28/03/2011

Other UK News In Brief

Greater Protection For Children As Scheme Goes National

Children in all 43 police force areas in England and Wales are better protected thanks to the final rollout of the child sex offender disclosure scheme, the Home Secretary has announced. Under the scheme anyone can ask the police to check whether people who have contact with children pose a risk. If the individual has convictions for sexual offences against children or poses a risk of causing harm then the police can chose to disclose this information to the parent, carer or guardian. A phased introduction began in August 2010 following a successful 12 month pilot in four police force areas. By 4 April 2011, all 43 police forces will be running the scheme. Home Secretary Theresa May said: “Having this scheme in operation across all police forces in England and Wales means more children have a greater chance of being protected from potential harm.”

Police Release CCTV Images After Northfields Robbery

British Transport Police (BTP) investigators are today releasing CCTV images of two men they are trying to identify after they used a hammer to break a security guard’s hand and rob him of a cash box. The incident took place at Northfield’s Tube station on Tuesday 15 March at 9.30am. The cash box was snatched from a 43-year-old security guard as he was entering the station to deliver money. Officers searched the area and found an abandoned stolen silver Toyota Yaris. The empty cash box was inside. BTP Detective Sergeant Fin Egan, investigating, said: “This was a violent attack on the security guard. It is likely these two dangerous men would have been covered in pink dye after opening the cash box. I am appealing for anyone who has any information about the robbery or the stolen vehicle to get in contact.”

Background Artistes Celebrate 'Unsung Heroes'

The Film Artistes Association (FAA), the section of BECTU which looks after background artistes, announced the winners of their 'unsung heroes' awards this month. Each year the FAA recognises colleagues in film and TV who have gone out of their way to make the lives of supporting artistes or extras better in the previous 12 months. This year's winners, declared at the FAA's annual general meeting are: Best Runner (Harry Potter) – Gareth Lewis; Best 3rd Assistant Director (Hugo Cabret) – Ian “Pebbles” Hughes; Best 2nd Assistant Director (Hugo Cabret) – Fraser Fennell-Ball; Best 1st Assistant Director (Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows) – Max Keene; Best Productions to work on: joint winners – The Invention Of Hugo Cabret and Sherlock Holmes - A Game Of Shadows; Best Supporting Artiste Agency - Ray Knight Casting Ltd. Special awards were made to the following individuals to acknowledge the work they have generated for supporting artistes in the UK: David Hayman, Roy Button and JK Rowling for the ten years of work provided on the Harry Potter series of films; and Martin Scorsese for the opportunities for supporting artistes created on The Invention Of Hugo Cabret.

(BMcN/GK)

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