Prevent 'insufficient' at tackling online radicalisation despite teenagers making up most referrals

The anti-terrorism program Prevent needs to 'up its game' in the online world where most radicalisation is happening, a review has found.

Lord Anderson, the interim Independent Prevent Commissioner, has delivered his report into the programme's involvement in the Southport attack and the murder of MP Sir David Amess and found that "more needs to be done" to improve the programme.

Ali Harbi Ali had been referred to Prevent seven years before he fatally stabbed the veteran Conservative MP in his constituency in 2021 - but his case was closed in 2016 because his terrorism risk was judged to be low.

Similarly, a review into the handling of the Southport killer found there were a number of missed opportunities to stop killer Axel Rudakubana from committing a violent crime before he fatally stabbed three girls - Alice da Silva Aguiar, Elsie Dot Stancombe and Bebe King - and attempted to murder others in Southport last year.

Lord Anderson found that the programme was "insufficient" at understanding the digital movements and online behaviour of extremists, despite teenagers making up the majority of people being referred to the programme.

“Wider decisions loom on how Prevent can be better tailored to the online world inhabited by so many of its subjects,” he said.

"How best to deal with those whose ideology amounts to little more than a fascination with extreme violence and whether Prevent should ultimately be embedded in a more general violence reduction strategy."

The report stated that while some of the people referred to the programme had extreme right wing or conflicted ideologies, 36 per cent of the cases did not.

Lord Anderson recommended a Cabinet Office task force be established to explore expanding Prevent into a broader violence prevention programme.

"People with a fascination with extreme violence can be suitable subjects for Prevent, even when they have no discernible ideology,” he said.

“In the longer term, I believe that Prevent could work better as part of a comprehensive violence prevention and safeguarding strategy.”

Lord Anderson said there had been a large increase in referrals to Prevent immediately following the Southport attack and the popular Netflix series Adolescence.

Home Secretary Yvette Cooper MP said the Government would “immediately act” on the findings.

In a written statement, she said Prevent referral thresholds would be clarified so frontline workers understood those fascinated with extreme violence or mass casualty attacks should be referred to the counter-terror programme.

She said that work would be completed by the end of September, while other work to broaden the scope of Prevent and improve efforts to reduce online radicalisation would continue.

“Whilst we must look immediately at how Prevent works alongside wider safeguarding mechanisms to stop further missed opportunities, we also look forward to the outcome of the first phase of the Southport Public Inquiry, led by Sir Adrian Fulford, which will publish its findings later this year,” Ms Cooper said.

Chris Walker, representing the three bereaved Southport families, said:"Lord Anderson is right that lessons must be learned and we call upon the Government and authorities to ensure they do more than simply paying lip service."

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But the commissioner for the Commission for Countering Extremism, Robin Simcox, told the Commons’ Home Affairs Committee that shifting the focus of Prevent would lead to "an awful lot of referrals".

He told MPs on Tuesday that it would be a “pretty fundamental shift in what Prevent is”.

Radd Seiger, adviser and spokesperson for the family of Sir David, said they were "deeply upset" and "offended” by the way the Home Office had handled the report.

He said the family was given “next to no notice” of the report's release and had received a letter from the Home Secretary which he said was designed to “protect the Government following its failings” and not support them.

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