In 2015 the UK government launched the Prevent Strategy as part of the Counter-Terrorism and Security Act response to an increased threat in the UK from terrorism.
This Act identifies terrorism as
Radicalisation that is driven by an ideology which sanctions the use of violence; by propagandists for that ideology here and overseas.
Therefore, terrorism refers to many different types of extremism, for example, religious extremism, far right extremism or animal rights groups.
The Prevent Strategy has three specific objectives, to:
Under The Prevent Duty it is the responsibility of us all to be aware of when those around us are at risk of becoming radicalised and holding extremist views.
The Government rates the current level of threat in line with current events and intelligence. The current threat level is updated and can be found here.
UK Government threat levels
There are 5 levels of threat:
The level is set by the Joint Terrorism Analysis Centre and the Security Service (MI5).
Threat levels do not have an expiry date. They can change at any time as different information becomes available.
Public sector organisations and education providers have a legal duty to safeguard anyone believed to be at risk of being drawn into extremist or terrorist activity.
We do this in many different ways. some you are aware about and some happen without you being aware in order to keep everyone safe. For example, you receive briefings on a variety of topics such as Fundamental British Values and the internet activity is protected by a firewall and monitored.
If you have concerns about a colleagues or family members behaviour and believe they are being drawn into extremist actions, tell someone and get support. Help is available to prevent someone committing a criminal act before it is too late.
