:00:04. > :00:07.Welcome to South East Today. I'm Rob Smith. And I'm Polly Evans.
:00:07. > :00:12.Tonight's top stories. The criminals slipping through the net;
:00:12. > :00:17.we reveal the high level of crimes going unsolved in Kent and Sussex.
:00:17. > :00:20.Our home affairs correspondent is live with the details. Stepping in
:00:20. > :00:30.for parents; a Sussex woman fronts an appeal for financial support for
:00:30. > :00:32.
:00:32. > :00:41.the grandparents raising another You cannot bring a grandson of in
:00:41. > :00:43.reasonable care and then a good way, on a pension. Also in tonight's
:00:43. > :00:45.programme: A billion tonnes wasted every year - the new technology
:00:46. > :00:48.invented in Kent that can help defeat naturally occurring toxins
:00:49. > :00:55.in our food. The sisters - separated as babies - reunited at
:00:55. > :01:02.Christmas for the first time in their lives. She leaves me for
:01:03. > :01:12.Stella. And he is a young man with great expectations - Kentish actor
:01:13. > :01:17.
:01:17. > :01:19.Douglas Booth talks about his role Good evening. Huge numbers of
:01:19. > :01:22.crimes across the South East are going unsolved, according to
:01:22. > :01:25.figures obtained by the BBC. They reveal that across all types of
:01:25. > :01:28.crime in Kent and Sussex, 70% of it remains unsolved. Despite promises
:01:28. > :01:31.by police that the region is getting safer, when it comes to
:01:31. > :01:34.burglaries and car crimes, four out of every five criminals are
:01:34. > :01:43.slipping through the net. Our Home Affairs Correspondent Colin
:01:43. > :01:49.Campbell has more. There is nothing we have not had taken. We have had
:01:49. > :01:55.the old bucket taken off it. That truck has been taken ones, if it is
:01:55. > :01:58.not nailed down, it will go. Steve Jones's Kent farmers a constant
:01:58. > :02:02.target for thieves and the crime seems to be going unsolved.
:02:02. > :02:07.police have a good follow up, always come and tell us what is
:02:07. > :02:12.going on and try to do their best, but it is a forlorn hope. These
:02:12. > :02:15.people disappear, and there is no catching them. Figures obtained
:02:15. > :02:25.under the Freedom of Information Act sure that a huge quantity of
:02:25. > :02:31.
:02:31. > :02:36.crime across South East goes What Kent and Sussex police forces
:02:36. > :02:40.are keen to tell us that levels of crime are down and they are, but
:02:40. > :02:45.what they are not so ready to give details of is the percentage of
:02:45. > :02:49.crimes going unsolved, which is why these figures are so interesting.
:02:49. > :02:53.Crimes going unsolved is not a new thing. The abuse are not
:02:53. > :02:57.necessarily, historically, that effective at detecting crime. The
:02:57. > :03:02.fall in crime has more to do with us, and the society in which we
:03:02. > :03:07.lived. By it with significant cuts there are concerns that performance
:03:07. > :03:12.could deteriorate. A as we lose 1500 people we will have less
:03:12. > :03:18.people to target prolific offenders. And, history tells us, that when
:03:18. > :03:28.you target those people you catch them, put them in prison and when
:03:28. > :03:31.
:03:31. > :03:34.they and prison they cannot Bago your eyes. -- burgle your house.
:03:34. > :03:41.Both Kent and Sussex are above the national average for detecting
:03:41. > :03:44.train, but that is not much comfort if you are a victim of crime. So
:03:44. > :03:48.how does this fit into the overall picture of crime detection in the
:03:48. > :03:52.South East? In Kent only 23% of all crimes were solved in the year to
:03:52. > :03:56.March 2004 - but that had risen to 31% in the 12 months to March this
:03:56. > :03:59.year. And it's a similar story in Sussex, where just 18% of crimes
:03:59. > :04:02.were solved 2004 - compared to 30% this year. And our police forces do
:04:02. > :04:05.have much higher detection rates for certain types of crime. For
:04:05. > :04:08.example, 43% of violent crime was solved in Kent, and 47% in Sussex.
:04:08. > :04:11.One Kent MP, who sits on the Commons Home Affairs Select
:04:11. > :04:21.Committee, says police are doing a good job in reducing crime in his
:04:21. > :04:23.
:04:23. > :04:27.area. If you take the Medway towns, there are one or two burglaries a
:04:27. > :04:30.day across the Medway towns, quarter of a million people. Not
:04:30. > :04:38.that long ago you would get in double figures of burglaries each
:04:38. > :04:43.day, so the police have made progress on burglary. So how do our
:04:43. > :04:46.police forces compare with others? The England and Wales average
:04:46. > :04:49.detection rate for all crime in the 12 months to March this year was
:04:49. > :04:51.28%, so both the Kent and Sussex forces are slightly better than
:04:52. > :04:55.average. They weren't as good as Dyfed Powys, the best-performing
:04:55. > :04:58.force in terms of crime detection, with 49% of all crime solved. But
:04:58. > :05:02.they were better than the worst performers, Surrey and the West
:05:02. > :05:06.Midlands, where just 20% of all crimes were solved. Let's cross
:05:06. > :05:08.live to our Home Affairs Correspondent Colin Campbell. How
:05:08. > :05:18.can police forces improve their detection rates for crimes like
:05:18. > :05:21.
:05:21. > :05:25.burglary and car crime? Criminologists Saudi -- say that
:05:25. > :05:28.crimes like burglary and car train can be tackled by the police by
:05:28. > :05:35.looking at forensic work, investigating using forensic
:05:35. > :05:39.techniques. The other issue is to try to catch the criminals in the
:05:39. > :05:42.act as they tried to break into cars and homes, at night. One
:05:42. > :05:46.technique that has been successfully adopted by Sussex
:05:46. > :05:54.police is the targeting of prolific offenders, individuals who carry
:05:54. > :05:57.out huge amounts of crime within their own community. Policing
:05:57. > :06:00.Minister Nick Herbert has told us that there's an unhealthy obsession
:06:00. > :06:02.with police officer numbers. According to him, the real issue is
:06:03. > :06:08.how resources are deployed and he believes forces can make savings
:06:08. > :06:11.while maintaining or improving their service to the public. An 83
:06:11. > :06:14.year-old woman from Sussex has been made the face of a national
:06:14. > :06:17.campaign, calling for grandparents who take on, and bring up, a
:06:17. > :06:20.grandchild to be paid a "kinship allowance". Pat Knight has taken
:06:20. > :06:22.care of her 14 year-old grandson Reece since he was five, following
:06:22. > :06:28.the death of his mother - but always struggling financially,
:06:28. > :06:32.since her only income is her pension. Katherine Downes reports.
:06:32. > :06:36.With a 14-year-old grandson to buy for, Christmas is a difficult time
:06:36. > :06:41.for Pat. What can you buy a 14- year-old that is a reasonable price
:06:41. > :06:47.today? It is all electronics, mobile phones and everything else.
:06:47. > :06:53.You cannot just suddenly deprived child because we are bringing him
:06:53. > :06:57.up. He should have the same as other children. The rest of the
:06:57. > :07:02.year is a struggle, too. This has led with his grandparents since his
:07:02. > :07:08.mother died but because his grandparents are not recognised as
:07:08. > :07:14.foster parents, they do not get any benefits or allowances. It is much
:07:14. > :07:16.nicer for a child to live with a grant parents than going into care.
:07:16. > :07:22.I am fortunate having my grandson to bring up after losing my
:07:22. > :07:25.daughter, but families do need help. Around 300,000 children across the
:07:25. > :07:29.country are cared for by grandparents or other family
:07:29. > :07:34.members. Pat says it costs at least at the pounds per week to provide
:07:34. > :07:39.basic care for police and they have had to take �70,000 of equity from
:07:39. > :07:45.their house in order to get by. Love authorities are very cash-
:07:45. > :07:50.strapped, we have many children who do not have grandparents to help
:07:50. > :07:56.out, so often the take the view that this child is safe now, we
:07:56. > :07:59.will leave the grandparents to get on with it. Sussex County Council
:07:59. > :08:05.says it supports many families of will they do not legally have to.
:08:05. > :08:08.Now, there are calls for a change in that system. In the end, we have
:08:08. > :08:15.to threaten the council with judicial review. That should not
:08:15. > :08:21.have been necessary. It should have been the case that he was assessed,
:08:21. > :08:26.and he was determined to leave the clinic. Pat says that she has
:08:26. > :08:32.splashed out the cash for Christmas on her grandson. But it is not
:08:32. > :08:42.something you expected. I don't mind not getting big things. I
:08:42. > :08:45.
:08:45. > :08:49.don't mind getting little things. Coming up, crashed for cash. A 12
:08:49. > :08:51.man gang of car insurance fraudsters are jailed.
:08:51. > :08:55.Controversial changes to the planning system have been
:08:55. > :08:57.criticised by a group of MPs, who say there's a danger that too much
:08:58. > :09:00.emphasis could be given to economic growth, at the expense of
:09:00. > :09:02.environmental and social concerns. But the Planning Minister, and
:09:02. > :09:11.Tunbridge Wells MP, Greg Clark insists it's about putting power
:09:12. > :09:17.into the hands of local people. Simon Jones reports. They say they
:09:17. > :09:21.are fighting to protect the green belt around Gravesend. Local
:09:21. > :09:28.campaigner and councillor Mike Snelling fears that hundreds of
:09:28. > :09:33.homes could be built here. The next review will take more of the green
:09:33. > :09:37.belt and you will pave over the whole of this county. There have
:09:37. > :09:40.been protests near by. The Government says it needs to make
:09:40. > :09:45.the planning process simpler and faster to meet the housing shortage
:09:45. > :09:52.with a presumption in favour of sustainable development. Others
:09:52. > :09:55.advise caution. There is a general feeling that this document is
:09:55. > :10:00.waited simply towards economic development at the expense of
:10:00. > :10:04.social and environmental factors. We are saying that there has to the
:10:04. > :10:08.balance. The Government insists it is listening to warnings, but
:10:08. > :10:12.changes could lead to bad developers. That is why we have the
:10:12. > :10:17.planning system. It is there to make sure that we have the homes
:10:17. > :10:20.and jobs that the next generation need. But not at the expense of the
:10:20. > :10:26.countryside and the historic environment. This is clearly an
:10:26. > :10:30.issue people feel passionate about. Here in grave shown, the council
:10:30. > :10:35.has received so many responses over its development plans for that next
:10:35. > :10:40.20 years that it has had to extend the deadline. The Government needs
:10:40. > :10:50.to let lobbied will get on with local planning. But the Government
:10:50. > :10:51.
:10:51. > :10:54.says it is put in power in hands of local people. -- putting. Our
:10:54. > :10:56.Political Editor Louise Stewart joins us now from Greg Clark's
:10:56. > :10:59.constituency of Tunbridge Wells. Louise, what are the select
:10:59. > :11:02.committee's recommendations? were concerned about one phrase,
:11:02. > :11:07.which said there was a presumption in favour of sustainable
:11:07. > :11:13.development. They worry that the Government might put forward
:11:13. > :11:16.growing the economy of, before the environment. When George Osborne
:11:16. > :11:21.said the planning reforms were the key to get the economy growing
:11:21. > :11:26.again, but the planning minister and Tunbridge Wells MP, Greg Clark,
:11:26. > :11:30.said he has listened, he welcomes this report, and he says he also
:11:30. > :11:37.planning reforms will give local people greater control over
:11:37. > :11:40.planning decisions. A serious case review into the deaths of two young
:11:40. > :11:42.brothers in a house fire in Eastbourne says fire safety was not
:11:42. > :11:45.identified as an "imminent problem" at the property. Seven-year-old
:11:45. > :11:47.Lewis Jenkins and five year old Taylor were found in a makeshift
:11:47. > :11:50.den under the stairs in 2008. Investigators concluded that
:11:50. > :11:53."opportunities were missed to develop a fuller picture of what
:11:53. > :12:01.was going on and what standards of parenting" the boys received, but
:12:02. > :12:09.added that the boys deaths could not have been presented. -- boys'
:12:09. > :12:12.deaths. A sexual predator who groomed and sexually abused young
:12:12. > :12:14.girls over a period of 21 years has been jailed for nine years. 54
:12:14. > :12:17.year-old Stephen Marsh from Brighton was found guilty of
:12:17. > :12:23.indecent assault, possession of indecent images of children and
:12:23. > :12:26.voyeurism at Lewes Crown Court. A Kent victim of a so-called "cash
:12:26. > :12:30.for crash" scam says the road accident caused by the fraudsters
:12:30. > :12:32.could have killed her. Marie Beard, an IT manager from Ashford, was
:12:32. > :12:35.targeted by a gang of 12 men operating in the south east. The
:12:35. > :12:38.men would deliberately brake sharply in front of innocent
:12:38. > :12:41.drivers, causing a crash in order to claim on their insurance. The
:12:41. > :12:51.men have now been sentenced for the insurance scam, the first of its
:12:51. > :12:56.
:12:56. > :13:00.Driving home, at Mary macro had no idea she was an easy target. I was
:13:00. > :13:08.that close to going out on the Catholic -- carriageway and going
:13:08. > :13:13.out in traffic. The perpetrators look for easy victims. In this
:13:13. > :13:18.similar bogus crash, the gangs decoy car makes a last-minute
:13:18. > :13:22.manoeuvre and the victim crashed into them. The decoy speak of other
:13:22. > :13:29.drivers of the second car are also pretending to be victims. Had my
:13:29. > :13:36.car not have had EBS breaking, the car may have gone straight into the
:13:36. > :13:43.pathway of other traffic, killing me and someone else. I really don't
:13:43. > :13:48.understand how people have no thought for someone else's safety.
:13:48. > :13:52.The 12 gang members tried to claim huge sums of money from insurance
:13:52. > :13:56.companies for made up injuries. They were caught when police
:13:56. > :14:03.noticed alarming similarities in the description of two cars
:14:03. > :14:09.involved in numerous accidents. impact severely on road safety. The
:14:09. > :14:14.risk of injury is very high but totally a necessary. It is very
:14:14. > :14:21.callous and cold. The Act was repeated 30,000 times last year at
:14:21. > :14:28.a cost of �350 million to Insurers, which means each of us has to pay
:14:28. > :14:33.an extra �50 on our premium. The Kent gang have now been jailed for
:14:33. > :14:42.up to three years. The fraud staff who caused this crash admitted to
:14:42. > :14:47.living illegally in the UK for 14 Tonight strops story: A huge
:14:47. > :14:53.numbers of crimes across the south- east are going undetected. Across
:14:53. > :14:57.all types of crime, 70% remains unsolved. The police say they are
:14:57. > :15:07.committed to improving detection rates and cutting crime.
:15:07. > :15:08.
:15:08. > :15:12.Also: Wish you were at his home for Christmas? The man who has turned
:15:12. > :15:16.his whole house in to a lights macro.
:15:16. > :15:26.Reunited for Christmas - the sisters who haven't seen each other
:15:26. > :15:30.It is estimated that a billion tons of food is thrown away each year
:15:30. > :15:36.across the world because it is contaminated by naturally occurring
:15:36. > :15:42.poisons. It is believed much of it goes undetected because testing is
:15:42. > :15:46.expensive and laborious. A Kent firm has spent millions of pounds
:15:46. > :15:54.developing a machine to detect fungal toxins found in products
:15:54. > :15:59.like nuts. Making a hazelnut puree - the first
:15:59. > :16:05.stage of a testing process that can detect harmful toxins in food. In
:16:05. > :16:10.the developing world, fungal micro toxins are a particular problem,
:16:10. > :16:15.thriving in humid conditions and can affect a wide variety of crops.
:16:15. > :16:21.It is estimated a quarter of crops are contaminated worldwide and they
:16:21. > :16:31.can be deadly. They can affect the kidney, the liver and some produced
:16:31. > :16:31.
:16:31. > :16:37.cancer. In Europe, the risks are much less than saying the
:16:37. > :16:42.developing world where some of the toxins in contaminated foods form
:16:42. > :16:50.part of the staple diet. None the less, because some of the toxins
:16:50. > :16:55.can produce can so, the EU, for example, has strict regulations.
:16:55. > :17:00.The old way of testing it requires scientists and time but the new way
:17:00. > :17:05.is simple. This is the equipment people have to use at the moment.
:17:05. > :17:13.It is expensive and complex. It has to be used by trained scientists.
:17:13. > :17:19.But here... This is the instrument we have developed and as you can
:17:19. > :17:24.see, it is compact and less expect -- expensive and can be used
:17:24. > :17:31.specifically by a non- scientist. minute amount of hazelnut extract
:17:31. > :17:40.can get a reading in a few minutes. It shows that the amount of toxins
:17:40. > :17:50.- and there are strict limits on the amount. From small beginnings,
:17:50. > :17:53.
:17:53. > :17:57.the firm hopes to launch its He's not a household name yet, but
:17:57. > :18:00.by the New Year he certainly should be. The impossibly handsome Douglas
:18:01. > :18:05.Booth, who's 19 and from Kent, is about to hit our screens in the
:18:05. > :18:08.BBC's big Christmas costume drama, Charles Dickens' Great Expectations.
:18:08. > :18:14.Millions are expected to settle down to watch the lead actor, who's
:18:14. > :18:17.from Sevenoaks. He has already modelled in several campaigns for
:18:17. > :18:20.the luxury English label Burberry, and early next year he'll filming
:18:20. > :18:30.in Italy starring in a new adaptation of Romeo and Juliet.
:18:30. > :18:44.
:18:44. > :18:50.Matt, marshes and tales of misery. I am known as Pit. When we meet him
:18:50. > :18:56.as a young man, the responsibility for taking the character of the
:18:56. > :19:02.page is down to Douglas Booth. drew me to the character was the
:19:02. > :19:12.journey he goes on which is rare in a screenplay today. To get a
:19:12. > :19:13.
:19:13. > :19:18.character with such a journey. Be Going on an equally dramatic
:19:18. > :19:26.journey is the actor Ray Winstone. The run thing it -- the one thing
:19:26. > :19:31.it wasn't was glamourous. It is like having a suit on. After three
:19:31. > :19:41.days of mud, you are over it. You want to get back to wearing a nice
:19:41. > :19:55.
:19:55. > :20:04.The characters are written so well. And the actors are brilliant.
:20:04. > :20:10.are from the forge. I am not have married. The tale of his tumultuous
:20:10. > :20:17.life will unfold over the next three nights and millions are
:20:17. > :20:21.expected to watch. When you are filming, the camera represents many
:20:21. > :20:28.millions of people and it is terrifying say you can't think of
:20:28. > :20:32.that. Closer to the time, in the week leading up, you can't see a
:20:32. > :20:40.paper without seeing it and people talking about it. I'm getting a
:20:40. > :20:49.little nervous. As we settled down to what, we will all see there is
:20:50. > :20:55.I'm sure he is destined for great things.
:20:55. > :20:58.Today, a reunion has taken place which one family has waited 60
:20:58. > :21:04.years for. Evelyn Plumridge was split up from her sister when she
:21:04. > :21:09.was just six months old. She searched all her life.
:21:09. > :21:13.She even managed to trace her fine -- family name and traced her
:21:13. > :21:22.through Facebook. This will be their first Christmas together and
:21:22. > :21:25.we were at Gatwick to see their first meeting.
:21:25. > :21:34.Separated by six decades and thousands of miles. Years of
:21:34. > :21:38.waiting finally came to an end. have been searching for 40 years
:21:38. > :21:44.and I've found her at two years ago. It has taken two years to get this
:21:44. > :21:50.together. Over the moon. I cannot describe it. I can't describe how I
:21:50. > :21:56.feel. What will you be doing for the next five weeks. And every
:21:56. > :22:02.Christmas? Talking about everything. It is the conclusion to a story
:22:02. > :22:07.when -- which began when their parents divorced in the early 1950s.
:22:07. > :22:12.Even in stayed with her mother and her two-year-old sister Jan and
:22:12. > :22:17.brother, Reggie, were taken into care. He remained there until he
:22:17. > :22:24.was 16 and Jan was adopted by his family in Canada at the age of
:22:25. > :22:30.eight. We have been counting down the days. Then it turned into hours.
:22:30. > :22:34.Then minutes. And then, how many seconds? There are no words to
:22:34. > :22:40.express what it feels like to finally be back home with family.
:22:40. > :22:48.It has been far too long. A great aunt, aren't and sister. The whole
:22:48. > :22:56.family were now spend their first ever Christmas together. This is
:22:56. > :23:06.the best present ever. Ever. Nothing I wanted more in the world.
:23:06. > :23:10.
:23:10. > :23:16.Now for an audio-visual treat which has been exciting Krebs in Kent. A
:23:16. > :23:22.man has taken Christmas decorations to a whole new level.
:23:22. > :23:29.He has taken care to programme his lights so they flash in time to a
:23:29. > :23:34.catalogue of festive music. It will -- Peter Whittlesea is there now.
:23:34. > :23:37.We have seen a lot of Christmas lights this Christmas and
:23:38. > :23:45.decorations but is this the ultimate in festive houses? There
:23:45. > :23:52.are more than 18 different sets of lights which synchronise in time to
:23:52. > :23:56.the music. That is not all. Look at this! Motorists can tune in to the
:23:56. > :24:04.radio station and enjoy the light show in the privacy of their own
:24:04. > :24:10.car. How cool is that? All of this has been put together by one man.
:24:10. > :24:16.It takes around three weeks to do it in November. Mark, why do you do
:24:16. > :24:22.it? Because alike Christmas lights. It takes about 20 hours to
:24:22. > :24:29.programme each song, doesn't it. does. It synchronise his with the
:24:29. > :24:34.music. What do people say? The vast majority like it. Some think I am a
:24:34. > :24:37.bit sad and find it embarrassing but I think everyone enjoys it.
:24:37. > :24:42.Your daughter says she finds it a bit embarrassing because everyone
:24:42. > :24:49.knows who you are and what you are doing. That's true but I like it.
:24:49. > :24:55.How much does it cost? I don't know, to be honest. It is just a gradual
:24:55. > :25:01.process of adding a bit more each year. Thank you. Mark things he is
:25:01. > :25:09.the only synchronised Light Show in Kent. If anyone knows of any more,
:25:09. > :25:15.give us a ring. A few weeks ago we found out what
:25:15. > :25:25.Peter Andre thought of sprites but I bet you wonder that -- what his
:25:25. > :25:27.
:25:27. > :25:33.By to all the viewers of BBC's South-East, whatever you wish for i
:25:33. > :25:39.hope you get and happy new year. Happy new year to everyone watching
:25:39. > :25:46.BBC south east today. A very happy Christmas to you all. I hope you
:25:46. > :25:49.have a wonderful holiday, achieve and receive everything you wish.
:25:49. > :25:53.Andrew Strauss from the England cricket team here. I would like to
:25:53. > :25:58.take the opportunity to wish everyone in Kent and Sussex a very
:25:58. > :26:02.merry Christmas and happy new year. We will have more of those tomorrow
:26:02. > :26:12.and Friday. Letters find out what the weather
:26:12. > :26:14.
:26:14. > :26:20.will be doing with Rachel. -- let It will stay dry. A good deal of
:26:20. > :26:26.ploughed but staying mostly drive. Pretty mild for the time of year.
:26:26. > :26:35.The chance of a glimmer of sunshine. The rain will spread eastwards
:26:35. > :26:45.threat the morning, leaving behind a dry a picture. Wins from a north-
:26:45. > :26:48.
:26:48. > :26:58.The average for the time of year it is about eight degrees Celsius.
:26:58. > :26:58.
:26:58. > :27:03.Tonight, we will hold on to the cloud, acting like a blanket.
:27:03. > :27:10.Tomorrow, at a cloudy start. Settled in terms of the weather.
:27:10. > :27:15.The chants of a glimmer uprightness in the afternoon. -- the chance.
:27:15. > :27:25.Wins from a south-westerly direction introducing milder air.
:27:25. > :27:28.
:27:28. > :27:32.All change as we go into Friday. A cold front slowly spreads east
:27:32. > :27:37.Woods bringing rain for us all. Temperatures still in double
:27:37. > :27:42.figures for Friday but when the cold front clears it will leave
:27:42. > :27:48.cooler air. A touch of ground frost for Christmas Eve. Dry for the
:27:48. > :27:56.Christmas weekend. Christmas Day is likely to be cloudy and mild with
:27:56. > :28:00.I think that is a good thing because at least we can get where