MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Penguin News update.

Headlines: Defence shake up will have ?minimal' impact on Falklands; “Steady start” and cautious outlook on loligo season. Police road block stops drink driver.

Defence shake up will have ?minimal' impact on Falklands.

THE impact on the Falkland Islands of the defence shake-up announced by the Secretary of State for Defence on Wednesday will be "minimal", a military spokesperson has assured. Following the Chancellor of the Exchequer's announcement on July 12 that the spending review has resulted in a £3.7 billion increase to the defence budget over the next three years, the Secretary of State Geoff Hoon announced on Wednesday a wide-ranging transformation package for the Armed Forces. Aimed at driving forward the modernisation of the Armed Forces, "...to meet the challenges of the 21st century," the plans focus on the impact and capabilities of the Armed Forces rather than the number of systems. Therefore, to meet the demands of the Forces' current strategic situation, Mr Hoon says a reduction in the number of ships, battalions and aircraft is countered by modernisation of resources and procedures . He has confidence that these proposals capture the aim for, "...a speedy deployable, agile, joint and integrated, technically ambitious defence capability." Media Operations Officer at Mount Pleasant, Captain Jill Hamlin, said the effects of these changes for the Falkland Islands are "minimal" and, "...do not impact at all on the operational capability of the Armed Services based here." She said the main change that will take place is within the ground based air defence role which is currently operated by the Royal Air Force Regiment. Captain Hamlin said, "This role will be taken over by the Army with the transition being carefully managed so that the operational standards are maintained throughout. "No change is envisaged to the current levels of coverage so our air defence capability is not reduced at all." The Royal Navy is losing a number of ships, including their oldest Type 42 destroyers. These include HMS Cardiff the current Falkland Islands Patrol vessel, and HMS Glasgow, which patrolled the South Atlantic earlier this year. Captain Hamlin said, "The increased capability of the newer Type 45 destroyers, which are replacing the old Type 42, will ensure that Naval tasking, both standing and contingent, will continue to be undertaken in line with the latest defence policy. "Naval deployments in support of defence diplomacy and wider UK interests abroad remain a priority." Details of which infantry battalions are to go and how some of the restructuring is to take place are still being discussed and although the Tornado F3 Force is going to be reduced by one squadron, Captain Hamlin says none of these changes should have any impact on the roles of the infantry or the Tornado F3 Flight in the Falkland Islands. She commented, "The commitment to sustaining our operational roles is a priority. "The clear message is that the changes will result in the Armed Forces being even more capable in the future than they are today as advances in modern technology means the desired effect can now be achieved with fewer deployable assets."

?Steady start' and cautious outlook on loligo season.

THE second loligo squid season of 2004 has had a "steady start" but the outlook is not for a "big year", according to the Director of Fisheries. Dr John Barton says catches are about 2,300 tonnes after the first week. Catches for the first season of 2004 were around 8,600 tonnes. He says it is difficult to compare catches with last year as, "...we have changed the season timing and duration." The season now starts two weeks earlier and has been reduced overall by two weeks, "...to try and improve conservation." Asked whether the oceanographic conditions which adversely affected illex have also had a negative impact on loligo, Dr Barton said this did seem to be the case. He commented, "This is not going to be a big loligo year and is probably going to be below average. "Poor catches were also seen in 2002 which was a poor illex year, also believed to be due to unhelpful oceanography." The loligo fees this year are expected to raise £3.6 million for the Falkland Islands Government. The seasons run from 1 March - 14 April and 15 July - 30 September. The Falklands species of loligo is predominantly found around the Islands, although small catches are made in Argentina and on the high seas. Dr Barton says catches of loligo have been reported from Peru but, "...some work may need to be done to establish whether they are truly the same species."

Police road block stops drink driver.

"SUBSTANTIAL" damage was caused to a Stanley building after police were forced to use a road block to stop the progress of a drink driver at the weekend. The driver, David Triggs (21), pleaded guilty to a charge of drink driving, with a lower alcohol reading of more than twice the legal limit, however he entered no pleas to two charges of reckless driving when he appeared in court on Wednesday morning. The latter charges were new and Mr Triggs' defence lawyer requested an adjournment of the case, in order to allow him to seek advice from his client. Crown Counsel Ros Cheek outlined the prosecution's alleged summary of the facts for the panel of Justices of the Peace. She said there were two distinct incidents to which the reckless driving charges related. She told the court that, after an argument with his girlfriend on July 16, Mr Triggs stormed out of Deano's Bar, where he had drunk, "...a reasonable amount of alcohol". His friends were concerned he might attempt to drive and set off to find him. The prosecution alleges that, upon discovering Mr Triggs in his Land Rover, one friend hopped on the side of the vehicle and attempted to take the keys from the ignition. Mr Triggs drove off with his friend clinging to the side of the vehicle and travelled, "...in excess of the speed limit," and through a junction without stopping. The second reckless driving charge relates to a series of events which took place during the early hours of the morning on July 17. Ms Cheek alleged that Mr Triggs had left Stanley for approximately one hour during which time the police became aware of the first offence. They attempted to get Mr Triggs to stop as he drove along the Stanley Bypass Road, however he failed to do so and drove away, through a number of junctions without stopping, occasionally reaching speeds of more than twice the limit. Ms Cheek said Mr Triggs was finally stopped by a police road block; his vehicle hit a police car, causing substantial damage to both the vehicle and a nearby business premises on Philomel Street. The case was adjourned for one week, when pleas to the reckless driving charges will be entered. Justice of the Peace, Mr Andrew Brownlee ordered the preparation of presentence reports by August 11. More court news on page 3.