:00:12. > :00:15.Violent crime, sexual offences and shoplifting are all on the increase
:00:16. > :00:21.but overall crime has fallen in Devon and Cornwall.
:00:22. > :00:24.Good evening, welcome to Spotlight. Tonight, we'll be investigating what
:00:25. > :00:28.the force is doing to combat the rise in some offences and hear from
:00:29. > :00:31.a victim of crime. Also in the programme: 900 jobs
:00:32. > :00:36.under threat at the Land Registry in the South West. Staff in Plymouth
:00:37. > :00:39.and Weymouth could see their jobs privatised as the Government looks
:00:40. > :00:43.for flexibility on pay and conditions.
:00:44. > :00:44.And the new recruits making a dogged difference to a search and rescue
:00:45. > :00:53.team. There's been a big increase in
:00:54. > :00:56.violence and sexual crime across Devon and Cornwall, according to new
:00:57. > :00:59.police figures. Across the two counties in 2013 there was an
:01:00. > :01:07.overall fall in recorded crime of almost 3%. But within that, public
:01:08. > :01:10.order offences were up almost 20%. Violent offences were up by more
:01:11. > :01:14.than 5%. And sexual offences rose by almost 12% although police say much
:01:15. > :01:18.of that may be due to increased confidence amongst victims to report
:01:19. > :01:29.crimes. Spotlight's home affairs correspondent, Simon Hall, reports.
:01:30. > :01:36.This man was set upon in an unprovoked assault in a night out in
:01:37. > :01:41.Exeter. It has had a lasting effect. It is almost a paranoid feeling. You
:01:42. > :01:46.are barely aware of everyone knew what past and people who looked
:01:47. > :01:53.dodgy. It is quite scary I suppose. It does make you think, why can't
:01:54. > :01:58.you just go out and enjoy yourself and just have fun. Why does someone
:01:59. > :02:05.have to go out in a malicious way Andrew in that for you?
:02:06. > :02:09.Violent crime, much of it related to alcohol and the night`time economy,
:02:10. > :02:16.is one of the main concerns. It rose by more than 5%.
:02:17. > :02:20.That is an area, quite rightly, that the public would expect the police
:02:21. > :02:28.to take not just an active interest in, but an active intervention. We
:02:29. > :02:31.are going to look at how we can intervene individually and as
:02:32. > :02:39.partner organisations to reduce the amount of violent crime.
:02:40. > :02:43.The police also said they working were considering cutting some
:02:44. > :02:53.operations to make savings. They couldn't say how many civilian staff
:02:54. > :03:02.might lose jobs. They said a target to reduce crime by 2% will be
:03:03. > :03:11.missed. Given they have already suffered wide`ranging budget cuts
:03:12. > :03:14.and more are expected. Before news of the possible job
:03:15. > :03:17.losses at inquiry offices emerged this afternoon, I spoke to the Devon
:03:18. > :03:20.and Cornwall Police and Crime Commissioner Tony Hogg. When he took
:03:21. > :03:25.office he said tackling violent crime and domestic abuse was a top
:03:26. > :03:32.priority. I asked him when his policies would start having an
:03:33. > :03:36.impact. We are already having an impact in
:03:37. > :03:47.the mail this because never before have we had such an analysis `` in
:03:48. > :03:53.my office. I have a team working very hard with the police to find
:03:54. > :03:57.out what is going on in the areas of violence and the other areas you
:03:58. > :04:03.mention and I am very pleased with the progress we are making.
:04:04. > :04:07.Having a team in your office analysing the figures is all well
:04:08. > :04:10.and good but I would imagine people watching this programme would like
:04:11. > :04:14.to know what is being done in practical terms to make them safer
:04:15. > :04:22.and to deal with issues such as violent abuse and domestic offences.
:04:23. > :04:29.One of the first things I did was to stop the decline I inherited on the
:04:30. > :04:44.reduction of Holy See officers. I am determined to hold policing officers
:04:45. > :04:48.up. I want to reassure the public. I am sorry to push up but I'm still
:04:49. > :04:52.not clear what practical difference, what change of strategy, will be in
:04:53. > :05:01.place by Paul is on the ground to deal with things like domestic abuse
:05:02. > :05:08.and violent disorder. What practical steps were the public see?
:05:09. > :05:11.To some extent this is an operational matter for the Chief
:05:12. > :05:18.Constable to deliver and he is already delivering a new policing
:05:19. > :05:23.and distribution of police officers to I just the distribution of the
:05:24. > :05:34.service to the issues that they face, ie challenging more specific
:05:35. > :05:38.areas of crime that you mentioned. It is my job to hold the police to
:05:39. > :05:44.account and we do that in the public eye regularly and it is my job to
:05:45. > :05:49.invite the Chief Constable to get past the solutions and not come up
:05:50. > :06:00.with them myself. Thank you very much. A youth club
:06:01. > :06:04.volunteer who locked young girls in a computer room and abused them has
:06:05. > :06:06.been jailed for 20 years at Exeter Crown Court.
:06:07. > :06:10.Mark Chudley of Mount Pleasant Road in Brixham, was found guilty of two
:06:11. > :06:12.counts of rape, three of false imprisonment, gross indecency
:06:13. > :06:15.against a child and nine counts of indecent assault.
:06:16. > :06:18.Police in Dorset say an operation to tackle domestic abuse over Christmas
:06:19. > :06:22.and New Year was a success and will be repeated. Cases of domestic abuse
:06:23. > :06:24.fell by 5% over the period compared with the same time the previous
:06:25. > :06:28.year. Only a quarter of the badgers killed
:06:29. > :06:30.in a pilot cull in Somerset were culled using controlled shooting,
:06:31. > :06:33.official figures have revealed. Just 360 badgers of the 1450 culled in
:06:34. > :06:40.the six`week trial were free running. Far more were trapped in
:06:41. > :06:46.cages and shot. The figures have prompted further criticism of claims
:06:47. > :06:49.that the culls were a success. Spotlight has learned that up to 900
:06:50. > :06:53.jobs could be under threat in the region as privatisation is
:06:54. > :06:56.considered for the Land Registry. The registry is an arm of the
:06:57. > :07:00.Department for Business, Innovation and Skills and keeps track of who
:07:01. > :07:03.owns property. Its South West bases are at Weymouth, employing around
:07:04. > :07:08.230 people, and in Plymouth, where 650 staff work. Plymouth is the
:07:09. > :07:11.organisation's national computer centre and it's from there that our
:07:12. > :07:20.business correspondent Neil Gallacher reports.
:07:21. > :07:24.Staff at the Land Registry in Plymouth face an uncertain future.
:07:25. > :07:32.Just as at Weymouth, the jobs here are especially valuable to the local
:07:33. > :07:37.economy because he, and conditions are relatively good. This
:07:38. > :07:50.organisation has been seen as an employer on which the local economy
:07:51. > :07:56.can depend. After a government consultation there is the idea to
:07:57. > :08:05.change. I am concerned about a worse service
:08:06. > :08:19.for the public. People of the lower calibre on lower salaries will do ``
:08:20. > :08:25.do a worse job. The main aims are a better service
:08:26. > :08:28.and more flexibility on pay and recruitment.
:08:29. > :08:33.We are hard`working public servants that do a good job and deserve to be
:08:34. > :08:39.awarded as such. Like The Met Office, the Land
:08:40. > :08:48.Registry is currently a trading harm. They are a cornerstone of the
:08:49. > :08:58.property industry even though they are often hidden in the background.
:08:59. > :09:03.The sell`off could raise billions. What are the chances of some forms
:09:04. > :09:09.of privatisation taking place? Some change looks nigh uncertain but
:09:10. > :09:11.they haven't ruled out doing nothing. It wouldn't necessarily
:09:12. > :09:25.mean the closure of either office but I know some staff have been
:09:26. > :09:33.worried about those options. What has been the wider reaction?
:09:34. > :09:40.Politicians are watching it closely. Alison Seabeck says she will be
:09:41. > :09:49.taking questions on notice. They are worried that public services are
:09:50. > :10:00.having to be more efficient but what the effect of that is on the local
:10:01. > :10:03.population. A second search for an angler
:10:04. > :10:06.missing off North Cornwall has been called off. The angler, washed off
:10:07. > :10:08.rocks near Polzeath yesterday, was tonight named as 23`year`old Mike
:10:09. > :10:13.Bindon from Plymouth. Spotlight's David George reports.
:10:14. > :10:21.Coastguard cliff rescue teams from Polzeath and had still carried out
:10:22. > :10:30.the search. 23`year`old Mike Bindon from Plymouth was swept off the
:10:31. > :10:36.rocks yesterday morning. Coastguard rescue teams were involved in the
:10:37. > :10:41.initial search. This is a camera on board a lifeboat searching the sea
:10:42. > :10:47.in a two metre swell. The missing angler was wearing a hooded jacket,
:10:48. > :10:54.jeans and trainers. Angling experts say that angler 's should carry
:10:55. > :11:01.survival equipment like that used in other water based activities.
:11:02. > :11:09.We would advised people to wear a flotation device like a survival
:11:10. > :11:13.suit or a survival suit are flatpack life jacket. Going in pairs has
:11:14. > :11:20.proved invaluable in this case. If the gentleman had been on his own we
:11:21. > :11:24.would never have known. Nothing was found in the search
:11:25. > :11:31.today and no further searches are planned.
:11:32. > :11:34.A boat service providing a lifeline to flooded communities in Somerset
:11:35. > :11:37.will continue. The service to Muchelney and Thorney is crewed by
:11:38. > :11:40.the Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service. It was due to end
:11:41. > :11:43.tomorrow. But the County Council says it'll pay for it for as long as
:11:44. > :11:46.it is needed. There were long delays for drivers
:11:47. > :11:50.commuting to Plymouth this morning after a crash on the A38. Traffic
:11:51. > :11:54.queued for more than eight miles on some approaches as police closed
:11:55. > :11:56.part of the road, near Plympton, to deal with the accident.
:11:57. > :12:00.Drivers who use the tag payment system on the Tamar Bridge and
:12:01. > :12:05.Torpoint Ferries could have to pay more from April. There are plans to
:12:06. > :12:12.impose a new 80p a month charge to raise an extra half a million pounds
:12:13. > :12:16.a year. The new fee will mean that crossing charges will not have to go
:12:17. > :12:18.up for at least the next three years.
:12:19. > :12:20.The Plymouth Moor View MP, Alison Seabeck, says teachers are forcing
:12:21. > :12:24.too many 16`year`olds to continue their education at school instead of
:12:25. > :12:27.going to college or taking up an apprenticeship. She raised the issue
:12:28. > :12:33.in the House of Commons today. Our Political Editor Martyn Oates joins
:12:34. > :12:37.me now. What's been said? We are used to hearing politicians
:12:38. > :12:41.applauding the fact that more children are staying at school and
:12:42. > :12:45.then going on to university. She was making the point that that is not
:12:46. > :12:48.right for everybody and schools should help people with other
:12:49. > :12:52.options. Young people across Plymouth tell me
:12:53. > :12:55.they are feeling like little more than walking pots of money when it
:12:56. > :12:59.comes to careers advice and schools have been almost harassing them at
:13:00. > :13:02.times when it comes to keeping them in school, almost mitigating against
:13:03. > :13:11.some of them going off and doing engineering apprenticeships, as the
:13:12. > :13:15.honourable gentleman pointed out. We spoke to some young people
:13:16. > :13:20.pursuing vocational courses and they seem to agree.
:13:21. > :13:23.I felt like I was being belittled because I couldn't make my own
:13:24. > :13:27.decisions without it being a problem to them. It was almost a compulsory
:13:28. > :13:32.thing to apply for sixth form when I didn't want to. I was disregarded.
:13:33. > :13:35.We were told in the careers office, basically, sixth form was the way
:13:36. > :13:37.forward. If you deterred of that party, you would essentially be
:13:38. > :13:41.failing in life. They'd rather you stayed in sixth
:13:42. > :13:48.form. I didn't want to do that, I had had enough of school by then,
:13:49. > :13:52.I'd rather go back to college. Did the government have anything to
:13:53. > :13:58.say about resolving this issue? More in agreements relate. Question
:13:59. > :14:00.was answered by Vince Cable who is responsible for skills and
:14:01. > :14:03.vocational training. Specifically in relation to schools,
:14:04. > :14:06.we do recognise there is an issue with recognising the career path
:14:07. > :14:19.that is non`academic and we will shortly issue guidance to schools on
:14:20. > :14:22.how to access independent advice. Just before Christmas, he questioned
:14:23. > :14:29.whether to many people were taking degrees they didn't really need. He
:14:30. > :14:34.said to say that a nurse or a police officer needed a degree was simply
:14:35. > :14:41.qualification inflation. Several governments have presided over
:14:42. > :14:44.increasing numbers of people going to university so any criticism from
:14:45. > :14:46.this kind of quarter is something to note.
:14:47. > :14:49.Residents living along a country lane in Cornwall say its rural
:14:50. > :14:53.nature has been spoilt after the council put up more than 60 no
:14:54. > :14:56.parking signs. The signs are every 25 metres along the road, near
:14:57. > :14:59.Newquay. But Cornwall Council says they are necessary to comply with
:15:00. > :15:09.the law, as Spotlight's Eleanor Parkinson reports.
:15:10. > :15:17.This country road like many others has its usual rural landmarks.
:15:18. > :15:29.Rustic hedges, hates giving way to Jews of the sea and a sheep. ``
:15:30. > :15:32.views of the sea. There is a parking saying and another one on the other
:15:33. > :15:39.side of the road and we can see three others. Locals say they have
:15:40. > :15:44.counted more than 60 signs on a one`mile stretch. The signs were
:15:45. > :15:49.erected just before Christmas and many residents say they are an
:15:50. > :15:54.eyesore and a waste of money. It is supposed to be an area of
:15:55. > :16:08.great beauty and people come here to enjoy that.
:16:09. > :16:14.It is clearly a case of regulations overcoming common`sense. This is a
:16:15. > :16:19.site of scenic beauty. The hedges themselves are part of the heritage.
:16:20. > :16:22.Tourists come to see the scenic beauty, they don't come to see road
:16:23. > :16:30.signs. The council says they are designed
:16:31. > :16:35.to control public parking `` problem parking in the summer and they have
:16:36. > :16:39.to make them enforceable. However, discussions are taking place with
:16:40. > :16:42.the parish council to see a things could be managed any different way.
:16:43. > :16:46.The recent flooding which has affected much of the South West has
:16:47. > :16:48.caused havoc for our wildlife. Smaller mammals, butterflies and
:16:49. > :16:51.fish have been particularly hit but, as our Environment Correspondent
:16:52. > :17:00.Adrian Campbell reports, it seems some of our wild birds are enjoying
:17:01. > :17:04.the milder winter. Millions of cubic metres of water
:17:05. > :17:09.has settled right here in the middle of the Somerset Levels. Effectively
:17:10. > :17:18.transforming the landscape and making this spectacular inland lake.
:17:19. > :17:21.Across the South West during December there was double the
:17:22. > :17:29.rainfall you would expect. Together with the mild winter that has meant
:17:30. > :17:35.some of wildlife has suffered. Hedgehogs should be asleep that this
:17:36. > :17:44.time of year, hibernating, but the mild weather means many of them will
:17:45. > :17:57.be waking up and looking for food. Some species of fish have spent the
:17:58. > :18:03.autumn finding their beds have been covered.
:18:04. > :18:18.The RSPB says this has been a good winter for birds.
:18:19. > :18:29.The bit on the east coast threatened by a rising sea`level but now we
:18:30. > :18:39.have the population. Of course we have seen lots of
:18:40. > :18:44.flooding but the water on these reserves is also preventing flooding
:18:45. > :18:53.and other parts of the region. It has been good weather for ducks.
:18:54. > :19:01.They're highly trained, very enthusiastic, and they can do the
:19:02. > :19:03.job of twenty people. I'm not talking about male presenters! And,
:19:04. > :19:05.after two years of preparation, they're finally ready to get to
:19:06. > :19:09.work. Yes, Cornwall Search Rescue team
:19:10. > :19:12.has just welcomed two new members to its ranks ` the first four legged
:19:13. > :19:15.volunteers in the charity's ten year history. Spotlight's Andy Birkett
:19:16. > :19:19.has been to see them in action. Sharon and her dog Millie have
:19:20. > :19:22.reason to celebrate. They have just graduated from training and are now
:19:23. > :19:25.officially part of the Cornish search and rescue team. But it was
:19:26. > :19:27.luck that brought them to the service.
:19:28. > :19:31.It was just a chance conversation. On joining the team, I realised I
:19:32. > :19:35.could bring two things together. I already had my dog as a young puppy
:19:36. > :19:39.who was keen to be working. She needed something to do.
:19:40. > :19:42.There are 11 search and rescue dogs in the South West but, before Sharon
:19:43. > :19:46.and her colleague qualified this month, the Cornwall team didn't have
:19:47. > :19:48.any, so this will make a huge difference.
:19:49. > :19:52.Effectively, we are doubling the size of the team by adding two dogs
:19:53. > :19:59.because each of the dogs can basically cover what 20
:20:00. > :20:04.foot`searchers can do. Hidden in the bag is team`mate Phil.
:20:05. > :20:09.Millie has got to find him. She is sniffing for that sent that
:20:10. > :20:13.she can pick up. You can see her behaviour changed slightly. She has
:20:14. > :20:18.found her dogsbody so she is coming back and will tell Sharon she has
:20:19. > :20:21.found him. Then we just need to follow her.
:20:22. > :20:25.She is loving this, isn't she? You can tell.
:20:26. > :20:29.Absolutely. It is all just fun and a big game for them and the reward is
:20:30. > :20:32.the ball. That's all she is doing it for really.
:20:33. > :20:35.Eager to join in is Ziva, the next generation. She has clearly got the
:20:36. > :20:39.enthusiasm but he has only just done her training.
:20:40. > :20:42.The first process is trying to get the basic obedience before moving on
:20:43. > :20:47.to the specialist search dog training. As you've seen today, she
:20:48. > :20:52.is quite an energetic mood and I have been struggling to keep her in
:20:53. > :20:57.a calm state. But Ziva has a long way to go. It
:20:58. > :21:06.takes about two years on average to get the dog up to speed. Now it was
:21:07. > :21:11.my turn to be a dogsbody. Body Andy in position and ready.
:21:12. > :21:16.Thankfully, Millie didn't let me down.
:21:17. > :21:20.She is getting close now, here they come.
:21:21. > :21:26.WOOF! That didn't take very long.
:21:27. > :21:39.But for her this is what it's all about.
:21:40. > :21:44.They love it, don't they? I know, I would be tempted to leave
:21:45. > :21:48.and do there. Now, do you know how old the Big Ben
:21:49. > :21:51.bell is? Or when King Richard III was killed? Well, they're questions
:21:52. > :21:53.you'd have to answer if you were looking to move to the UK from
:21:54. > :21:57.abroad. They're part of the Life In The UK
:21:58. > :22:01.test and people in North Devon have been finding out how British they
:22:02. > :22:05.are by trying to answer some of the questions in a pub quiz. Spotlight's
:22:06. > :22:11.John Danks went to see how they got on.
:22:12. > :22:17.Which of these forts were part of Hadrian 's Wall? Choose to answers.
:22:18. > :22:21.The monarch is the head of the Church of England, true or false?
:22:22. > :22:26.The questions cover everything from history and politics through to the
:22:27. > :22:30.British constitution. How often are elections held in
:22:31. > :22:35.Britain? This crowd weren't planning to stay
:22:36. > :22:43.in Britain but were taking its just as seriously.
:22:44. > :22:48.They are starting to sweat. This lady has taken the real
:22:49. > :22:58.citizenship test and questions from friends led her to host this quiz.
:22:59. > :23:04.Akram is, as we say in the United States. The differences, if I don't
:23:05. > :23:17.pass, I'm out of here. If they don't pass, they get another is gone ``
:23:18. > :23:27.another scone or whatever it is. Some were surprised how difficult it
:23:28. > :23:32.was. A lot of them were to modern day living.
:23:33. > :23:37.I just guessed the answers and was lucky if I got right.
:23:38. > :23:43.I passed so I can stay. The results are in and did everyone
:23:44. > :23:48.get them all right? No, in fact quite a few fields to get 75%, the
:23:49. > :23:55.pass mark. I think less than half past I passed
:23:56. > :24:01.so, you know what, you guys are stuck with me. I'm here.
:24:02. > :24:07.The British citizens must try harder.
:24:08. > :24:11.It looks really difficult, doesn't it?
:24:12. > :24:15.I might go online and have a look later.
:24:16. > :24:28.Let us know if you've passed. We have got more rain in the
:24:29. > :24:38.forecast not only for tomorrow but also for Sunday. The rain keeps on
:24:39. > :24:43.coming. Tomorrow it will be accompanied by quite strong winds
:24:44. > :24:50.but at least it is milder. Part of Somerset still badly flooded. We do
:24:51. > :24:54.have a warning for further rain, particularly for those areas in
:24:55. > :25:01.Somerset that are sensitive to rainfall. There will be quite tricky
:25:02. > :25:07.driving conditions tomorrow. All of it is coming from this cloud that is
:25:08. > :25:10.racing across the Atlantic. It will produce more persistent rain in the
:25:11. > :25:16.early hours of the morning and widespread rain throughout tomorrow.
:25:17. > :25:30.There will be mist and fog over the motherland. `` over the moorland.
:25:31. > :25:32.Briefly today we did get some brightness but it was short`lived
:25:33. > :25:48.because the cloud has been streaming and. Some glimpses of sunshine here.
:25:49. > :25:52.With a bit of shelter, the south coast hasn't been so bad.
:25:53. > :26:06.Temperatures up to eight or nine degrees. There are some fairly big
:26:07. > :26:13.seas out there. Tonight, the rain is patchy nature and widespread by the
:26:14. > :26:19.end of the night. Initially, we might see temperatures into single
:26:20. > :26:24.figures but we won't have anything to worry about. Those temperatures
:26:25. > :26:36.continue to increase as the milder air sets on but so does the rain. It
:26:37. > :26:48.doesn't really clear until the evening. Unusually warm for the
:26:49. > :26:59.month of January. Quite a wet day for the Isles of Scilly.
:27:00. > :27:12.The surf is pretty mist up because of the wind.
:27:13. > :27:17.Very messy conditions, quite dangerous on some beaches. Poor
:27:18. > :27:23.visibility out at sea because of the rain. We still have several flood
:27:24. > :27:31.warnings in place. There is the flood line number. Brighter on
:27:32. > :27:37.Saturday but more wet weather on Sunday and Monday.
:27:38. > :27:42.If you want to enjoy those search and rescue dogs again or any of the
:27:43. > :27:53.other items they are on our Facebook page. Good night.
:27:54. > :28:16.A star will be born on The Voice 2014!