The council and the Tower Hamlets Community Safety Partnership hosted its first congress meeting this week (Tuesday 14 November) to discuss complex community safety issues in the borough and how they can be better tackled collectively.
Bringing the council together with key partners such as local police, community representatives and young people, the partnership congress was established to identify and coordinate solutions to crime and antisocial behaviour (ASB) in the borough; and make Tower Hamlets safer through improved partnership work.
Crime and ASB are top concerns for residents in Tower Hamlets and are repeatedly reported as priorities in the annual resident’s survey. At the congress, partners and representatives discussed the ways in which each can better support the priorities set out in the Community Safety Partnership Plan. These include:
- Tackling crime and neighbourhood ASB (including the use of drugs such as nitrous oxide, improved mental health referrals and impacts from nighttime economy)
- Tackling hate crime, community tensions and extremism
- Reducing reoffending and tackling the drivers of crime
- Safeguarding those at risk of violence and exploitation (including violence against women and girls)
Following the meeting, work will start on coproducing a charter which will set out a series of real, tangible commitments that stakeholders and the Community Safety Partnership can use to improve outcomes around crime and ASB.
Lutfur Rahman, Executive Mayor of Tower Hamlets, said: “It was great to bring together key partners and community representatives for our first partnership congress on community safety.
“By improving partnership work and renewing our commitment to the partnership’s priorities we will improve trust and confidence among our residents, and make Tower Hamlets a safer borough for everyone who lives, works, and visits.”
The partnership congress was the first in a series that will be held, with each focussing on a different priority area for the council.
Cllr Abu Talha Chowdhury, Cabinet member for safer communities, said: “This congress was an important step forward in our work to achieve better outcomes around crime and antisocial behaviour.
“We know that effective partnership work is essential to create change at a local level. By bringing together the people who work day in, day out on the streets of Tower Hamlets, we were able to identify opportunities to improve outcomes for residents.”
A key part of the congress was a panel discussion chaired by Tower Hamlets BCU Commander James Conway who discussed how local police manage crime and ASB, the Metropolitan’s new vision for policing in London and how they support the work of the Community Safety Partnership.
Posted on Wednesday 15th November 2023