Prevent & Radicalisation
Preventing radicalisation, what to do?
Key Principles of Prevent
Prevent aims to stop people from becoming terrorists or supporting terrorism. A referral should be made if there is concern that a person may be on a pathway that could lead to terrorism.
Prevent is an early intervention programme and must consider susceptibility to terrorist ideology or involvement, rather than limiting Prevent to cases where a terrorist ideology has already taken hold.
Frontline professionals should make a referral using the national referral form if they believe someone may be at risk of being drawn into terrorism.
They should consult their organisation’s safeguarding lead and follow the notice, check, share procedure.
Key principles of Prevent
How to get help for radicalisation concerns
How to get help for radicalisation concerns
Making a referral
When you are ready to make a referral, you should use the National Referral Form. Please complete the Prevent referral form using your own wording and avoid the use of artificial intelligence (AI) tools such as ChatGPT or Copilot
Once you have completed the referral form, you should email the completed version to CTPNW.Merseyside@merseyside.pnn.police.uk
If you are referring a child to Prevent you should also send the referral form to our team at i-ART@cheshirewestandchester.gov.uk.
Merseyside Police have a dedicated Prevent team who can be contacted in office hours should you need advice prior to submitting your referral:
Prevent training
Threat level
Threat level
The threat to the UK (England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland) from all forms of terrorism is SEVERE.
Threat Levels | MI5 - The Security Service
Risk and threat in the UK
Risk and threat in the UK
Self-Initiated Terrorists pose the most significant terrorist threat to the United Kingdom. They will highly likely employ a low-sophistication methodology in an attack and they can emerge from any ideology. Self-Initiated Terrorists (S-ITs) | ProtectUK
Ideologies/narratives
Ideologies/narratives
A broad range of ideologies and narratives draw people into supporting or committing acts of terrorism. Adherence by terrorists to specific ideologies is in many cases less structured and coherent than a decade ago, reflecting in part the wide range of material available online from which individuals or small groups may draw.
While ideology is an important consideration, a clear identifiable ideology is not mandatory to make or adopt a Prevent referral. As the Independent Prevent Commissioner noted, ‘adherence to an extreme ideology is in law neither a necessary nor a sufficient condition for entry into Prevent or Channel’. Key principles of Prevent - GOV.UK
Islamist terrorism is the threat or use of violence as a means to establish a strict interpretation of an Islamic society. Many adherents 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. In the UK the Islamist terrorist threat comes overwhelmingly from those inspired by, but not necessarily affiliated with, Daesh and/or al-Qa’ida.
Extreme Right-Wing Terrorism (ERWT) describes those involved in Extreme Right Wing activity who use violence in furtherance of their ideology. These ideologies can be broadly characterised as Cultural Nationalism, White Nationalism and White Supremacism. Individuals and groups may subscribe to ideological tenets and ideas from more than one category.
Left Wing, Anarchist and Single-Issue Terrorism (LASIT) encompasses a wide range of ideologies. It includes those from the extreme political left-wing as well as anarchists who seek to use violence to advance their cause in seeking to overthrow the State in all its forms.
Counter-terrorism strategy (CONTEST) 2023 - GOV.UK
More information about spotting the signs and how to make a referral can be found on the ACT Early website.
You can also call the ACT Early Support Line on 0800 011 3764, in confidence, to share your concerns with specially trained officers. The Support Line is open 24 hours a day.
If you see online material promoting terrorism or extremism, you can report it anonymously or call the Anti-Terrorist Hotline anonymously on 0800 789 321.
Advice for professionals
Advice for professionals
Please note: if you need to report a crime that is in immediate progress or if someone is in immediate danger, please call 999.
Prevent forms part of the government’s counter terrorism strategy CONTEST and is aimed at stopping people becoming terrorists by challenging the spread of extremist ideology, preventing vulnerable individuals from being drawn in by it and working with a wide range of sectors and institutions where there are risks of radicalisation.
Prevent is not about catching terrorists or spying on communities. It is about identifying people who may be at risk of radicalisation and supporting them to change direction in a way that will help them. Prevent covers all forms of potential terrorism, such as the far right, Irish republican, Islamist extremism, left wing, animal rights and others.
Spotting the signs
Spotting the signs
Prevent aims to stop people from becoming terrorists or supporting terrorism.
Please note: a referral should be made if there is concern that a person may be on a pathway that could lead to terrorism. Please refer to the Key Principles of Prevent if you are considering making a referral.
You should also consult with your organisation’s designated safeguarding lead and follow the Notice Check Share Principles.
What happens next?
What happens next?
If the referral progresses and it is assessed that there is a genuine risk of radicalisation, the case is considered by a multi-agency ‘Channel panel’ of professionals who collectively assess the case and decide on a tailored package of support that can be offered to the person.
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.
What kind of support is offered via Channel
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. This is known as Channel in England and Wales, and Prevent Multi-Agency Panels (PMAP) in Scotland.
Channel is voluntary and people who are referred to Prevent must give consent (via a parent or guardian if they are underage) 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.
Gov.UK: Prevent guidance
ACT Early website
Gov.UK: Prevent duty guidance