Mile End CAP wins national award

THE MILE END Community Alcohol Partnership (CAP) has won a national award for its work tackling underage drinking. The award was presented to Vincent Fajilagmago, a Tower Hamlets Council Licensing Officer, by Derek Lewis, Chair of the national CAPs, at the launch of the CAP 2017 Impact Reward in Westminster.

Derek Lewis explained why Tower Hamlets had received an award for innovation, saying, “One of the biggest challenges for Mile End CAP was providing young people in the area with an alternative to hanging about on the streets and engaging in anti-social behaviour. The CAP put in place a number of measures including checks on retailers to make sure they weren’t selling alcohol to underage youngsters; gathering evidence of anti-social behaviour and working with local schools and youth centres to increase alcohol awareness and organise youth activities. Alcohol-fuelled anti-social behaviour by young people has dropped by 62% and residents are full of praise for CAP’s work. Vincent has been the driving force behind the CAP’s success in Mile End.”

Critics of Tower Hamlets Council’s new approach to youth services have bemoaned the focus on “sticks” at the expense of the “carrots”. No research has been done to establish whether the reduction in Anti-Social Behaviour (ASB) has been caused by young people stopping doing it, or whether the young people have just moved on.

The Council has been cutting back on youth services, while finding money for what would seem smaller priorities such as new litter bins. Bringing in a new Partnership which then re-provides youth services and then claims this is a successful way to reduce ASB just makes you hit your head and emit a Homer Simpson noise.

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