East London News A Force for the community…
A NEW approach is helping to cut drug- and drink-related Anti-Social Behaviour (ASB), says Tower Hamlets Council. The Council attributes this improvement to “a new partnership” – but is that the whole story?
The Council press release reports that there was a 5.6% reduction in the amount of ASB reports which were related to drugs and/or alcohol in 2025/26, when compared with 2024/25. It attributes this to “a new partnership”, namely the Combatting Drugs Partnership. It then says the Partnership was established in 2023, which is hardly new to Tower Hamlets. It’s not new to the UK either. Under the Government’s Ten Year National Drug Strategy, all Local Authorities are required to establish a Combatting Drugs Partnership.
Cllr Kabir Ahmed
However, the Council then talks about the work that the Partnership is doing. Let’s leave it to Cllr Kabir Ahmed, Cabinet Member for Public Protection and Integrated Enforcement (another job title from the Ministry of Silly Names) to explain. “Our local approach is clear and balanced,” he said. “We are supporting people into recovery while protecting our neighbourhoods from harm. By focusing on prevention of harms, early help and firm, fair action, we’re working with health partners, police, voluntary groups, and local residents to create safer, healthier communities. Our message is simple: we stand with those who need support, and we will always act to safeguard the wellbeing and safety of our borough.”
How the approach is working is set out even more clearly in the words of an anonymous service user, who said, “The support that I received has helped put my life back on track. The daily hunt for money and drugs has been removed. So life is looking brighter now than it has for the past 27 years.”
The Partnership supported 2,330 people in 2025/26, and 62 young people. In 2024/25 2024/25 345 people were admitted to hospital for drug and alcohol related issues. This fell to 269 in 2025/26 – a reduction of 22%. Ninety-six per cent of people leaving prison are successfully engaging in treatment.
It sounds like the work the Combatting Drugs Partnership is doing in Tower Hamlets is a success story. It is not just that there is a partnership – it is the work they are doing. There are other partnerships in the Council that could learn from this example.
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