Latest news with #BBCPoliticsEast
Yahoo
06-04-2025
- Yahoo
Gangs dragging youngsters into knife crime, says MP
An MP has welcomed extra police funding to tackle organised crime gangs which she says are dragging young people in her town into knife crime. Rachel Hopkins, MP for Luton South and South Bedfordshire, was speaking as new figures show violent crime makes up almost a third of all incidents reported in the town, and a local teacher told the BBC that based on statistics "a knife incident could happen in any school". The government has given an extra £7.3m to Bedfordshire Police to help the force tackle violent and organised crime. Meanwhile, a charity that works with pupils in Luton's schools says its preventative work is making a difference. According to Police UK there were 225 crimes reported in Luton in February. Some 72 of them were recorded as violent or sexual crimes and it is another statistic that shows the challenges facing the town. In January, Bedfordshire was ranked eighth in the country for the number of knife offences by the Office for National Statistics. Last year the county played host to a visit by the Knife Angel, a sculpture built from 100,000 seized blades, which led to the recovery of more than 1,500 knives and weapons in the county. The Att10tive charity has hosted over 100 knife crime workshops and the BBC Politics East programme joined them for a visit to the Chalk Hills Academy. A former pupil, Azaan Kaleem, was fatally stabbed in Luton in March 2018 with two teenagers jailed for his murder. "What people see is the very top of the iceberg, they don't see 95% of work that goes on to reduce it," said Montell Neufville from the charity. "There might be something that happens tomorrow or next week, but you probably won't hear that 10 times more [attacks] did not happen because of the work that goes on every day." But teachers said the threat of knife violence was always present. Michael Taylor said: "Colleagues in our pastoral team have seen an increase in the prevalence of gangs and knife crime and it only seems to be getting bigger and bigger. "If you look at the demographics of Luton and the number of incidents that are happening then a knife incident could happen in any school." However pupils at the academy said they felt safe in Luton. Katie said she heard of "some gang activity" but was not sure if that was just "the news picking out stories that are interesting". Mikhael said he felt "quite safe" as there were "not as much gangs here, compared to London". Anthony said he was worried about gangs near where he lived, but said his Mum had "warned me and told me what I should and should not do". The Wingman Mentors, who are funded by the Bedfordshire Violence and Exploitation Reduction Unit (Veru), have set themselves the target of getting more than 200 bleed kits in locations across the town. One of them, Simon Philbert, said: "One of the frustrations I have is seeing a lot of young people with man bags, and they have other paraphernalia in the bags. "If one of them had a bleed kit in there, it could prevent a fatality. "For me they are a lifesaver. It is not just about the kits, but also the awareness." Hopkins welcomed the award of an extra £7.3m to Bedfordshire police which she said would ensure continued support for frontline operations including tackling serious and organised crime and targeting gangs, gun crime and youth violence in hotspot areas. "We are too aware that there is significant and organised crime in Luton which exploits young people and that's why young people get drawn into knife crime," she said. She said she was also lobbying for Bedfordshire Police to get a better deal under the police funding formula. Maria Lovell, a Labour member of Luton Council and a former mayor, said she felt the town was safe. "There is a lot of immense work going on within our community," she said. "We are working with everybody and we will all be in it together as long as we have to, and we are not giving up." Follow Beds, Herts and Bucks news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X. Group hopes bleed-kit project will save lives Knife Angel memorial to young victims arrives Two men seriously hurt after town centre stabbing ONS: Police force data tables Bedfordshire Violence and Exploitation Reduction Unit Att10tive Wingman Mentors
BBC News
06-04-2025
- BBC News
Luton MP welcomes police funding to tackle gang and knife crime
An MP has welcomed extra police funding to tackle organised crime gangs which she says are dragging young people in her town into knife Hopkins, MP for Luton South and South Bedfordshire, was speaking as new figures show violent crime makes up almost a third of all incidents reported in the town, and a local teacher told the BBC that based on statistics "a knife incident could happen in any school".The government has given an extra £7.3m to Bedfordshire Police to help the force tackle violent and organised a charity that works with pupils in Luton's schools says its preventative work is making a difference. According to Police UK there were 225 crimes reported in Luton in February. Some 72 of them were recorded as violent or sexual crimes and it is another statistic that shows the challenges facing the January, Bedfordshire was ranked eighth in the country for the number of knife offences by the Office for National year the county played host to a visit by the Knife Angel, a sculpture built from 100,000 seized blades, which led to the recovery of more than 1,500 knives and weapons in the county. The Att10tive charity has hosted over 100 knife crime workshops and the BBC Politics East programme joined them for a visit to the Chalk Hills Academy.A former pupil, Azaan Kaleem, was fatally stabbed in Luton in March 2018 with two teenagers jailed for his murder."What people see is the very top of the iceberg, they don't see 95% of work that goes on to reduce it," said Montell Neufville from the charity."There might be something that happens tomorrow or next week, but you probably won't hear that 10 times more [attacks] did not happen because of the work that goes on every day."But teachers said the threat of knife violence was always Taylor said: "Colleagues in our pastoral team have seen an increase in the prevalence of gangs and knife crime and it only seems to be getting bigger and bigger."If you look at the demographics of Luton and the number of incidents that are happening then a knife incident could happen in any school." However pupils at the academy said they felt safe in said she heard of "some gang activity" but was not sure if that was just "the news picking out stories that are interesting".Mikhael said he felt "quite safe" as there were "not as much gangs here, compared to London".Anthony said he was worried about gangs near where he lived, but said his Mum had "warned me and told me what I should and should not do". The Wingman Mentors, who are funded by the Bedfordshire Violence and Exploitation Reduction Unit (Veru), have set themselves the target of getting more than 200 bleed kits in locations across the of them, Simon Philbert, said: "One of the frustrations I have is seeing a lot of young people with man bags, and they have other paraphernalia in the bags."If one of them had a bleed kit in there, it could prevent a fatality."For me they are a lifesaver. It is not just about the kits, but also the awareness." Hopkins welcomed the award of an extra £7.3m to Bedfordshire police which she said would ensure continued support for frontline operations including tackling serious and organised crime and targeting gangs, gun crime and youth violence in hotspot areas."We are too aware that there is significant and organised crime in Luton which exploits young people and that's why young people get drawn into knife crime," she said she was also lobbying for Bedfordshire Police to get a better deal under the police funding Lovell, a Labour member of Luton Council and a former mayor, said she felt the town was safe."There is a lot of immense work going on within our community," she said."We are working with everybody and we will all be in it together as long as we have to, and we are not giving up." Follow Beds, Herts and Bucks news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
BBC News
17-03-2025
- General
- BBC News
Boys at Debenham High School learn lessons about masculinity
Teenagers are being taught that they do not have to conform to dangerous stereotypes about masculinity they see studying at Debenham High School in Suffolk were visited by Paul Clark from Progressive Masculinity, which has been working to reshape the idea of masculinity for boys and show that young men are three times more likely to take their own lives than their female of the reasons is thought to be that boys are conditioned to not show their Clark said: "We are really happy to broaden the boys' views of what it means to be a real man, so they don't feel that they have to conform to this stereotype which is very exclusionary in its nature." He told BBC Politics East: "Most men don't fit into this stereotype of what it means to be a real man: to be physical, to be aggressive and to be dominant."We try to show that men can show strength in other ways so they can be empathetic and it's just to broaden the horizons of the boys to show that, 'Yes, I can show strength in a different way.'"It's always really lifting from my point of view to see they do all show emotions. The problem they have got is they feel that they have to hide it."He remembered one boy who said he had cried, but without anyone seeing him."When I asked him where he cried... he revealed he had cried in the shower because the water was hot and makes his face look flushed and so nobody knows he had been crying," he said."I thought it was so sad that boys go to such lengths to hide their emotions just to fit in with the pack." One of the Debenham pupils, Tom, said it was sometimes difficult to show emotions."I think it's scary to admit something and you really don't know what people are going to think of you," he boy, Tommy, said he had suffered from cyber bullying at primary school."I was struggling about who I was but now I know and that has helped me out," he Trevorrow, head of Year 10 at Debenham High School, said: "I think it is really important that we are making the best future possible for young people."It is very important to show how society could be in the future and these are the people who are going to make the future." Sarah Owen, Labour MP for Luton North and chair of the House of Commons Women and Equalities Committee, told BBC Politics East it was vital to support such programmes in schools. "I think we need to give tools to the pupils of today to ensure that they know when they are being exploited and when they are being exposed to harmful contact and we need platforms, especially search engines, to play their part," she said."For young boys, there have to be positive role models. On my committee last week for [International] Women's Day we had a whole panel of men talking about the importance of fathers involved in their children's lives and the need for shared parental leave." BBC Politics East was broadcast on Sunday, 16 March and can be seen on BBC Suffolk news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
BBC News
02-03-2025
- Politics
- BBC News
Migrant permits should be time-specific
Migrant workers needed in the UK should only be employed on a "time-specific work permit", Nigel Farage leader of Reform UK and Clacton MP claimed care home workers were "necessary" rather than skilled and should not stay in the UK his view was attacked by Liberal Democrat MP Charlotte Cane, who said it was "absolutely a skilled task" and they should be paid properly and welcomed to the MP for Ipswich, Jack Abbott, said the government was reducing immigration and would set up a pay review for people working in the care industry. In an interview with BBC Politics East, Farage said: "If we really can't recruit people in Britain to work in care - and I believe we could with some tweaks to the tax system - recruit them on a time-specific contract with no entitlement to health care or social benefits."We give people who come in indefinite leave to remain and once they have got that they can then bring in their mum, their dad, their aunty, their uncle, theirs. That's what's gone wrong. We have been way too lax on this."He said he recognised skilled workers, such as builders, were sometimes needed from abroad and saw care home workers as "necessary" workers rather than skilled. Cane, the Ely and East Cambridgeshire MP, also appeared on the programme as part of a panel including Labour MP for Ipswich, Jack Abbott, and Tom Pursglove, the former Tory MP for Corby and ex-immigration to Farage, Cane said: "We need to respect the value these people [migrants] are bringing to our country."I really do object to the suggestion that care workers aren't skilled. If you've ever watched a care worker work, they are hugely skilled and hugely important. "We struggle to get enough care givers, who struggle to provide the care people need in their homes. "We should be really grateful that these people are willing to come to our country to help us care for people in need and it is absolutely a skilled task. We also need to pay these people properly." Abbott said: "One of the biggest reasons we have a social care problem in this country is because of retention and recruitment because we don't pay them properly. "We are going to set up a pay review body to make sure we are paying people for the jobs they do."It's an important role but physically demanding too. We should be paying people properly." Pursglove said the Conservative Party still needed to "rebuild trust with the public" on he said Labour's "Smash the Gangs" pledge, intended to target people-smuggling networks, was "a slogan not an action for government".The Home Office has been approached for comment. BBC Politics East will be broadcast on Sunday, 2 March at 10:00 GMT on BBC One in the East of England, and will be available after broadcast on BBC Essex news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
Yahoo
16-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Companies welcome easing of apprenticeship rules
Plans to ditch a requirement for English and maths for apprentices has been welcomed by an East of England business leader. The government announced companies would have the power to decide if the qualifications should be part of a prescribed course when employing apprentices. Candy Richards of the region's Federation of Small Business (FSB) backed the idea but called for extra support for firms wanting to train people given the economic challenges many were facing. Former Conservative apprentices minister and ex-Harlow MP Robert Halfon said he was concerned about reducing skill levels but supported cutting bureaucracy. Labour's Peterborough MP Andy Pakes said: "Apprenticeships are the golden thread that runs through all of the ambitions to build new houses, create new jobs, fix the NHS and get towards net zero." The Department for Education (DfE) said a relaxation of the rules could mean 10,000 more apprentices are able to complete courses every year. At a special edition of BBC Politics East, filmed in Peterborough, Ms Richards said local businesses wanted to "get rid of red tape around apprenticeships". "Removing the requirements of apprentices to have Level 2 in maths and English is definitely going to help". She added: "Small businesses want some financial support... There are financial barriers and we need to get rid of these." Ms Richard said recent FSB research has found that "most small businesses are looking at reducing the headcount or keeping the same number of staff". Mr Halfon said: "There were a lot of changes when I was apprentices minister. "We brought in that the government - the taxpayer - would pay for all the training costs of 16-21-year-old apprentices. "I wish we had introduced a skills tax credit to encourage more SMEs (small and medium-sized enterprises) to have apprentices." But, he added: "I really worry about these functional skills. If you have maths and English, it sets you up for life." Peterborough College's director of apprenticeships James Whybrow said it was important to make apprenticeships "relevant for particular individuals", rather than "one size fits all". Mr Pakes said: "We have to find the mechanisms to support small businesses. "I think the growth in the skills levy (paid by firms) is a really important thing for business. "I speak to Peterborough employers and people support the levy because they see it pays back into their company for the next generation of apprentices. "The challenge now is not the money but how we make sure the money gets to the right places." Callum Mullis, an engineering student at Peterborough College, told BBC Politics East: "As I got older I realised engineering was something that I felt passionate about. "Apprenticeship seemed the better route to go down. "If I only went to sixth form to learn engineering I wouldn't necessarily be able to apply those skills. "Whereas through this apprenticeship I am able to apply it and learn it at the same time." Building apprentice at Peterborough College Tyler Macartney said: "I had run bars and restaurants before and had my child so I wanted a complete change in career and started working in the construction trade, self-employed at first and then for a firm. "My boss came to say it would be a great idea for me to advance my skills and go on and do an apprenticeship. "Nowadays they are building so many homes. You're always going to have work. There's a need for homes. Young people should be doing apprenticeships." BBC Politics East will be broadcast on Sunday, 16 February at 10:00 GMT on BBC One in the East of England, and will be available after broadcast on BBC iPlayer. Follow Peterborough news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X. Apprentices vital for growth, say Essex businesses Apprentices rise through ranks at accountancy firm Maths and English skills ditched for adult apprentices Federation of Small Businesses
