:00:14. > :00:18.Joining forces: Devon and Cornwall and Dorset Police consider sharing
:00:19. > :00:23.services to save money. Good evening. Senior officers stress
:00:24. > :00:29.it's not a merger but an effort to protect front line policing.
:00:30. > :00:34.Hopefully the public will not see the difference and feel the budgeted
:00:35. > :00:38.a gap which prevents those taking officers and staff of the front
:00:39. > :00:43.line. Rescue charities say this is the
:00:44. > :00:48.worst situation in 25 years and they are struggling to cope.
:00:49. > :00:53.And the hospital volunteers lending a helping hand and the emergence to
:00:54. > :00:56.departments. Two of the region's police forces
:00:57. > :01:00.are to carry out a wide ranging review to find out which services
:01:01. > :01:04.could be shared in a bid to save money. Devon Cornwall Police and
:01:05. > :01:07.Dorset Police say it's not a merger, but have warned that some jobs could
:01:08. > :01:10.go. Senior officers hope any savings will help to protect front line
:01:11. > :01:16.policing. Spotlight's Simon Clemison reports.
:01:17. > :01:25.Remember when Devon policeman was just that will stop it was some time
:01:26. > :01:28.ago. The words tell the story of an organisation which has gone through
:01:29. > :01:37.huge change. While the two counties in the West joined forces in 19 60s,
:01:38. > :01:42.the Dorset police service was undergoing a merger with the biggest
:01:43. > :01:46.town. Now all three counties could work closer together. Is this the
:01:47. > :01:55.first step towards a merger? Now it is not. We want to make sure we can
:01:56. > :02:01.make the cuts that are coming in. What is an alliance if it is not a
:02:02. > :02:06.merger? At the moment the forces are examining which part of their
:02:07. > :02:12.operations could be joined up. They already collaborate in some areas.
:02:13. > :02:18.Say you send a Devon police car to an accident in Devon and Dorset on
:02:19. > :02:22.to an accident Dorset. Do they trick is scene any differently? Now
:02:23. > :02:28.because they all follow national guidelines. Do they need to be
:02:29. > :02:35.managed by people sitting in Devon and Dorset? We very much need the
:02:36. > :02:39.officers to be there. We may not need as many managers and their
:02:40. > :02:46.first some of the officials may come from management. Or indeed the
:02:47. > :02:51.equipment might be cut. Sharing resources, forming an alliance, is
:02:52. > :02:55.that not another way of saying they are merging quest act not by a long
:02:56. > :03:01.chalk because they still accept it chief, and Police and Crime
:03:02. > :03:08.Commissioners of their own, so they still have their own I did tease.
:03:09. > :03:16.Dorset is unnatural partner follows. We have a strong history. We do a
:03:17. > :03:22.lot of work with them operationally across`the`board between Devon and
:03:23. > :03:28.Dorset. The question is what they don't build on the relationship?
:03:29. > :03:34.Front lines would be affected. The announcement has been welcomed by
:03:35. > :03:39.the rank and file. But the bigger concern is why it can happen before
:03:40. > :03:48.if we could make such savings when we have already lost that a lot of
:03:49. > :03:52.police in both services. There are also concerns about how much
:03:53. > :04:00.influence on Chief con is to could exert over one large area. `` chief
:04:01. > :04:04.constable. Earlier, I spoke to Jon Collins from
:04:05. > :04:07.the Police Foundation which is an independent think tank. I asked him
:04:08. > :04:13.what he thought of the plan for the Devon and Cornwall and Dorset Forces
:04:14. > :04:21.to share some services. It seems to be a sensible move to me. To
:04:22. > :04:26.consider sharing and collaborating on services to save money. How much
:04:27. > :04:31.school is there for them to take this further still? The first step
:04:32. > :04:38.is to spend some time exploring where they can collaborate and share
:04:39. > :04:41.your services. It will be sensible to take a few months to explore the
:04:42. > :04:47.scope of this and make sure whatever they do delivers real savings. They
:04:48. > :04:53.are keen to point out this is not a merger between the two forces, is
:04:54. > :04:58.that the next logical step? I think there's a big difference between
:04:59. > :05:06.collaboration and sharing services and full mergers. Full mergers are
:05:07. > :05:10.very complicated. It is difficult to find anyone who thinks the current
:05:11. > :05:16.structure of police forces in England and Wales, where there are
:05:17. > :05:23.43 separate forces, is the right structure for the future. Very few
:05:24. > :05:28.people have a clear idea of what mergers would look like and how they
:05:29. > :05:33.would work in practice. If you start to streamline back`office functions
:05:34. > :05:39.and use a more streamlined approach, it is easier to go for the full
:05:40. > :05:45.merger further down the line? Of course, the two forces are working
:05:46. > :05:50.closely together. It is not to say collaboration is a step towards
:05:51. > :05:54.merger. A huge amount can be achieved by working closely together
:05:55. > :05:57.without going through the complication course of a full
:05:58. > :06:04.merger. What difference will the man on the street notice? If
:06:05. > :06:09.collaboration is done well, I think it should make no real difference to
:06:10. > :06:15.the police think that people come into contact with day`to`day. They
:06:16. > :06:21.can save money, than `` that might help preserve that neighbourhood
:06:22. > :06:25.policing. Just because they are sharing IT services or finance
:06:26. > :06:29.services, it should not make any difference to the policing people
:06:30. > :06:32.receive on the street day`to`day. Thank you for joining us.
:06:33. > :06:35.Horse rescue charities say they're facing their worst crisis in 25
:06:36. > :06:40.years after a big rise in the number of abandoned horses. The Mare and
:06:41. > :06:44.Foal Sanctuary in Newton Abbot has seen demand for spaces double over
:06:45. > :06:48.the last year and receive calls to take 40 horses at a time, despite
:06:49. > :06:55.being full. You may find some images disturbing in this report by
:06:56. > :07:01.Spotlight's Anna Varle. These horses are among the lucky
:07:02. > :07:07.ones found in Wales. They have been rehomed here at Mare and Foal
:07:08. > :07:12.Sanctuary. Stanley was left to fend for himself, starved and neglected,
:07:13. > :07:19.he was in poor condition when he first arrived here. He was found in
:07:20. > :07:28.Wales, abandoned in a woodland and tied to a tree. He had no access to
:07:29. > :07:35.water. A member of the public found him and luckily reported him to the
:07:36. > :07:41.authorities. We were able to take him in and he has come on really
:07:42. > :07:45.well. The public love him. Stanley is just one of thousands of horses
:07:46. > :07:50.ring abandoned across the country and the numbers continue to rise. We
:07:51. > :07:57.have seen a large number of cases involving more than one horse at a
:07:58. > :08:04.time, groups of ten and 20. We recently had over 200 horses on one
:08:05. > :08:09.farm and then over 400 forces `` 400 horses on another farm. We are
:08:10. > :08:17.seeing large`scale mass of operations. 7000 forces are said to
:08:18. > :08:22.be at risk. Many charities in the region are close to capacity. The
:08:23. > :08:25.dramatic rise in the number of cases here in the South West is the pick
:08:26. > :08:32.to being seen all across the country. Red Wings says the number
:08:33. > :08:41.of reports of abandoned horses has risen from 116 2009 to almost 800
:08:42. > :08:43.this year. The market for ponies is saturated and some are being sold
:08:44. > :08:49.for as little as five pounds. The current economic climate means
:08:50. > :08:55.people are cutting back on vet course, care and shelter and feed.
:08:56. > :08:58.We get a lot of calls from private owners who desperately need to
:08:59. > :09:05.re`home their horses, through no fault of their own. But due to the
:09:06. > :09:13.equine crisis, inbreeding, over breeding, they are in financial
:09:14. > :09:17.situations and loss of job and health and things like that. Welfare
:09:18. > :09:22.charities warn they cannot solve this problem I fellows another harsh
:09:23. > :09:32.winter, they will not be able to cope with the thousands at risk. ``
:09:33. > :09:35.this problem and if another harsh winter falls.
:09:36. > :09:38.Three people from Yeovil have been charged in connection with an
:09:39. > :09:41.inquiry into sexual exploitation in the town. All three have appeared at
:09:42. > :09:44.South Somerset Magistrates Court. Jon Smillie, who's 27 and from
:09:45. > :09:47.Hathermead Gardens, is accused of trafficking people in the UK for
:09:48. > :09:50.sex, one count of raping a girl under thirteen and one of
:09:51. > :09:53.controlling a child for prostitution and pornography. Luke Fuller who's
:09:54. > :09:56.24 and from Kingston, Yeovil faces one charge of rape and one of
:09:57. > :09:59.trafficking; and Eleanor Dollery who's from Preston Road and is 20,
:10:00. > :10:02.has been charged with conspiracy to rape, and trafficking. All three
:10:03. > :10:05.have been remanded in custody. The mother of a ten`year`old boy
:10:06. > :10:08.from Cornwall says she's incredulous, angry and disgusted
:10:09. > :10:12.after learning she won't be able to take her son home for Christmas.
:10:13. > :10:15.Yesterday Spotlight featured the plight of Alex Deeterlee, who was
:10:16. > :10:18.well enough to leave Derriford hospital months ago, however there's
:10:19. > :10:22.confusion over his ongoing care at home. Today health bosses said it's
:10:23. > :10:30.not an issue of funding ` but his mum says she doesn't believe that.
:10:31. > :10:34.John Henderson has the latest. Christmas is not coming early for
:10:35. > :10:40.ten`year`old Alex from corn will. His mum desperately wants to take
:10:41. > :10:48.him home. He has been well enough to leave hospital but his home care has
:10:49. > :10:52.not been sorted out. Every day in my house with Alex is a joy. It is a
:10:53. > :10:58.pure gift of joy and love will stop I do not know how long he will be
:10:59. > :11:04.with me forth. Every minute with my son is an absolute guest, so every
:11:05. > :11:09.Christmas is more than that. `` absolute guest. Today the NHS issued
:11:10. > :11:36.a statement at. That did not impress his mother.
:11:37. > :11:40.Absolutely clueless as to what it would be about if it is not about
:11:41. > :11:44.funding. I have been at meetings where they argue over my head about
:11:45. > :11:51.fun doing so I cannot imagine what else it is about will stop `` about
:11:52. > :11:58.funding stop it is an absolute disgrace. There are ten`year`old to
:11:59. > :12:02.be told he can go home on September but still be there because the
:12:03. > :12:07.package cannot be put together to look after, it is a disgrace. The
:12:08. > :12:12.NHS and the council say funding has been agreed and they are committed
:12:13. > :12:19.to ensuring a care package is in place so Alex can be discharged as
:12:20. > :12:22.quickly as possible. For now, it looks like they will celebrate
:12:23. > :12:25.Christmas at the hospital. A bid to stop the redevelopment of a
:12:26. > :12:29.130`year`old building on Budleigh Salterton seafront has failed after
:12:30. > :12:33.a High Court ruling. The Longboat is currently a cafe but its owner wants
:12:34. > :12:37.to built a second storey to add a restaurant. Opponents raised the
:12:38. > :12:40.money for the legal challenge saying the plans were out of keeping with
:12:41. > :12:43.the area. However a judge has refused to quash the consent.
:12:44. > :12:47.Environmental teams are checking beaches in South Devon for more of
:12:48. > :12:50.the waxy white substance which has already been washed ashore elsewhere
:12:51. > :12:56.in the south west. Lumps of the lard like material have been found near
:12:57. > :13:00.Salcombe. A dog died after eating a similar substance on a beach in
:13:01. > :13:03.Cornwall. Coming up later a Christmas carol
:13:04. > :13:09.from a Cornish Choir. Also still ahead on Spotlight tonight. A
:13:10. > :13:16.dazzling display ` the festive lights with a very special purpose.
:13:17. > :13:20.We will be meeting this young lady, who for the past three years has
:13:21. > :13:25.broken world, European and British powerlifting records.
:13:26. > :13:28.Volunteers are being called into the Royal Cornwall Hospital to help
:13:29. > :13:31.support patients and staff in the hospital's busy emergency
:13:32. > :13:33.department. They spend time on non`clinical duties, freeing up
:13:34. > :13:36.nursing staff to concentrate on medical care and emergencies. As
:13:37. > :13:49.Eleanor Parkinson reports, it's being hailed a big success. This man
:13:50. > :13:55.was brought in to the department after his pacemaker gave him
:13:56. > :13:58.programme `` problems. A volunteer gets him a cup of tea and stays for
:13:59. > :14:05.a chat. I thought that was excellent. I have been in for a long
:14:06. > :14:10.time this morning. There are lots of areas of inaction and short bursts
:14:11. > :14:15.of people dealing with you. Suddenly you are left on your own again. This
:14:16. > :14:22.was a nice diversion. They really like it. Not all the staff have
:14:23. > :14:28.enough time to sit with patients. It can be daunting coming into and
:14:29. > :14:33.emergency department on your own and they really appreciate it. Nurses
:14:34. > :14:38.the volunteers do some of the caring work they do because they are busy
:14:39. > :14:42.with emergencies. Little things like a cup of tea and a chart, things
:14:43. > :14:49.which are very important to the patient. We do not get the time to
:14:50. > :14:57.do them. It really does make their experience so much better. I think
:14:58. > :15:02.it helps with the atmosphere in any department but especially the
:15:03. > :15:06.emergence and departments. They know these are people who have the time
:15:07. > :15:11.and the interest, they choose to be there, they are not paid to be there
:15:12. > :15:18.so they really want to help. There are more than 500 volunteers in the
:15:19. > :15:25.trust. The trust says if anyone thinks they have skills to offer,
:15:26. > :15:28.they get in touch. `` they should get and Hutch.
:15:29. > :15:32.Time for the sport now and Dave has a powerful story coming up, haven't
:15:33. > :15:36.you? Absolutely. But I will keep you waiting.
:15:37. > :15:38.Exeter Chiefs seek their first win in six games when rugby's
:15:39. > :15:42.Premiership resumes this weekend. After a tough run of late, including
:15:43. > :15:45.two ordeals against the European Cup holders Toulon, the Chiefs are
:15:46. > :15:58.looking forward to getting back into the groove against lowly Newcastle
:15:59. > :16:01.Falcons at Sandy Park tomorrow. Gareth Steenson returns from injury,
:16:02. > :16:04.bring in Ceri Sweeney or will they stick with the promising Henry
:16:05. > :16:13.Slade? It is great to make that competition. There are no questions
:16:14. > :16:16.that all three of them could run a game in the premiership. Yeovil Town
:16:17. > :16:22.begin their festive programme aiming for a fifth game without defeat in
:16:23. > :16:25.the Championship. After gaining a valuable point at Barnsley, the
:16:26. > :16:29.Glovers try to crawl out of the bottom three by beating Blackburn
:16:30. > :16:32.Rovers at Huish Park. The League Two ball starts rolling tonight at St
:16:33. > :16:35.James' Park where Exeter City look to follow up their win at Accrington
:16:36. > :16:39.with another against Chesterfield. After two straight defeats, Plymouth
:16:40. > :16:41.Argyle hope to find the knack of scoring against Bury at Home Park,
:16:42. > :16:44.while bottom`of`the`table Torquay United, buoyed by their win over
:16:45. > :16:51.Southend last week, attempt the same at Dagenham and Redbridge.
:16:52. > :16:55.She's been described as the strongest school girl in Britain.
:16:56. > :16:57.17`year`old Shahar Head from Newton Abbot is the world drug`free
:16:58. > :17:09.powerlifting champion, coming first in her age category and second
:17:10. > :17:17.overall. I visited her at her gym. Hello there. You are supposed to be
:17:18. > :17:21.the strongest schoolgirl in Britain but with visual powerlifting gear.
:17:22. > :17:28.I've just come from college where I'm studying. I have to change. Alex
:17:29. > :17:31.Deeterlee has powered her way Finally, Plymouth Raiders have the
:17:32. > :17:32.chance to avenge their BBL Cup semifinal defeat by Leicester Riders
:17:33. > :17:43.when they face not bad for a girl who was bullied
:17:44. > :17:47.at school. I used to get bullied at school so I decided to change.
:17:48. > :17:55.Someone told me to try lifting weights. I loved it ever since. I
:17:56. > :18:02.never knew about it before. It took me by surprise. Powerlifting is
:18:03. > :18:06.different from weightlifting. There are no disciplines like the clean
:18:07. > :18:12.and jerk and snatch. Instead they have the deadlifts in which she
:18:13. > :18:21.lifted 170 kilos to get the world title. There is the squat lift where
:18:22. > :18:28.she lifted 23 stones. And the bench press four which she registered 18
:18:29. > :18:32.kilos. I never expected to get far as I have in such a short space of
:18:33. > :18:38.time. The training is intense and very hard. It is a long journey with
:18:39. > :18:47.injuries. I am completely surprised by how well I have done. Some
:18:48. > :18:50.federations have tried to get into the Olympics but claimed there are
:18:51. > :18:59.too many power spots in the Olympics, but hopefully one day.
:19:00. > :19:10.That is your lot, I need a break. So did I, after matching her pound for
:19:11. > :19:15.pound full top `` pound. Plymouth Raiders have the chance to avenge
:19:16. > :19:19.their semi`couple `` semifinal defeat at the pavillion this Sunday
:19:20. > :19:24.afternoon. Enjoy your Christmas shopping.
:19:25. > :19:28.Thank you very much. Now, every year some people go all
:19:29. > :19:30.out to have the best display of Christmas lights in the
:19:31. > :19:34.neighbourhood ` and you either love them or hate them! Well, this year,
:19:35. > :19:38.one young man from Braunton in North Devon, has pulled out all the stops
:19:39. > :19:41.and is raising money for charity at the same time. Spotlight's North
:19:42. > :19:48.Devon reporter, Andrea Ormsby, has the story.
:19:49. > :19:53.It has been weeks in the planning and now it is dazzling the
:19:54. > :20:02.neighbours and they love it. I planned it all out first, it took me
:20:03. > :20:09.three weeks altogether. Endless night, and most evenings. It took me
:20:10. > :20:14.a while. I have had a few comments like it is brilliant and well done.
:20:15. > :20:18.I have had if few donations. It is the creation of Josh will Lidl to
:20:19. > :20:26.raise money for a new chemotherapy units. `` Josh Liddall. Both his
:20:27. > :20:32.grandparents died off cancer. I think it is a great idea. It is the
:20:33. > :20:38.best thing he could have done. We really are proud of him. It is
:20:39. > :20:44.brilliant. You know where you are coming, round the corner. You must
:20:45. > :20:49.be proud of him? Oh yes, very proud and I think his grandfather would
:20:50. > :20:56.have been very crowded as well. `` very proud. We have a river of
:20:57. > :21:10.lights here. We have bested penguins seem. `` festive penguin seen. Next
:21:11. > :21:13.year he plans to go bigger and better and in the future watch out
:21:14. > :21:21.King of Christmas lights, you have competition.
:21:22. > :21:24.Spectacular. Didn't he do well. Please do share your Christmas
:21:25. > :21:33.lights pictures with us. Dean from St Dennis in Cornwall sent this one
:21:34. > :21:35.in earlier. Thank you. You can share yours on our facebook page, that's
:21:36. > :21:44.facebook.com/bbcspotlight. We look forward to seeing them. This is my
:21:45. > :21:47.last programme before Christmas so I want to thank everyone who sent in
:21:48. > :21:59.Christmas cards and gifts, very kind and generous and much appreciated.
:22:00. > :22:01.Now for the weather. If you have outdoor decorations, make sure they
:22:02. > :22:06.are securely fastened because we have strong winds. We have more
:22:07. > :22:14.unsettled weather across the weekend, so it will be windy and
:22:15. > :22:17.there will be rain and showers. We start off with a weather warning
:22:18. > :22:24.from the Met Office for the rain tonight. Strong gas when as well. It
:22:25. > :22:34.is especially their heavy rainfall to watch out for the top `` strong
:22:35. > :22:38.gusts of wind. Flood alerts are out for rivers around the region. Keep
:22:39. > :22:47.an eye on the Environment Agency website. This is the satellite
:22:48. > :22:52.picture from earlier on. You can see this huge patch of cloud moving end
:22:53. > :22:56.during the day which is associated with an area of low pressure. We
:22:57. > :23:03.will have heavy rainfall, peaking around midnight. The rain will
:23:04. > :23:06.eventually clear. We have a line of intention is heading our way
:23:07. > :23:14.tomorrow afternoon. Windy tomorrow as well. More showers on Sunday from
:23:15. > :23:24.top cooler year by the end of the weekend. Cloud and showers
:23:25. > :23:38.throughout the day. This rain will arrive from the West stop `` from
:23:39. > :23:49.the West. It remains very mild overnight. First thing tomorrow, the
:23:50. > :23:54.rain clears from the South. We will have some sunshine for our time on
:23:55. > :23:58.Saturday but for tomorrow afternoon and early evening, this line of
:23:59. > :24:03.showers will do then and we will have torrential downpours locally.
:24:04. > :24:09.There is the risk of hail and thunder with these downpours. It
:24:10. > :24:18.remains mild with the south`westerly winds stop temperatures are around
:24:19. > :24:36.12 degrees. Some sunshine for the Isles of Scilly is but strong winds.
:24:37. > :24:43.Times of high water... Big waves, choppy conditions and eyes to see we
:24:44. > :24:54.have the south`westerly wind, increasing to gale force at times.
:24:55. > :24:56.On Monday, you can see this next batch of low`pressure sweeps them
:24:57. > :25:03.bringing more heavy rain which will continue into Christmas Eve. If your
:25:04. > :25:10.travel plans for next week, take note of possible disruption. We have
:25:11. > :25:17.an early warning out for Monday already for wet and windy
:25:18. > :25:20.conditions. Keep an eye on that. That's it from us on this last
:25:21. > :25:23.Friday before Christmas and having heard carols sung by singers from
:25:24. > :25:27.our four counties, tonight we hear once again from the Cornish Choir.
:25:28. > :25:30.Recorded in the Mary Harris Chapel at the University of Exeter, we
:25:31. > :25:32.leave you this evening with the Angel Carol sung by the Sterts
:25:33. > :25:47.Singers. Goodnight.
:25:48. > :27:46.# MUSIC: Angel Carol sung by the Sterts Singers.