Countering Extremism in the UK - a focus on the Channel Programme
The International Centre for the Study of Radicalisation assesses that in excess of 20,000 foreign fighters have travelled to join the Syria / Iraq conflict. Nearly a fifth of those are believed to be from Western European countries, with 500-600 having travelled from the UK (Neumann, ICSR 2015)
T
he threat level to the UK from international terrorism remains at Severe,
meaning an attack is highly likely. Set against the backdrop of the terror attacks in Paris and Australia, the ongoing dialogue around the potential security risk posed by homegrown terrorists and returning foreign fighters, we consider the UK Government’s programme for countering extremism.
CONTEST is the UK’s over-arching Counter Terrorism strategy, a strand of which is PREVENT. The primary objective of PREVENT is to deter people from being drawn into terrorism.
A key element of this is the Channel Project, a multi-agency scheme working with both children and adults to safeguard them against extremism. The purpose of Channel is the prevention of terrorism and the intention is to intervene at a very early stage.
Sir Peter Fahy, National Police Prevent Lead and Chief Constable of Greater Manchester Police, describes Prevent as “a straightforward example of good policing”. Channel’s safeguarding approach originates from experience gained in successfully tackling gang related crime in London, Glasgow and Manchester. Integrating a broad range of agencies into one process can turn around those at risk. There is a huge shared benefit
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of working together to prevent all forms of crime. “Terrorism generates such a huge strength of feeling: the tragic events in Paris, and cases such as the twin schoolgirls who travelled from Manchester last year to join ISIS, are bringing people together to recognise the real threat posed by extremism. The mode of radicalisation has moved from personal contact between individuals to the social media space, which can be much harder to detect. This is why it is so important to raise awareness, for individuals to be alert and to contact the authorities with any concerns.
“In terms of managing returnees from Syria or Iraq, each case needs to be judged on its own merit. We must make a decision as to whether they have broken the law and need investigating, or, if that is not the case, identify how we can work with them to reduce the risk and protect the community.”
The Channel Process
A safeguarding and partnership approach: Channel seeks to engage with individuals who may be vulnerable to radicalisation, intervening prior to any terrorism related criminality occurring. Channel’s occupation of this ‘pre-criminal space’ has historically been crucial in reinforcing its function as a safeguarding process, as opposed to a means
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to gather intelligence from communities. Referrals to Channel come from a wide range of sources: health, education, social services, concerned family members and employers.
Police practitioners coordinate and present referrals to a multi-agency panel chaired by the local authority. The panel is attended by partner agencies relevant to each referral. Where a referral is accepted as a Channel case, the partners work in collaboration to formulate an appropriate support package. In many cases this includes ‘one to one’ mentoring from a Home Office approved specialist intervention provider. Intervention providers are expert in countering extremist narratives, whilst encouraging the individual to develop critical thinking skills and build their own resilience to extremist ideology.
Not all referrals to Channel will be suitable for the process and may be ‘signposted’ to other agencies such as health, education or diversionary social activities. Some individuals may benefit from faith guidance but not meet the Channel threshold in terms of being vulnerable to extremism.
Channel is entirely voluntary. There is not any legislation to enforce engagement with Channel. The programme is being placed on a statutory footing, but this is to support the consistent delivery of Channel across England
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