09/02/2017 Spotlight

Good evening. BBC News Channel.

Devon and Cornwall Police stand accused tonight of failing

the victims of crime after it emerged that it had failed

to record 17,000 serious offences, including rape.

But, as John Danks reports, the group that represents serving

rank and file officers has defended the performance.

Call the police to report a crime but, in too many cases,

staff don't treat the information they are given as they should,

not officially recording an offence straightaway,

A victim may benefit from getting immediate help,

or they could potentially find themselves in more danger

It all depends on how officers view claims being made,

but inspectors say the current situation is wholly unacceptable.

The report estimated that more than 17,000 crimes are not

They include rape, sexual offences and violent attacks.

A survey found that crime reporting processes are convoluted and staff

don't understand the basic crime reporting principles.

Inspectors believe it to be a systemic failure and have rated

Devon and Cornwall Police inadequate,

saying many victims are being let down.

We don't believe that we've let victims down.

Victims of serious offences such as rape and sexual offences can have

every confidence and step forward to Devon and Cornwall Police.

We will take their allegations very seriously.

We will ensure that they are safe and we will conduct thorough

investigations and where appropriate bring prosecutions.

How those matters are recorded in the background

We need to address those, they need to be accurate

so that we provide an accurate picture of the true level

But victims remain at the heart of what we do here in Devon

and Cornwall and victims can have the utmost confidence to step

forward as they have been doing in increasing numbers over

Devon and Cornwall's Police and Crime Commissioner,

Alison Hernandez, says she takes the report very seriously

and has already set up a new group to look at ways

Research by the BBC shows it took 342 days for one patient to be

discharged from the Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital to a care home.

In all, five patients were delayed for over 100 days.

All were linked to a lack of social care.

A hospital spokesman said many had complex conditions

And you can read more about that research,

together with the hospital's detailed response and its plans

on how to ease the problems, on the BBC News website.

The Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Local Enterprise Partnership

has tonight welcomed a new ?10 million Government scheme

to support the creation of the UK's first Spaceport by 2020.

The Partnership is hoping Newquay Airport will be chosen.

There will be grants towards a project offering

commercial space flights and providing both a launch base

for satellites and facilities promoting science.

Dorset's fire authority has agreed a budget

It will mean a council tax rise of 2.6 pence per week

The authority has one of the lowest operating budgets in the country.

Fire prevention work will increase under the plans,

although the authority had its Government grant cut by 12%.

A little bit of Westminster came to Cornwall today,

as the cross party committee on exiting the EU

It's all part of an inquiry into how the UK negotiates its position

Spotlight's Tamsin Melville explains.

Cornwall was just the latest place that this committee of MPs

are visiting on a tour around the country getting opinions

There is still a lot of uncertainty out there but here in Cornwall

the various sectors have got together and come up with this

glossy document talking about both the risks

The MPs said they were very impressed with this can-do attitude.

The way in which Cornwall has said, right, that's the decision,

How do we get on with it? What are the challenges?

And I think it was informed partly by the importance of that funding

If it is not going to be there any more from that source,

what is going to replace it? How do we want that to work?

Can we have more devolution so we can take more

The MPs heard opinions on a wide range of topics

including fishing, tourism, migration and agriculture.

But, unsurprisingly, a key theme emerged and that was that Cornwall

voted to leave despite all the EU millions it's received in recent

years and what could or should replace that in the future.

There was a message that most of those giving evidence

It is not about us being a grant-dependent economy.

It is about making sure that we've got the right access to investment

to unlock the potential that we have here, whether that's loans

or impact bonds, so that we can continue to deliver

So, Cornwall would like Westminster to keep stumping up some cash.

Other themes were the importance of being able to access labour

from the EU and continued support for farmers.

There's going to be a transition period.

We know where we are now but we don't necessarily

We don't want to fall off a cliff so transition money is key.

Quite what happens further out we don't know because we don't know

the trade deal so we don't know what we're contending with.

The committee says it is clear on what findings it will now report

What impact any of this will have is less clear.

A service was held today to mark one of the most courageous actions

in the history of Royal Navy aircrew.

Forces personnel and relatives gathered at the Fleet Air Arm Church

in Yeovilton to honour the airmen who took on

the German Battle Fleet 75 years ago.

Six planes were shot down and 13 aircrew were killed in the battle.

They came today to remember the extraordinary actions of 18 men.

In a hushed stillness of this Yeovilton church,

the story of a desperate, hellish mission was retold.

In 1942, three huge German battleships made a dash for home

to Germany through the English Channel.

They expected to be targets so a screen of German destroyers,

E-boats and minesweepers plus 200 fighter aircraft went with them.

Here through enemy eyes is how the Fleet Air Arm, under

the command of Lieutenant Commander Esmond VC, went against them.

One of the finest exhibitions of self sacrifice and devotion

Towards that fearsome assembly flew six Fleet Air Arm Swordfish

They never got close enough to drop their bombs.

Shells and bullets ripped through the canvas-covered

Today meant an awful lot to relatives, who will never forget.

Our lives today really was shaped by what these folks did for us.

Our men and other men and other wives, husbands...

And for future generations of any war that has happened,

be it further back into history or anything unfortunately that might

happen in the future, we have to thank people

Today's 825 Naval Air Squadron paid tribute in its own way to those

They knew their chances of coming back where minimum and yet

they still pressed on their attack against vastly superior force.

Bravery is even more commendable when it is in the face

Anybody can be brave when you're winning but to be

brave when you're losing, that's impressive and that's

All 18 aircrew were heroes that day and it was a heroism made

all the more extraordinary in the face of

A very cold winter day and more to come. Finally next week we will

start to warm up but we have two or three days of low temperatures. It

will feel pretty raw for all of us. The combination of low temperatures

and the strength of the wind coming in from the east. Tomorrow will be

colder than it felt today. A few showers around, most of which will

be rain but in some parts of East Devon and Somerset and Dorset there

may be some snowflakes and wintry flurries in the wind but nothing

that will settle. High pressure to the north of the United Kingdom

keeps these easterly winds going. That is going to happen until

Sunday. Temperatures are close to freezing tonight so quite a

widespread frost pretty much everywhere. Along the south coast

first thing tomorrow morning, the risk of a few showers. Most of those

will be rain, as I say. Some sunny spells tomorrow but bands of clouds

creeping in from the east that will keep things rather grey. It will be

a brisk east or not easterly wind and that is with us again on

Saturday. Another frost then another call today with the risk of a few

wintry showers but also some sunshine from time to time so not

too bad. Into next week we start to draw up some slightly less cold air

from Spain and Portugal and noticed there is some yellow starting to

show on Western France. Until next week it will be cold. Fingers

crossed it gets warmer on Monday and Tuesday. Have a good night.

Join us on Spotlight tomorrow to find out why almost two thirds

of children in Devon could lose out under plans to change

will turn a bit less cold again. All the way up seven Celsius.

At this time of year we can often get the weather stories that reflect