Prevent Duty

The Prevent duty is part of the government’s overall counter-terrorism strategy CONTEST which aims to reduce the risk to the UK and its interests overseas from terrorism, so that people can go about their lives freely and with confidence. This is nothing new existing in various forms since 2007, this strategy was recently updated in June 2018. The Prevent duty provides a framework for specified authorities to respond to the changing nature of threat in the UK. The government’s counter-terrorism (CONTEST) strategy 2018 says the main threat to the UK comes from Daesh or Al Qa’ida inspired terrorism, although extreme right wing terrorism is a growing threat.

The strategy is organised around four work streams:

  • Pursue: to stop terrorist attacks
  • Prevent: to stop people becoming terrorists or supporting terrorism
  • Protect: to strengthen our protection against terrorist attacks
  • Prepare: to mitigate the impact of a terrorist attack

Being drawn into terrorism includes not just violent extremism but also non-violent extremism, which can create an atmosphere conducive to terrorism and can popularise views which terrorists exploit. The Prevent Duty is concerned with all forms of grooming that could lead to violent extremism. Currently the biggest threats come from Islamist and far right groups but there have also been referrals linked to animal rights movements and White Supremacist ideology.

The contact details for Northamptonshire Police Prevent Team is:

https://www.northants.police.uk/advice/advice-and-information/t/prevent/prevent/

 

A useful site to help identify potential signs of somebody being drawn into extremist ideology is:

https://actearly.uk/spot-the-signs-of-radicalisation/what-to-look-for/

 

Long Buckby Junior School have produced a document detailing how we work to prevent the radicalisation of the children at the school.

Prevent Parents Leaflet.pdf

The leaflet contains some useful background information and some links to find out more information.