Policing in england and wales is in a potentially perilous state, with victims being let down, criminal cases shelved and suspects left untracked thats the warning from the police watchdog. Her majestys inspectorate of constabulary says most of the 43 forces in england and wales are providing a good service, but a third require improvement. It says some forces are putting the public at an unacceptable risk by rationing their response to crime as they struggle with cutbacks. Our Home Affairs Correspondent Dominic Casciani reports. The cornerstone of british policing the bobby on the beat. Pa rt part of the neighbourhood Front Line Services that solve so many crimes. One of the warnings contained in a stark report. Laura beale was the pride of devon and cornwall police. After 1a years, shes had enough and resigned and says she cannot deal any more with the workload. Her patch went from 17 officers to six. We need to focus on the front line. You want to see a Police Officer and if somebody came up to me and said, officer i needs help, id be able to go and have the time to with it. Hmic says after five years of cuts to the budget and workforce, some chiefs are not making the right tough calls and in some areas, inspectors found 999 calls being downgraded because they could not manage the pressure with officers left behind. Hmi is a also said some Domestic Violence calls are not being treated seriously enough. Other forces have ignored being treated seriously enough. Otherforces have ignored leads on organised crime and only durham is delivering outstanding results. Neighbourhood policing, that proactive presence of Police Officers in communities, is eroding even further so that means they are not stopping crime from happening in the first place and that is what the public want to see. Domestic violence is now a national priority, one of the modern demands on forces long focused on burglaries, car crime and muggings. Officers need new Skills Including finding and solving crimes with computers. Experts warn forces will lose the trust of the public if they do not modernise. If people dont have a response from the police force when they call, whats going to happen when they actually see something happening . What about when they get a piece of information that should rightly be handed on to the police . They will think that they dont care. Im not going to, theyll think, they didnt care about me. This report is a very clear message that Police Officers have work to do. A Clearance Message from us and the hmic that the police and Crime Commissioners need to get a grip that look at what their are. This report is a warning that some forces have been tipped over the edge in an era of austerity. The nature of crime has been changing and that means ministers, Chief Constables and the public need to think carefully about what modern policing is for. Hmic says there is even a National Crisis in recruiting detectives. Just another of the reasons why detectives. Just another of the reasons why some detectives. Just another of the reasons why some forces are facing a difficult future. One of Donald Trumps closest advisors the attorney general, jeff sessions, has been accused of lying under oath to the senate after it emerged he had two undisclosed meetings with the Russian Ambassador during the american president ial campaign. The senior democrat in the house of representatives, nancy pelosi, has called on him to resign. Our correspondent Richard Galpin reports. Sessions was already a controversial choice as attorney general because of allegations which he denies of racism. And now its been revealed that during the president ial Election Campaign last year, he had two undisclosed meetings with this man. The Russian Ambassador to washington. I endorse donald trump. Thats potentially damaging for mr sessions because russia has been accused of running a Cyber Campaign to skew the election in favour of donald trump. The whole truth and nothing but the truth. During his Confirmation Hearing in the senate last month, to become attorney general, mr sessions had been directly asked about contacts with russia. And if there is any evidence that any one affiliated with the Trump Campaign communicated with the russian government in the course of this campaign, what will you do . Im not aware of any of those activities. I have been called a surrogates at a time in that campaign and i did not have the communications with the russians. Im unable to comment. Already, theres been a furious response from senior democrats including nancy pelosi. Shes tweeted that mr sessions is not fit to serve as a top Law Enforcement officer of the country. And that he must resign. This morning, mr sessions denied lying under oath. I have not met with any russians at any time to discuss any Political Campaign and those remarks are unbelievable to me. I dont have anything else to say. According to his spokesperson, mr sessions had many meetings with foreign ambassadors last year but these were in his capacity as a senator, not in connection with the president ial campaign. Therefore, he argues, he did nothing wrong. But just two weeks ago, questions about connections with russian officials led to the resignation of michael flynn, Trumps National security adviser. Mr sessions may face another problem now. As attorney general, he oversees the Department Ofjustice general, he oversees the Department Of Justice and the general, he oversees the Department Ofjustice and the fbi. Both are currently investigating russias alleged meddling in the us election and any alleged links with trumps associates. Lets speak to our correspondent jane obrien whos in washington. Mr sessions denying the allegations but the pressure is continuing to grow on him. It is but i dont think we can expect any resignations at this point. This is a story at the moment primarily about nuanced context moment primarily about nuanced Co Ntext A Nd Moment primarily about nuanced context and perception. These are things that washington doesnt do very well under this toxic atmosphere that we are in. Jeff sessions clearly believed that the question directed to him was about, did he have any conversations with the russians as a member of Trumps Campaign team . He says no. There is nothing wrong or illegal or criminal in having contact with a Russian Ambassador. As a senator. Thats what hes basically saying he did, in the course of his duties as a senator, of course he spoke to the russians and a number of foreign diplomats. Thats what he would be expected to do. But given the backdrop of these continuing investigations into whether or not the russians hacked the Democratic National committee, which the broad conclusion from the Intelligence Agency is that they did. Whether or not they influenced the outcome of the election and there is no evidence of that. Given that backdrop, this looks bad. Its a massive distraction for the Trump Administration going forward. The Chief Inspector of hospitals in england has given a stark warning about the state of the nhs saying it stands on a Burning Platform with most trusts needing to improve patient safety. Professor sir Mike Richards says the traditional model of caring for patients is no longer capable of delivering the needs of todays population. Our Health Correspondent Dominic Hughes reports. This comprehensive review of all 136 Hospital Trusts in england paints a very mixed picture. The regulator, the Care Quality Commission found many examples of excellent care and some hospitals improving Services Despite extreme pressure. But plenty of areas also where the nhs is struggling. You can get a very good Service Within a trust that is struggling or you can get an individual service not doing so well in an otherwise good trust. What we are trying to do is to shine a spotlight so that the trusts themselves know what it is they need to improve. This is my local hospital in stockport. Ive been here a couple of times myself and with the family. The report today allows us to see how hospitals like this one are performing, notjust the whole hospital but individual departments such as accident and emergency or childrens services, and what the report shows is real concerns over staffing, safety, levels of overcrowding and hospitals facing unprecedented pressure. Across the Major Hospital trusts in england, 68 have been rating as inadequate or requiring improvement. 81 are said to need to improve safety but 93 were rated as good or outstanding for the caring attitude of staff. University hospital in bristol is one of those trusts that has made significant improvements. The first to go directly from requiring improvement to outstanding between two inspections. The report was very positive for us and i think in the report, it acknowledges a lot of the hard work this department does. The very positive culture for providing patient care we have. There are concerns over the pressure of staff right across the nhs of coping with an older and sicker populations. They become the Shock Absorbers in an nhs that doesnt have sufficient staff or resources. I worry about the long term consequences, staff cannot carry on working in this way without their own health and well being being affected. The Department Of Health says these inspections play a key role in making the nhs in england the safest and most Transparent Health care system in the world but they will also remind ministers the nhs continues to face serious challenges. The Prime Minister is making clear that she is disappointed by the defeat in the House Of Lords last night over brexit. Peers voted by a sizeable majority to give European Union nationals already living here the right to stay in the uk. The government will seek to overturn it when the bill returns to the commons the week after next. The Prime Ministers official Spokesman Says theresa may expects the bill to go through unamended. Our Political Correspondent Carole Walker reports. A resounding defeat for the government in the House Of Lords. Contents, 358. Not contents, 256. So the contents have it. After hours of passionate debate, they voted overwhelmingly for ministers to guarantee the rights of more than 3 million eu nationals living in the uk. Seven tory peers voted against the government. We are being illogical and immoral in refusing to unilaterally guarantee the rights of those people who are already here, who came here in good faith, who are part of our communities. Theresa may says she does want to give that guarantee, but shell only do so if she can do a deal with other eu leaders to safeguard the rights of british citizens in other eu countries too. I am optimistic that a reciprocal agreement on the status of each others citizens can indeed be achieved. I think that is in the rational interests of the United Kingdom and of all our 27 eu partners. The ayes to the right, 494. Mps have already voted to approve the governments approach and ministers will seek to reverse last nights defeat. I do think this amendment will be overturned when the bill comes back to the commons. I think the vast majority of mps on the government side certainly accept the Prime Ministers argument about the need to clarify arrangements for eu nationals in the uk at the same time as we clarify arrangements for british expats on the continent. The government could face further defeats as the bill continues its passage through the lords, and this is just the start. Theres lots more complex and controversial legislation to come, To Disentangle British Law from eu law, and set new rules for immigration and trade. Last nights defeat could be a foretaste of the parliamentary battles ahead. For the Prime Minister, the immediate priority is to get the bill triggering article 50 into law in time for her to start formal negotiations as planned by the end of march. Then the hard bargaining will really begin. Carole walker, bbc news, westminster. Our assistant Political Editor norman smith is in westminster. Is the Prime Minister likely to get her way in the end . I think she is because although many peers had hoped the scale and ferocity of last nights defeat would embolden critical tory mps in the commons to define mrs may and thwart her plans, i have to say, i cant see much evidence of that. So if there is a revolt, i expect it will be a tiddler, a mini Chocolate Egg of a rebellion. The reason for that i think is because most tory mps, even critical ones, seem to trust mrs may on this issue and they do believe she wants to guarantee the rights of eu nationals as swiftly as possible and the only reason she hasnt been able to do so so far, is because other eu countries are not willing to talk about it until the negotiations begin. But all that said, one clear consequence of the vote last night is that here, peers have got a bit of swagger, a bit of Self Confidence about themselves now and they do seem poised to inflict further defeats, including on the critical issue of ensuring parliament gets a meaningful vote before mrs may signs on the dotted line for the final brexit deal. And on that issue, all the indications are, mrs mays critics in the comments might be willing to cause her a lot more trouble. British Cycling Bosses will make changes in order to be more caring to riders after accusations of bullying and sexism. An investigation into the culture at British Cycling was launched last year with a report on the findings imminent. But the Governing Body says work on an action plan to address any failings is already under way. Our Sports Correspondent David Ornstein reports. Over the last decade, cycling has become symbolic of britains Olympic Success , become symbolic of britains Olympic Success, but at what cost . The Governing Body has been hit by allegations of bullying and sexism, while its anti doping structures are being investigated. Today, the new chairman of British Cycling admitted to serious failings. A current of issues into occurrence of issues in terms of behaviours and harassment, bullying, is unacceptable. The report has highlighted some issues that we as an organisation needs to address. Weve already met with our groups of both riders on staff, and weve made it very clear that where theres been failings we apologise for those. Well, this is the National Cycling centre, home of the so called medalfactory, but concern over the way those medals have been won has led to a rethink. And that ta kes won has led to a rethink. And that takes the form of a 39 point action plan, which includes training in governance, leadership and diversity, an annual staff appraisal system, and a complete overhaul of procedures around athletes welfare. It all stems back to april, when sprint cyclistjess it all stems back to april, when Sprint Cyclist Jess it all stems back to april, when sprint cyclistjess jess varnish complained of sexism, discrimination and bullying. Uk sport is demanding reform acts most successful best funded and most successful olympic sport. There are a number of fires that seem to be going off in difficult areas and its difficult at this point in time. The most important thing as an investor in British Cycling, the most important thing is we see that the Information Thatis Thing is we see that the information that is being revealed is accepted by British Cycling and acted upon. This morning, britains most decorated olympian, sir bradley wiggins, refused to speak about the contents wiggins, refused to speak about the co nte nts of wiggins, refused to speak about the contents of a medical package delivered to him in france in 2011. Questions remain for British Cycling to a nswer questions remain for British Cycling to answer on a range of fronts. Commentator and it will be britain in a world record time. They hope today will begin the process of doing that. David ornstein, bbc news, in manchester. Our top story this lunchtime. Warnings of a National Crisis in policing in england and wales a scathing report warns of a shortage of detectives and says victims are being let down. Coming up snapchat youll know what this is all about if you use it. Now the companys been valued at £20 billion. Ill be asking our Technology Correspondent rory cellan jones, why . Coming up in sport at 1 30pm uk sport and British Cycling have outlined the next steps that are being taken as part of the independent review into the culture of British Cyclings world class programme. At some point in our lives, one in four of us will experience a Mental Health issue. But many people hide their problems from their employers for fear of it impacting on theirjob. Now the governments trying to encourage businesses to improve Mental Health support in the workplace. And today, the Institute Of Directors has launched its first ever Mental Health strategy to help those affected. So how will it work . Our Business Correspondent ben thompson reports. No matter where you work, tough days are often part of the job, but for construction worker lee, difficult days turned into difficult weeks and months. Ijust felt down one day and i stood at the top of the building and just went to the edge of the building, to about six storeys high and unhooked my harness and just stood there and thought, it would be better if i was dead. And new figures suggest lees experience is much more common than we might think. Nearly a sixth of the uk workforce faces Mental Health problems. And its here, on building sites, that the problem is all too evident. More Construction Workers lose their lives through suicide than serious accidents at work, and its something the industry is working hard to address. We need to do something now and actually raise awareness within our industry with our workers, and actually get people trained up in the same way that you would treat an injury with a first aider, to actually help people, before you get to the stage where the worst Case Scenario is people are thinking about suicide. But its notjust Industries Like construction that are tackling Mental Health. Aside from the personal impact on staff, it costs the uk economy around £26 billion a year in lost work and productivity. So businesses paying attention, like the Department Store chain debenhams. Its chairman told me of his personal experience dealing with Mental Health problems and why he wants to do more to help staff. Ive had family members, including one of my sons, whos had a real, very specific challenge, and ifind myself being hesitant talking about it, whereas if i said hes broken his leg or got a bad infection, that would have been fine and we could have all talked about it. I thought if i cant talk about it this is ridiculous, and ive got to find Ways And Means of making this a more normal, more everyday conversation, and not something you have to pretend to hide away. Do you want to get a coffee . Thats the basis of schemes like this one at the royal mail. It encourages staff to talk about their worries with trained Mental Health first aiders. For lee, who is now managing his depression, talking is part of the answer, but he says simple changes can make a big difference. A few months after i actually came off my medication, one of the Site Managers where i was at the time came up and asked me how i was doing and if everything was ok. Shes the first person whos ever actually asked. Thats what i feel will make the biggest difference i think with a lot of people. Ben thompson, bbc news. Voting has begun in the second election in ten months to the Northern Ireland assembly. Ninety members will be elected 18 fewer than previously. Polling closes at 10pm tonight. Around 160 Million People use snapchat the social Media Messaging Service and the vast majority are in their teens and twenties. The company that owns it has been valued at 24 billion. It sold all 200 million shares on offer to big investors in new york. But since it was created five years ago, snapchat has never made a profit. With me is our Technology Correspondent, rory cellan jones. Its definitely my first time on snapchat, but the thing is its all about young people. Is that why its worth so much money . Yes, despite that picture snapchat is not aimed at people of my age and dare i say it, not even of yours. Its incredibly popular amongst 15 25 year olds. 150 million use it on a daily basis. That audience is highly valued by advertisers because they are not watching the television, they are probably not watching right now, its sad to say. They are immersed in their phones on snapchat is the way they communicate. That very visual means of communication, that fun way of communication, is increasingly popular with advertisers. Heres the problem. They are valued as if they are going to go on growing up the question is, can they grow beyond that age . Can they attract older people . Can they be like facebook has been . Are they a facebook, which was also seem rather overvalued when it was floated and has gone up and up and up, or floated and has gone up and up and up, or are floated and has gone up and up and up, orare they floated and has gone up and up and up, or are they more like twitter, whose shares have languished as people have decided its not going to grow much further. The other problem they face is increasing competition, from facebook, which owns instagram, which is copying many of the features of snapchat and doing pretty well. Its a pretty big gamble, if you are going to buy snapchat shares. Rory, thank you. Lost meadows, landscapes dug up for garden compost, communities made more vulnerable to flooding its just some of the damage that man has done to the environment in recent decades. The governments been drawing up a 25 year plan for improving englands nature but its been long delayed. And now mps are calling for it to be published immediately. Our environment analyst Roger Harrabin reports. To the west of manchester, a landscape devastated by Digging For Peat to make garden compost. So Many Wildlife sites degraded in england and the governments pledged to improve them. Heres one way how. Row on row of tiny Sphagnum Moss Plants being nurtured in a poly tunnel. Planted out, theyre helping to recreate a peat bog, that Stores Carbon and attracts wildlife. And what about this . Meadows used to be a common delight. Now, more than 90 of them are lost. The government has promised to safeguard them, but its Nature Protection Policy is long delayed. Cities are supposed to benefit from the governments nature strategy too. Im in south london, standing on top of the lost river effra. Lost, because its encased beneath my feet in a victorian sewer. The ghost of the river still gets its revenge sometimes though. It floods round here. Heres one solution. On a nearby housing estate, theyve smashed up the concrete and laid Bark Chippings to let rainwater soak in, to help prevent floods. The garages have been given a green roof. The garden benefits locals too. This garden gives people a place to come to in the middle of a really urban part of london, where they can be in nature, they can learn about food growing, learn about wildlife, and also just sit in a more natural space in the middle of a concrete jungle. People of this country love their natural environment, whether its the green spaces in our cities, the seaside, the rivers, the forests, and they are unfortunately in decline and we need to see ambitious Government Action to reverse that. Patience is running out. Wildlife round the seas should be enhanced by the nature strategy. Mps Have Nowjoined The Chorus demanding for it to be published for all to see. Roger harrabin, bbc news. Celtic has paid tribute to the man known as the lisbon lion, tommy gemmell, who has died aged 73 following a long illness. Theyve called him a true celtic giant. The former defender scored in the 2 1victory against inter milan in 1967, when celtic became the first british club to win the european cup. When the former Prime Minister gordon brown and his wife lost their babyjennifer after she was born prematurely at 33 weeks, sarah brown decided to set up a charity to look at ways to help premature babies thrive. Now, 15 years later, she says it is very uplifting to discover that the research has helped to save the life of the grandchild of another labour leader, john smith. Our scotland correspondent lorna gordon reports. Two and a half year old ella, healthy and happy. But she was born 12 weeks premature. Birth, she weighed ten oz. And was the size of an adults hand. Weighed ten oz. And was the size of an adults hand. I wasnt sure she was going to survive at all. To me, it seemed impossible. She seemed so utterly vulnerable. It seemed she had nothing within herself to fight with, because she was so tiny. The granddaughter of one labour leader, john smith, alive, her mother says, thanks to a Research Set Up in the memory of the daughter of another. Gordon and sarah brown lost their daughterjennifer when she was just ten days old. We knew what has happened but we didnt know why it had happened, so in wanting to try and work out what we could do to make sense of this, what i wanted was more needed to happen to unlock that understanding. One of the things we felt we could most usefully do was invest in the science for it. The Research Done at thejennifer Brown Laboratory has focused on understanding the causes and consequences of premature birth. Some good has come from tragedy. 15 yea rs some good has come from tragedy. 15 years on, the memory of her daughter is still strong. What i really treasure is the ten very, very precious days that we had with our daughter, because thanks to the care of the doctors, nurses, midwives around us, we of the doctors, nurses, midwives around us, we were of the doctors, nurses, midwives around us, we were able to have an extraordinary amount of time really being able to be with our daughter. All of that i have inside me and all that love you have for your daughter is still all there. For little ella there are now no more Hospital Visits ahead. Absolutely brilliant. Absolutely brilliant. She now been signed off from our consultant. Theyve told us not to darken their door with a child quite so well as ella, so we are the luckiest people in the world. Its thought that up toa in the world. Its thought that up to a quarter of babies born in the uk need extra care, but the Ongoing Research that helps save ella will continue helping others also born prematurely survive and thrive, just like her. Lorna gordon, bbc news, edinburgh. Time for a look at the weather. Heres darren bett. The lovely Northern Lights. An incredible shot. Im very jealous, ive never seen the Northern Lights just yet. At the other end of the country the day has turned into a lovely sunny one. This isa turned into a lovely sunny one. This is a picture again a Weather Watcher in east sussex, blue skies, it feels a bit more like spring out there, especially as the wind is beginning to drop. Further north in the staffordshi re to drop. Further north in the Staffordshire Hills to drop. Further north in the Staffordshi Re H ills early to drop. Further north in the Staffordshire Hills early this morning it was a win to receive. The showers giving some snow up over the hills in this part of the country. Those showers are moving away. They are certainly much fewer now. Most of us are enjoying sunshine through the rest of the day, though
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