- The UK faces an enduring and evolving threat from terrorism. The National Threat Level[1] is SEVERE, which means a terrorist attack is highly likely.
- Prevent is a critical part of the UK’s Counter-Terrorism Strategy. It is an early intervention programme which aims to stop people from becoming involved in, or supporting, terrorism
- Prevent stops harm upstream. It gives frontline professionals, family, friends and members of the community a route to act early when they are worried about someone being drawn into terrorism.
- It is delivered locally by multi-agency partners who understand their communities, including local authorities, police, health, and education sectors.
- Since 2015, Prevent has delivered interventions to support over 6,000 people away from violent ideologies.
- Prevent protects people and communities. It is about reducing the risk of terrorism and safeguarding those susceptible to radicalisation.
What is Prevent?
The UK has one of the most robust counter-terrorism frameworks in the world. Prevent is one of the four pillars of CONTEST, the UK’s counter-terrorism strategy. It operates in the non-criminal space and is designed to support people away from radicalisation before they commit an offence.
Prevent is underpinned by the Counter-Terrorism and Security Act 2015 (CTSA), which places a duty on public bodies, including schools, colleges, universities, health, local authorities, police, and prisons to prevent people from being drawn into terrorism. It operates across England, Wales, and Scotland.
Prevent deals with all forms of terrorism, including Islamist and Extreme Right-Wing ideologies, and emerging threats. As an early intervention programme, Prevent must consider susceptibility to involvement in terrorism, rather than be limited to cases where an ideology has already taken hold. Prevent is constantly evolving to reflect the changing threat and learning lessons from operational delivery to inform most effective management of risk. While Prevent cannot eliminate all risk, we aim to ensure that the Programme is robust, proportionate, and effective in protecting the public.
Key Themes from the Statistics
- The significant increase in overall numbers of referrals made, discussed at and adopted by Channel has resulted in pressure on the system. The Home Office continues to support Channel practitioners to manage the demand by ensuring case management processes and tools are as robust and efficient as possible, and by sharing and advising on best practice.
- A significant number of referrals continue to be identified as not having an ideology – this reflects an increasingly fragmented ideological landscape where individuals vulnerable to being drawn into terrorism may be less developed or fixed in their ideological position.
- The increase in referrals for concerns relating to Extreme Right-Wing Terrorism likely follows threat trends reflected in the National Threat Level.
- The number of referrals for concerns relating to Islamist Extremism decreased as a proportion of the total, but the total number of Channel adoptions for Islamist Extremist concerns increased. Islamist Terrorism remains the primary terrorist threat in the UK, and we keep referral trends under close review and continue to work with partners to ensure Prevent reaches individuals at risk of radicalisation across all communities.
- The number of referrals for concerns relating to fascination with extreme violence and mass casualty attacks continues to rise. This continues a trend observed in the aftermath of the Southport attack and is likely to reflect an increased awareness of the risk presented by individuals who display this risk factor.
- The prevalence of mental health and neurodiversity among Prevent referrals highlights the vital importance of the role played by health professionals as part of Channel.
How Prevent Works
A Prevent referral is a safeguarding referral made to the police when there are concerns that a person may be susceptible to radicalisation or could be at risk of becoming involved in or supporting terrorism.
A Prevent referral does not lead to a criminal record, it is about safeguarding those that are at risk of radicalisation and protecting the public from harm and operates in the non-criminal space.
Those who are worried about someone at risk of becoming involved in, or supporting, terrorism, should share their concerns with the police.
To keep up with the pace of changing technology, the Home Office is testing new approaches to better spot and refer individuals at risk of radicalisation online, and how these insights can be translated into timely, proportionate interventions. This is particularly important considering the rise in children being arrested for terrorism related activity, much of which is carried out online.
Making a referral
If concerning behaviours are noticed, professionals should consider whether they indicate the person is at risk of becoming involved in, or supporting, terrorism. Professionals working in sectors covered by the statutory Prevent duty should follow the ‘notice, check, share’ process to determine if the concern is relevant to Prevent. This includes checking those concerns with the person responsible for safeguarding within their organisation, such as the designated safeguarding lead, and by referring to the Prevent duty training Awareness and Referrals courses.
If there remains a concern that someone is at risk of becoming involved in, or supporting, terrorism, the concern should be shared by making a referral to the police using the Prevent National Referral Form (NRF). The NRF helps professionals to articulate their concern and includes factors to consider as part of a referral.
Members of the public who are concerned that someone may be becoming radicalised should visit ACT Early for advice, support and information on making a Prevent referral or call the national police Prevent advice line on 0800 011 3764 to discuss their concerns.
What happens when a referral is made?
Once a referral is submitted, it is assessed by specialist police officers using the Prevent Assessment Framework (PAF). The PAF, when completed, provides an overview of a person’s susceptibility to radicalisation, and their risks of committing or supporting terrorism. It is used to underpin the decision on whether the referral should progress to a multi-agency panel, called Channel. Referrals deemed not suitable for Prevent may not require any further action, or may be signposted to alternative services for support, such as education or health.
What is Channel?
Channel is Prevent’s multi-agency safeguarding programme that provides early support to people who are assessed as being susceptible to radicalisation and at risk of being drawn into terrorism. Channel is voluntary and consent based.
Channel panels operate across England and Wales. In Scotland, the multi-agency panel is known as Prevent Multi-Agency Panel (PMAP).
The Channel panel is chaired by the local authority and can include a variety of partners such as the police, children’s services, social services, education professionals and mental health care professionals.
Referrals progressed to Channel will be considered by the panel, and where appropriate, the panel will decide on a tailored package of support that can be offered to the person.
In some cases, people who are already known to counter-terrorism partners may still benefit from early intervention support, which remains voluntary and consent based. Any decision to provide Channel support is carefully assessed, risk-managed and agreed with the relevant partners, beforehand. Public safety remains the priority.
What kind of support is offered via Channel?
If a Channel intervention is required, a tailored support package will be offered. This could include mentoring, theological guidance, education, and careers assistance to those assessed as being at risk of radicalisation and requiring support.
Channel is voluntary and people who are referred to Prevent and assessed as at risk of radicalisation must give consent (via a parent or guardian if they are under 18) before they can be given support.
If a person does not engage with Channel or decides not to continue with the process for any reason, alternative forms of support may be available from the local authority or other providers. Any risks are then carefully managed by the police.
If there is an escalation of risk, where deemed appropriate, the police may transfer a case from Channel to a Police-Led Partnership (PLP). PLP covers the management of individuals that are not suitable for Channel, but which have identified Prevent-relevant issues requiring support or mitigation. PLPs are led by police but work in partnership with other agencies and employ many of the same type of approaches used within the multiagency processes of Channel.
Find out more about Prevent:
Individuals referred to and supported through the Prevent Programme statistics - GOV.UK
Get help for radicalisation concerns - GOV.UK
Factsheet: Desistance and Disengagement Programme
[1] The National Threat Level records the threat to the UK (England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland) from all forms of terrorism, it is set independently by JTAC and is currently at SEVERE meaning an attack is highly likely.
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