Radicalisation, terrorism and extremism

Radicalisation is the process by which a person comes to support terrorism and forms of extremism leading to terrorism.

Reporting concerns

The police depend on information from the public about suspicious activity or behaviour. If you've seen or heard something that doesn't feel right, do not ignore it - report it.
 

In an emergency, call 999.

If you are:

• worried about someone, or a group of people, report it to Counter Terrorism Policing
• worried that a child or young person is at risk of harm, contact the Contact, Advice and Assessment Service (CAAS)
• worried that an adult is at risk of harm, contact the Safeguarding Adults Team

You can also contact the ACT Early Support Line to discuss your concerns.
 

If you are a professional, complete the National Prevent referral form [171KB] .

Identifying radicalisation, training and guidance

The Action Counters Terrorism website has information and guidance, including how to spot the signs of radicalisation.

If you're worried about your business or community, visit the Protect UK website.

The Educate Against Hate website has advice and training for schools, parents and students.

The CONTEST strategy

CONTEST is the UK's strategy for countering terrorism. The aim of CONTEST is to reduce the risk to the UK and its interests overseas from terrorism, so that people can go about their lives freely and with confidence.

CONTEST is organised into four parts, each with their own objectives:

• Pursue - to stop terrorist attacks
• Prevent - to stop people becoming terrorists or supporting terrorism
• Protect -  to strengthen our protection against a terrorist attack
• Prepare - to mitigate the impact of a terrorist attack

The Building Communities Together Team is involved in the Prevent part of the CONTEST Strategy.

Prevent

Prevent aims to provide early intervention support for people at risk of being radicalised. Read the Home Office Prevent and Channel Factsheet for more information.
 

Prevent training

The Home Office offer free Prevent online training for professionals. The training explains:

• the Prevent duty
• types of extremism and terrorism
• risks around radicalisation
• making Prevent referrals
• what support is available
   

Channel

Channel is an early intervention scheme and multi-agency process, which provides support to those who may be vulnerable to being drawn into terrorism. Channel works by partners collaboratively assessing the nature and the extent of the risk and, where necessary, providing an appropriate support package tailored to an individual's needs. Channel is a voluntary programme.

See the Channel and Prevent Multi-Agency Panel (PMAP) guidance on GOV.UK for more information.