What is Prevent?
The aim of Prevent is to reduce the threat to the UK from terrorism by stopping people becoming terrorists or supporting terrorism.
At the heart of Prevent is safeguarding adults and children by providing early intervention to protect and divert people away from being drawn into terrorist activity.
Prevent operates in a pre-criminal space, providing support and re-direction to individuals at risk of being radicalised into terrorist activities before any crimes are committed.
Prevent is 1 of the key pillars of the Governments counter-terrorism strategy, CONTEST.
Its aim is to reduce the risk from terrorism in the UK, its citizens and interests overseas, so that people can go about their lives freely and with confidence.
Threats and risks
Prevent addresses all forms of terrorism but continues to ensure resources and efforts are allocated on the basis of threat to our national security.
In the UK, the primary domestic terrorist threat comes from Islamist terrorism.
Threat groups and ideologies
Prevent addresses all forms of terrorism but continues to ensure resources and efforts are allocated on the basis of threat to our national security.
In the UK, the primary domestic terrorist threat comes from Islamist terrorism.
Islamist Terrorism
Islamist Terrorism is the threat or use of violence as a means to establish a strict interpretation of an Islamic society.
For some this is a political ideology which visualises, for example, the creating of a global Islamic caliphate based on strict implementation of Sharia law, drawing on political and religious ideas developed in the 20th century by Sayyid Qutb and Abdallah Azzam.
Many advocates believe that violence (or ‘jihad’ as they conceive it) is not only a necessary strategic tool to achieve their aims, but an individual’s religious duty.
Extreme Right-Wing Terrorism
Extreme Right-Wing Terrorism describes those involved in Extreme Right-Wing activity who use terrorist violence to further their ideology.
These ideologies can be broadly characterised as:
- Cultural Nationalism
- White Nationalism
- White Supremacism
Individuals and groups may subscribe to ideological trends and ideas from more than one category.
Unlike Islamist terrorist groups, Extreme Right-Wing terrorists are not typically organised into formal groups with leadership hierarchies and territorial ambitions, but informal online communities which facilitate international links.
Prevent also tackles other ideologies and concerns that may pose a terrorist threat.
Established terrorist narratives exhibit common themes such as antisemitism, misogyny, anti-establishment, anti-LGBT grievances and religious or ethnic superiority.
Left-Wing, Anarchist and Single-Issue Terrorism currently represents a significantly smaller terrorist threat to the UK than Islamist terrorism or Extreme Right-Wing terrorism and is not currently present in the UK at any significant scale.
The majority of related activity in the UK has consisted of lawful protest, and where these have involved violence, it has resulted in offences relating to public order.
What to do if you think someone is at risk of radicalisation?
Radicalisation is the process by which a person comes to support terrorism and extremist ideologies.
There are many factors that can make someone susceptible to radicalisation, it can happen to anyone of any age, social class, religion, ethnicity or educational background.
Friends and family are best placed to spot the signs, so trust your instincts.
There is no single route to radicalisation however there are certain behaviours you can watch out for that is often seen when someone is being led down the path of extremism.
These behaviours include:
- being influence or controlled by a group
- mental health issues
- spending an increasing amount of time online and sharing extremist views on social media
- looking to blame others
More important than any one specific sign is the sense that something is not quite right with the person you are worried about.
If you are worried someone close to you is becoming radicalised, act early and seek help.
The sooner you reach out, the quicker professionals can protect the person you care about from being groomed and exploited by extremists.
To find out more about how to help someone close to you visit Act Early or call the ACT early support line on 0800 011 3764 where, in confidence, you can share your concerns with specially trained officers. Lines are open 9am to 5pm every day.
In an emergency dial 999.
Report terrorist or violent extremist content found online
If you see terrorist or violent extremist material or online content that supports, directs or glorifies terrorism please report it. You can report things like:
articles, images, speeches or videos that promote terrorism or encourage violence
websites made by terrorists or extremist organisations
videos of terrorist attacks
You can make your report without leaving your name or contact details online.
How to report suspicious activity
If you've seen or heard something that could potentially be related to terrorism, trust your instincts and report it. Your actions could save lives.
It only takes a moment to make a report online.
You can also report suspicious activity by contacting the Police in confidence on 0800 789 321. In an emergency dial 999.
Every year thousands of reports from the public help the Police to keep communities safe from terrorism.
Further information can be found at Action Counters Terrorism.
Local Prevent Delivery
While Prevent is a national strategy, it is delivered locally by a wide range of partners across The London Borough of Havering.
Section 26 of the Counter Terrorism and Security Act 2015 placed a duty on specified agencies to have "due regard to the need to prevent people from being drawn into terrorism".
Havering has a multi-agency CONTEST Board which brings together a whole range of agencies to work together to meet the Prevent Duty.
Partners also deliver frontline staff training, deliver projects to increase understanding and manage a referral service called a Channel Panel.
If you would like to know more about the work being done locally in Havering, or if you are a front line practitioner and need further support please contact prevent@havering.gov.uk.