'Three a week' sent to Prevent over fears of violence

URGENT action is demanded to stop school massacres and attacks designed to cause multiple casualties.

- BY DAVID WILLIAMSON Chief Political Commentator

There were 162 referrals made to the anti-extremism Prevent programme because of concerns about potential mass violence, including school massacres, in 2023-24 which is around three a week.

This was up from 150 reports a year earlier and 154 the year before that.

There were 469 referrals in the last financial year due to concerns about people displaying a “fascination with extreme violence or mass casualty attacks”.

Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp said: “This is a worrying trend. Those obsessed with extreme violence are dangerous. They need mental health interventions and if they commit a crime then they need to be imprisoned for a long time.”

Mr Philp fears that insufficient attention is given to monitoring people who may be under the sway of Muslim fanatics.

He said: “I am also concerned at the under-referral of Islamist extremists into Prevent.