Radicalisation involves the exploitation of susceptible people who are drawn into violent extremism by a variety of methods using a persuasive rationale.
The aim is to attract people to their reasoning, inspire new recruits, embed extreme views and persuade vulnerable individuals of the legitimacy of the cause.
Prevent Strategy
Prevent is about safeguarding vulnerable individuals from becoming terrorists or supporting terrorism, by engaging with people vulnerable to radicalisation and protecting them from being targeted by terrorist recruiters.
Prevent uses a similar approach to public health models, which focus on prevention. Focusing solely on confronting ideologies alone will not undermine terrorism. Prevent provides holistic support to address some of the personal and social conditions which make vulnerable people receptive to radicalisation.
The delivery of Prevent requires the support of local communities, local partnerships and local leaders to be implemented effectively. Prevent is an extension of existing multi-agency safeguarding principles to tackle terrorism in all its forms.
Anyone can make a Prevent referral. Referrals come from a wide range of partners, including the police, health professionals, schools, youth offending teams and children and adult services as well as members of the public.