'Clear signs' of post-pandemic trauma in Luton

Clear signs of post pandemic trauma in "many individuals" in Luton, fuelled by drugs and alcohol, are expected to put pressure on Bedfordshire's mental health services, a meeting was warned.

"Luton has suffered a disproportionate impact of Covid on our town," the borough council's chief executive Robin Porter told its scrutiny crime and disorder committee annual meeting on March 10.

"Despite that we're really proud we've such a strong community sector and high levels of community resilience which have helped us to weather the storm.

"On performance highlights, the situation has been different during the last couple of years to the pre-pandemic period.

"The percentage change in crime type in 2020/21 resulted in residential premises burglary dropping by 35 per cent, personal robbery down by 30 per cent, anti-social behaviour falling by seven per cent and domestic abuse by two per cent.

"Unfortunately, hate crime rose by ten per cent, on-street sexual exploitation increased by 15 per cent, and violence against the person went up by four per cent."

The Luton community safety partnership (CSP) has seven key themes, according to Mr Porter, who chairs the organisation.

These are violence and exploitation, extremism, town centre and neighbourhood crime, young people, drugs, alcohol and mental health, reducing reoffending and domestic abuse.

"On delivering improved community policing and enforcement, our work to prevent criminal exploitation and tackle serious organised crime are some of the main issues we focus on as a partnership," he said.

"Some of this we fear and expect may well be intensifying in the current context, and all of which will continue to shape the review and delivery of our strategic planning as we move forward.

"We're emerging from Covid and the lockdown, and the economic issues which were particularly prevalent in Luton.

"In many individuals there are very clear signs of post pandemic trauma, with both direct and long-term impacts of the pandemic, but also drugs and alcohol, which puts pressure on mental health services.

"The CSP's work to maintain improved community safety remains essential to achieving the vision and priorities of our system-wide Luton 2040 agenda.

"We'll continue our strategic approach clearly connecting this work to target the drivers and generators of crime, prioritising prevention and work to proactively tackle inequalities, alongside robust action when crime or anti-social behaviour occurs."

He explained how the CSP is "delivering against the current partnership plan", as it enters its second year.

"There are some really good examples of joint working between the council, Bedfordshire Police and the other agencies represented within the CSP," he added.

"The organisation has identified the need to strengthen our partnership approach. It doesn't manage or direct all day-to-day activity relating to community safety.

"We'll be building on the strengths of community-based approaches to policing and designing a more focused perspective to key areas in the town experiencing specific challenges.

"The recent work in the town centre with a multi-agency intervention group and an intensified period of action began this process of improving our reach and impact.

"It was a really successful activity and a good example of multi-agency working led by our police colleagues.

"We're preparing a more joined up and comprehensive neighbourhood based approaches to the safeguarding of people," he added.

"These will aim to tackle significant challenges of vulnerability and exploitation experienced by our community in some areas.

"It will require the CSP to develop closer coordinated working, combining community-led approaches to prevention and early intervention, work with schools, and the disruption of criminal and organised crime networks."