Record referrals to Prevent anti-terror programme
According to recent reports, a unprecedented number of referrals were made to the government's anti-terrorism initiative Prevent in the year up to March 2025. A total of 8,778 referrals were generated, up 27% from 6,922 last year. The overwhelming number of referrals where the concern was raised was aimed at people who had no identified ideology
at 56%. According to an inquiry into the murder of three children in Southport, there had been a dramatic rise in Prevent referrals where there had already been concerns of violent fixation
since the attack in July 2024.
Axel Rudakubana, the perpetrator of the killings, had been referred to Prevent three times, but the inquiry found that he did not meet the criteria for further intervention because there was no evidence that a person had a predetermined ideology. Michael Stewart, Prevent's CEO, resigned in March after an urgent investigation revealed that Rudakabana's case had been prematurely
dismissed. Right-wing ideology at 21% and then Islamist extremism at 10%, the second most common concern for referrals in the year to March, followed by the same order as the previous year. According to the most recent results, children aged 11-15 made up the largest percentage of referrals where the individual's age was known, at 36 percent. Children aged 16-17 were followed by 13%, with children aged 16-19 following the trend. In addition, there were 345 referrals for children under the age of 10, accounting for 4 percent of the total cases. The results also showed that around a quarter of referrals had at least one mental illness or were neurodiverse. Following the news of Rudakubana's case, Lord David Anderson KC, the independent Prevent commissioner, said he had received reports from around the country. He also cited Adolescence, which was released in March 2025, as a potential source of referrals. Prevent, which is a vital part of the UK's counter-terrorism policy, places a legal obligation on public entities, including schools and the police, to identify individuals who might turn to extremism.
