Luton Borough Council

07/03/2024 - Luton's determination to tackle knife crime is undiminished

As part of a commitment to work with our communities following the tragic death of a 16 year old as a consequence of a knife incident, last night saw a Community Safety Partnership feedback session convened by the council to review the progress so far.

Chaired by Sandeesha Alahapperuma and Yasmine Pintea from Luton’s Youth Council, the event was well attended by members of the community, most of whom had been at previous round table meetings and the positive summit in November of last year.

Over 100 people, including residents, community organisers, council, NHS, police and other partners were updated on the progress made since the previous meeting. This was an opportunity for the council and the police to update the community on the work that has been undertaken as a result of listening to the concerns of the community and the views of children and young people from the large scale consultation.

This ranged from the practical innovative ideas such as the consequences card with access to help for children and young people to an overview of the larger scale projects to create a foundation of change in Luton.

There are no easy ways to fix the issues associated with serious violence and the factors that draw our children into criminal exploitation and gangs. In the past 6 years we have seen increasing numbers of our children and young people referred into the Multi-Agency Gangs Panel with no previous recorded offending. Very often these individuals present extremely risky behaviours and sometimes complex educational and health needs.

Last night was an opportunity to show the progress made, highlight upcoming events linked to available funding pots as well as showcase the inspiring work of some providers and young organisers who, following the original community response meetings back in September, have been supported and commissioned to provide community intervention projects.

These include At10tive Social Enterprise’s peer to peer training in schools on knife crime issues; ESOL College, Bury Park, providing training for parents on how to safeguard their children from exploitation and Strong Soul Fitness’ work with young people from diverse backgrounds using boxing and personal development to help build their resilience and provide pathways away from criminal activity.

As well as creating a child friendly town, which is at the heart of Luton’s 2040 vision for each child to thrive, developing targeted early interventions to identify the primary drivers of violence remains key to safeguarding children who get drawn into criminal exploitation. Communities and community intervention providers are essential to making our children feel safe and inspiring them to achieve.

Councillor Maria Lovell, portfolio holder for Community Safety, commented: “Knife crime is destroying lives and families. To ignore its impact or feel we are powerless is not an option. The people of Luton want their children and grandchildren to grow up without fear and worry. It is our determination to provide them with that option.

"Our community safety partnership is currently preparing our plan and commitments for the next four years to keep our community safe, and the work to protect our young people and safeguard them from criminal exploitation is amongst our very top priorities. We will continue to keep everyone informed of its progress.

“Events such as this, when we can hear people’s views and concerns and learn about steps being taken to tackle the problem are vital. Through building understanding, support and education we will all be better equipped to serve the next generation.“