They just dismissed us.”Not all of the male officers were involved, but the five WPCs were all being groped and that sort of thing. One of them disappeared into the toilets with one of the men.”The South Bristol divisional commander, Chief Superintendent Graham Cawley, and other officers had been invited to the ball to receive awards on behalf of two retired colleagues.Community Police Constable Pete Evans and Commander Steve Livings, who did not attend, were given the awards for their help setting up the drugs support group.Ms Britt said law-abiding people in Knowle West felt the officers had “let us down badly”. She added: “How can the officers go out on the streets and arrest people when the whole community knows what they were up to They are a laughing stock.”. The importance of photography to Britain’s cultural heritage has been recognised by a record £3.75m grant to help create the most important photographic collection in the world. And its archive will now be augmented by a partnership agreement with the Royal Photographic Society to take its collection, which represents some of the most significant photographic achievements of the 19th and 20th centuries.Combining the two collections will make the museum a world-class centre. Amanda Nevill, its head, said: “Bradford will be the most important place for photography on the planet.”Liz Forgan, chairwoman of the Heritage Lottery Fund, said the grant was its largest yet, and added: “Photos are an incredibly important part of all our lives and whether professional or amateur, they capture moments in our lives for posterity.”The Royal Photographic Society is a private organisation which celebrates its 150th anniversary next year.

It has collected examples of photography which require care and attention way beyond what has been possible at its headquarters in Bath.Conservation costs of about £300,000 a year came close to bankrupting the society, which then began talks with bodies capable of saving the collection and making it accessible to the public.The collection includes early forms of photographic plates made by Ni?e in 1826, the earliest surviving photographic portrait on paper by Talbot from 1840, and works by most of the earliest protagonists of the art, including Charles Lutwidge Dodgson, or Lewis Carroll.It was agreed that although the Royal Photographic Society would not receive the market value of the collection, estimated at £80m to £100m, it would be paid £4.5m as part of a partnership agreement. Another £500,000 was needed for the costs of transferring the works and setting up education and exhibition programmes connected with them.The National Art Collections Fund gave an initial £342,000 to kickstart the process and further funds came from the regional development agency, Yorkshire Forward. After the Lottery award, £800,000 remains to be raised.John Page, president of the society, said it was fantastic that most of the funding was in place and that exhibitions could begin in January.The film maker Lord Puttnam, an honorary fellow of the society, said: “It can only be beneficial that two unique centres of excellence can work together and this historic concordat must reinforce the message of the importance of photography and Britain as its birthplace.”. A unique project that can turn street-fighters into firefighters is helping to quell a wave of teenage violence in the East End of London. Some have become best friends.The initiative has reconciled two East End “massives” that had been feuding for more than six years, often with more than 100 youths involved in fights. Some of the teenagers who led the peace talks, and coaxed younger members to turn their backs on violence, are being courted for jobs by the London Fire Service.Soydul Uddin, a youth worker with Tower Hamlets council’s rapid response team, who mediated the truce, said: “There were a lot of differences between these young people.

What started out as a playground fight had ended up on streets and estates. Neither group would back down and it had become really serious.”Five months later the transformation in relations between youngsters from Stepney and Whitechapel is almost complete. “Suddenly these guys are walking down the street together,” Mr Uddin said. “The community is shocked.”Ruhel Ali, 19, from Whitechapel, and Miah, 18, from Stepney, were among the five individuals from each group whom Mr Uddin selected to bring about the reconciliation.

The first meeting of these 10 peacemakers at a neutral community centre last January began in nervous silence but ended in hugs. They agreed to meet again for Friday prayers at a mosque and afterwards went for a meal at an Indian restaurant. Last month, members of the rival groups went on holiday together in Cornwall.Mr Ali said the group was working hard to use its influence to turn younger boys away from street-fighting by visibly mixing with former rivals. “We are trying our best to integrate the younger lot,” he said.