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Sir Peter Fahy 'ill advised' to blame security services for IS recruits

Sir Peter Fahy Credit: PA

The Chief Constable of Greater Manchester Sir Peter Fahy has spoken out about young people who join Islamic State. In a newspaper interview he has said that families of children who join the group should take 'prime responsibility' for their actions. Scotland Yard say they believe six hundred Britons have travelled to Iraq and Syria since the conflict began.

What is ill-advised is to just blame the police, blame the authorities, blame the school, when the absolute prime responsibility for the welfare of children lies with parents. I'm not saying that is easy. But it creates the conditions..... I think there's a real danger that we put this into a box labelled Muslim and say it is just about Muslim parents. No. From what we see, all parents are absolutely struggling with this. How do you get a balance between allowing your youngster some freedom, knowing all this material is being streamed into their bedroom, [and] at the time trying to safeguard them.

– Sir Peter Fahy, in The Times