Preventing radicalisation in Central Bedfordshire
About Prevent
Prevent is one of the key pillars of the government's counter-terrorism strategy, CONTEST (GOV.UK).
The aim of Prevent is to reduce the threat to the UK from terrorism by stopping people becoming terrorists or supporting terrorism. At the heart of Prevent is safeguarding adults and children and operates in a pre-criminal space, providing support and re-direction to individuals at risk of being radicalised into terrorist activities before any crimes are committed.
What is radicalisation?
Radicalisation is the word commonly used to describe the mental process the person is going through as they get drawn down a dangerous path.
If someone is becoming radicalised it means they are displaying extreme views in support of extreme ideologies or beliefs, terrorist groups and activities.
It can be hard to spot if someone is becoming radicalised, as some of the signs are indicators of other underlying issues, or challenges that are not connected to radicalisation.
Spotting the signs
The journey to becoming radicalised is different for everyone and there are many reasons why someone becomes vulnerable. Radicalisation can take place very quickly, or over a long period of time.
There are certain behaviours which you can watch out for that are often seen when someone is being led down the path to extremism:
- being influenced or controlled by a group
- an obsessive or angry desire for change
- spending an increased amount of time online and sharing extreme views on social media
- personal crisis
- need for identity, meaning and belonging
- mental health issues
- looking to blame others
- desire for status, need to dominate
What do if you are concerned about someone
You are best placed to spot when somethings not right with someone close. Trust your instincts and share your concerns. The earlier you tell someone, the quicker that person will receive the right support. Find out how to help someone close to you.
If you have concerns about any of your friends you can call:
Call the ACT early support line on 0800 011 3764, where in confidence you can share your concerns with specially trained officers. Contact Bedfordshire Police’s Prevent Team at prevent@bedfordshire.pnn.police.uk.
Call the national Prevent advice line 0800 011 3764 in confidence to share your concerns with specially trained officers.
If it is an emergency, please call 999.
If you see online material promoting terrorism or extremism, you can report it online (GOV.UK).
Support available
Anyone who is referred to Prevent is assessed by us and other partners, including the police to see if they are suitable for Channel, Prevent’s specialist support scheme.
Channel is voluntary, confidential, early intervention programme that supports people who may be at risk of being drawn in terrorism.
To help determine if someone is suitable for support through Channel, a Channel panel is chaired by the local authority, who met with police, health professionals and other partners to discuss the person you are worried about and decide on what tailored package of support can be offered to them.
If Channel support is not deemed appropriate, for example, if the person is at risk of harm but they are not being radicalised, they may be signposted to other safeguarding services for help.