. That will be taking place in the course of

tomorrow. The forecast is dominated by the windy conditions. We will all

weather in the morning. Once that is weather in the morning. Once that is

out of the way, the afternoon will be greatly improved and beat try and

breaker. It will remain decidedly windy. The Met office has two

warnings for our ever. The yellow warning as for the whole of the

Points West region. In the north of Gloucestershire, that is an ample

warning. The average north of the, into the Midlands, it could be

pretty dangerous for the winds. There is potential for damage and

Eagles to be knocked over. -- and vehicles knocked over. Towards the

north-west, that is Storm Doris forming quickly. That is a weather

bomb as you read in newspapers. These and other areas is where the

hazards are combined with strong winds, potentially destructive

spell. -- potentially destructive snow in Edinburgh. For the rest of

this evening, the winds are already gathering attention. They will

continue to be prominent throughout the night. Outbreaks of rain

throughout the region. Throughout the night, a cold front is coming.

Storm Doris is starting to gather pace. It will have been a mild bout

-- a mild night. The winds will be behind the rain and it will be

perhaps 50 mph. Some areas potentially 60, even more. The

coastal fringe of the Bristol channel. Equally in other areas were

there as elevation. That could bring some trees down and bring a threat

to high sided vehicles in the M5. Temperatures tomorrow will be mild

nonetheless. It might be a decent enough story. Yet, he just got to

get tucked away first. Thank you very much for that. Storm Doris. He

just slipped those terms in to the vernacular. Join us later on.

Good job, guys. We totally nailed it.

This year, fundraising kits are going to be sent through the post.