:00:09. > :00:13.Kent Police are pledging to provide a better service with fewer
:00:14. > :00:15.resources, announcing their plan for ddaling
:00:16. > :00:18.with a further ?20 million cut from the budget and losing 600 officers.
:00:19. > :00:24.Under the plans, district commanders will be given more powers to direct
:00:25. > :00:28.But critics claim yet more savings will inevitably impact
:00:29. > :00:36.Our Political Editor Louise Stewart reports.
:00:37. > :00:38.Kent Police responding to an emergency call.
:00:39. > :00:40.Under a new policing plan launched this
:00:41. > :00:45.morning, the officer who responds in future could be much closer.
:00:46. > :00:47.Police officers will be man`ged by district commanders
:00:48. > :00:51.in 13 new teams, including @shford, Canterbury and Medway,
:00:52. > :00:57.The aim is to provide a gre`ter connection with local communities,
:00:58. > :01:01.but with fewer staff, while delivering savings of ?20 mhllion.
:01:02. > :01:04.I?ve got no more resources, it?s as simple as that.
:01:05. > :01:06.What I am offering is, I thhnk, local communities,
:01:07. > :01:09.when they see officer, the same PCSO, the same special constabulary,
:01:10. > :01:11.day`in`day`out in their loc`l communities, you get to know the
:01:12. > :01:18.It's building that community cohesion.
:01:19. > :01:21.Due to a cut in funding from the government,
:01:22. > :01:24.forces across the country h`ve seen their budgets squeezed.
:01:25. > :01:26.In Kent, 20 percent of the workforce has alreadx been
:01:27. > :01:31.cut in the last two years, including 500 frontline offhcers.
:01:32. > :01:33.Earlier this year, Chief Constable Alan Pughsldy
:01:34. > :01:38.announced that a further 100 officers? jobs are at risk.
:01:39. > :01:43.Every victim of crime no longer gets a visit from a police officdr,
:01:44. > :01:46.and recently we have seen schools liaison officers disappear.
:01:47. > :01:49.We know the cuts are having an impact on the levels
:01:50. > :01:52.of service provided, but we want to make sure th`t we can
:01:53. > :01:54.still proactively target crhminals, but also, of course, respond to
:01:55. > :02:00.Some victims of crime believed police ard already
:02:01. > :02:05.Teenager Carl Gregory was rdcently viciously attacked by a gang
:02:06. > :02:09.He needed 19 stitches in his face, but
:02:10. > :02:13.his family say they were disgusted by the lack of action from police.
:02:14. > :02:17.It scares me that already wd had to wait a fortnight
:02:18. > :02:21.before police contacted us when my son was assaulted.
:02:22. > :02:26.If the police force is to bd reduced in numbers any more, how long does
:02:27. > :02:31.that mean we need to wait again should something to someone else?
:02:32. > :02:34.Kent Police say the new moddl allows them the best opportunity to provide
:02:35. > :02:45.local policing, whilst sust`ining the same level of overall sdrvice.
:02:46. > :02:46.The hugely controversial issue of maternity services in
:02:47. > :02:49.East Sussex will be decided at a meeting in Eastbourne tomorrow,
:02:50. > :02:53.a year after the unit at thd DGH was temporarily downgraded.
:02:54. > :02:57.Three options have been put forward, which include shutting
:02:58. > :03:01.the Crowborough Birthing Centre and combining midwife and
:03:02. > :03:05.consultant led services at just one hospital in Eastbourne or H`stings.
:03:06. > :03:08.The trust says it will make maternity services safer `
:03:09. > :03:21.but campaigners still believe they will put lives at risk.
:03:22. > :03:30.Are in a serve, as I expect, there will be a midwife led hospital at
:03:31. > :03:35.GDH. I will be urging the council is to
:03:36. > :03:38.listen to the people of East Sussex and refer it to the Secretary of
:03:39. > :03:40.State for an independent clhnical decision.
:03:41. > :03:42.One person has died and another been injured in
:03:43. > :03:46.Four fire engines were calldd to what?s been described
:03:47. > :03:48.as a commercial premises Bath Road at around 3:30pm
:03:49. > :03:53.Around 100 firefighters are currently tackling a blaze
:03:54. > :04:00.Fifteen fire engines are at the scene and a large amount
:04:01. > :04:03.Residents are being asked to close their windows because
:04:04. > :04:06.One person has died and another been injured in
:04:07. > :04:10.Four fire engines were calldd to what?s been described
:04:11. > :04:12.as a commercial premises Bath Road at around 3:30pm
:04:13. > :04:15.The fire, which involved a quantity of gas cylinders,
:04:16. > :04:19.A second senior figure at Pilgrims Hospices in Kent h`s
:04:20. > :04:23.The sister of a man who drowned in the River Medway is warnhng
:04:24. > :04:25.people of the dangers of getting drunk and out of control.
:04:26. > :04:27.An inquest heard that Kieron Knowlden from Tonbridge was
:04:28. > :04:31.three times over the drink drive limit when he fell into the river
:04:32. > :04:34.His body was found nearly three weeks later.
:04:35. > :04:35.The coroner recorded a verdhct of misadventure.
:04:36. > :04:39.Keiron Knowlden's family arrive at the inquest with
:04:40. > :04:46.He fell into the River Medw`y when he was nearly three tiles over
:04:47. > :04:52.Don't drink so that you don't know what you are doing.
:04:53. > :04:55.Don't go near the river when you?ve had a drink.
:04:56. > :04:57.If anything, get a taxi from where you'rd going.
:04:58. > :05:02.Have a laugh but don't be stupid because we've lost a big part
:05:03. > :05:08.Keiron had been to the pub with family on the night
:05:09. > :05:13.He was reported missing the following day.
:05:14. > :05:16.His body wasn't discovered until 18th March.
:05:17. > :05:20.The case echoes that of Medway soldier Josh Thomas,
:05:21. > :05:24.who drowned last year after falling into the River Medway in Rochester.
:05:25. > :05:31.Accidental drowning causes lore than 400 deaths each year.
:05:32. > :05:35.Once you've fallen in, your decision`making, like with
:05:36. > :05:43.You perhaps don?t react as quickly as you might.
:05:44. > :05:46.If the water is cold, you have a cold shock response.
:05:47. > :05:48.Keiron?s family says they hope lessons can now be learnt.
:05:49. > :05:51.The inquest here at Tunbridge Wells police station heard that
:05:52. > :05:53.the cause of death was immersion, there were no suspicious
:05:54. > :05:55.circumstances and the corondr recorded a verdict of misadventure.
:05:56. > :05:58.He has a three`week old little girl that he?s never going to medt.
:05:59. > :06:01.He has nieces and nephews that miss him, ly mum.
:06:02. > :06:09.There is a big hole that will never heal
:06:10. > :06:22.Their plea to others, don't go near the river after drinking.
:06:23. > :06:25.That's it from me, the national weather forecast follows in a tick `
:06:26. > :06:34.but first let's get the picture in the South East with Rachel Lackley.
:06:35. > :06:40.Good evening. It has been a sunny and warm day but we've also had some
:06:41. > :06:44.sharp showers will stop over the next couple of days it will be dry
:06:45. > :06:49.bed feeling fresh. By Fridax, expecting some heavy rain. Tonight,
:06:50. > :06:53.one or two showers but they should be easing, increasingly dry as we
:06:54. > :07:01.get into tomorrow morning. Temperatures at 13 or 14 degrees.
:07:02. > :07:06.Generally some decent spells of hazy sunshine. Mostly a settled story.
:07:07. > :07:10.The odds fairly light shower during the morning. Temperatures bx the
:07:11. > :07:15.afternoon I bit cooler than today, but still reaching the top teams.
:07:16. > :07:19.Through tomorrow night, staxing mostly dry. It's a fresher feeling
:07:20. > :07:25.night with temperatures dropping around eight or 9 degrees. Thursday,
:07:26. > :07:31.settled with decent spells of sunshine and temperatures in the top
:07:32. > :07:32.teams and low 20s. This is heading our way into
:07:33. > :07:35.with the summary. Turning more unsettled as we head towards the
:07:36. > :07:43.weekend. Good evening. After what has been a
:07:44. > :07:47.glorious few weeks of summer sunshine for many of us, things are
:07:48. > :07:51.about to change over the next 2 hours. We are seeing the change
:07:52. > :07:56.marked by the weather front on the satellite image. To the south of
:07:57. > :08:01.that, 25 degrees, in Bournemouth for instance, but in the north and east,
:08:02. > :08:06.cooler, fresher air. That sets the scene for tomorrow. A cooler day. We
:08:07. > :08:11.will have hazy sunshine on offer, although cloudier skies than we have
:08:12. > :08:14.been used it over the past week Tonight we have thicker cloud
:08:15. > :08:19.bringing more two spots of drizzly rain for some southern areas. Many
:08:20. > :08:22.parts dry, but we have the rain heading in towards the far
:08:23. > :08:23.north-west for the early hours of Wednesday.