The aim of Prevent is to:

• tackle the ideological causes of terrorism
• intervene early to support people susceptible to radicalisation
• enable people who have already engaged in terrorism to disengage and rehabilitate

Find out more here:

• Prevent duty guidance: England and Wales (2023)
• Prevent and Channel factsheet (2023)

If those referred are found to need support they are invited to participate in the multi-agency Channel programme to help guide them away from danger.

We all need to together promote strong and positive relationships between people from different backgrounds in the workplace, in schools and within neighbourhoods.

The internet and social media have proven to be powerful tools for extremists to radicalise individuals. We, therefore have a concern that radicalisers may especially influence those susceptible to extremist views.

Prevent does not target any one community and deals with all forms of radicalisation, including the Far-Right, and Islamist extremism.

Left-Wing Anarchist or single-issue terrorism can include but is not limited to: a fascination with extreme violence and mass casualty attacks such as school shootings, or 'Incel' culture. Due to the accessibility of sites on the internet, violence and misogyny sites can also lead to easy access to extremist views.

See the videos below for more information:

Online Radicalisation (Video from Safer Devon)

Our aims are to prevent people being drawn into terrorism and to support the local communities and institutions to challenge and reject the message of extremism.

We work closely with Counter Terrorism police, local policing and partners, including the Home Office and Health and Education, to ensure current threats from extremism are understood and shared. We ensure front line staff are aware of extremist issues and how Prevent is designed to safeguard individuals at risk of radicalisation. 

The video below explains more:

Resources for keeping safe on the internet:

• KIDSONLINEWORLD - Provides information about online safety and the use of 'emoji codes' See: Shareables for a range of useful downloads
• #LookCloser To Spot Exploitation
• Child Exploitation and Online Protection (CEOP) Safety Centre
• Keeping children safe online | NSPCC

While the chances of being caught up in a terrorist incident remain rare, it is important to be prepared.

Counter Terrorism Policing has released guidance that sets out three key steps for keeping safe in the event of a firearms or weapons attack.

If you are caught up in an incident the advice is to ‘Run, Hide and Tell’.  

• RUN to a place of safety
  • this is a far better option than to surrender or negotiate
  • if there’s nowhere to go, then…
• HIDE It’s better to hide than to confront
  • remember to turn your phone to silent and turn off vibrate
  • barricade yourself in if you can

Finally, and only when it is safe to do so:

• TELL the police by calling 999

For more information, see:

• What to do in a Terrorist Attack - Counter Terrorism Police Video
• Counter Terrorism Policing website

Training

The Counter Terrorism and Security Act 2015 places a legal duty on specified authorities to have "due regard to the need to prevent people from being drawn into terrorism".  This includes ensuring frontline staff have a good understanding of Prevent and how to refer when concerns are raised.

The Home Office online training should be completed based on your role and training requirements.

This training service is for people working in sectors covered by the Prevent duty, such as education, health, local authorities, police, prisons, probation and youth justice. Other sectors that are not covered may also complete this training.

Council employees

Are you concerned about how someone is behaving? If you are, talk to someone such as your colleague about your worries first.

For the next steps please download: 

• Prevention of extremism and radicalisation – Referral Process (PDF)

The West Midlands Counter Terrorism Unit (CTU) looks at each referral first. They check if there is an immediate security threat. They will also check if there is a genuine risk of radicalisation.

If the person isn’t at risk of radicalisation, they are not a case for Prevent. Where appropriate, the person may instead be offered other support, for example being referred to mental health services or social services.

Where the panel decides that a person is at risk of radicalisation, they’ll be invited to join a support programme called Channel. This is voluntary, so a person can choose whether to take part.

If agreed, bespoke Channel Support is implemented with six month and 12-month post-support reviews.

This could include mentoring and ideological interventions; mental health support such as counselling; education or career development support and online safety training for parents.

The video below helps to explain the prevent referral process.