Prevent - preventing terrorism

About Prevent

Prevent is one of the 4 strands of CONTEST, the UK’s Counter-Terrorism Strategy.

The Prevent Strategy aims ‘to stop people becoming terrorists or supporting terrorism’.

In Brighton & Hove, we work to identify and support people who are susceptible to radicalisation. We work to intervene at the earliest opportunity. We protect communities from radicalising influences to reduce the risk and harms of terrorism.

Objectives of the Prevent Strategy

The National Prevent Strategy has 3 main objectives:

1. To tackle the ideological causes of terrorism.
2. To intervene early to support people susceptible to radicalisation.
3. To enable people who have already engaged in terrorism to disengage and rehabilitate.

These objectives are also described as:

• challenging Ideology
• supporting susceptible Individuals (Channel)
• enabling disengagement and rehabilitation

The Prevent Strategy addresses all forms of terrorism, including: 

• Al-Qaida or Daesh-inspired and associated (or international) terrorism
• extreme right-wing terrorism
• left, anarchist and single-issue terrorism

Individuals may be inspired by the rhetoric of groups or causes across all extremist perspectives above to carry out attacks. We refer to this as Self-Initiated Terrorism.

Primary threats of terrorism

The CONTEST strategy updated the changing threat picture for the UK in July 2023. Currently, the primary threat of terrorism comes from Al-Qaida or Daesh and inspired or affiliated terrorist ideologies.

Threat from extreme right-wing and from self-initiated terrorist remains substantial in the UK. Online influences play a significant role.

At the moment, counter-terrorism efforts encounter a range of personal and ideological motivations for violence. This is where a traditional terrorist narrative may only be part of a much more complex picture. Individuals are increasingly adopting a mix of ideas from different ideologies into their grievance narratives.

Early intervention

Early intervention and safeguarding is at the core of Prevent work. We use a range of initiatives to tackle both the causes and risk factors that can lead someone to become radicalised.

The early intervention support provided by Prevent addresses the personal, ideological, and social factors which make people susceptible to radicalisation before they become involved in criminal terrorist-related activity.

The Prevent Duty helps to ensure that people who are susceptible to radicalisation are supported in the same way they would be under safeguarding processes.   

To tackle the ideological causes of terrorism, Prevent focuses on reducing the influence of radicalisers on susceptible audiences, as well as reducing the availability of, and access to, terrorist content.  

Prevent adopts a multi-agency approach to individuals from being exploited by extremists and terrorists by:

• supporting people susceptible to radicalisation
• enabling those who have already engaged in extremism and terrorism to disengage and rehabilitate

Definition of terrorism

Terrorism is an action that:

• endangers or causes serious violence to a person or people
• causes serious damage to property
• seriously interferes or disrupts an electronic system

The use or threat must be designed to influence the government or to intimidate the public and is made for the purpose of advancing a political, religious, or ideological cause (Terrorism Act 2000).

Each of the 3 elements of the definition must be satisfied:

1. The actions (or threats of action) encompassing serious violence against a person, damage to property, and creating a serious risk to health or safety
2. The target to which those acts must be directed, such as influencing a government or international organisation or intimidating the public (or a section of the public).
3. The underlying purpose such as advancing a political, religious or ideological cause must be present.

Find out what terrorism means.

Definition of radicalisation

Radicalisation means someone is being encouraged to develop extreme views or beliefs in support of terrorist groups and activities. There are many different types of radicalisations. Prevent deals with all of them.

Definition of extremism

On 14 March 2024, the Department of Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) announced a new definition of extremism and engagement principles for government departments.   

Extremism is defined as:

the promotion or advancement of an ideology based on violence, hatred, or intolerance, that aims to:

1. Negate or destroy the fundamental rights and freedoms of others; or, 
2. undermine, overturn, or replace the UK’s system of liberal parliamentary democracy and democratic rights; or
3. intentionally create a permissive environment for others to achieve the results in (1) or (2).  

The definition also sets out the types of behaviour that are indicative of the kind of promotion or advancement which may be relevant to the definition. 

Prevent Guidance remains unchanged and Prevent continues to be involved in extremism which can be reasonably linked to terrorism, such as where it might lead to radicalisation into participating in or supporting terrorism. 

About Prevent

Prevent is one of the 4 strands of CONTEST, the UK’s Counter-Terrorism Strategy.

The Prevent Strategy aims ‘to stop people becoming terrorists or supporting terrorism’.

In Brighton & Hove, we work to identify and support people who are susceptible to radicalisation. We work to intervene at the earliest opportunity. We protect communities from radicalising influences to reduce the risk and harms of terrorism.

Objectives of the Prevent Strategy

The National Prevent Strategy has 3 main objectives:

1. To tackle the ideological causes of terrorism.
2. To intervene early to support people susceptible to radicalisation.
3. To enable people who have already engaged in terrorism to disengage and rehabilitate.

These objectives are also described as:

• challenging Ideology
• supporting susceptible Individuals (Channel)
• enabling disengagement and rehabilitation

The Prevent Strategy addresses all forms of terrorism, including: 

• Al-Qaida or Daesh-inspired and associated (or international) terrorism
• extreme right-wing terrorism
• left, anarchist and single-issue terrorism

Individuals may be inspired by the rhetoric of groups or causes across all extremist perspectives above to carry out attacks. We refer to this as Self-Initiated Terrorism.

Primary threats of terrorism

The CONTEST strategy updated the changing threat picture for the UK in July 2023. Currently, the primary threat of terrorism comes from Al-Qaida or Daesh and inspired or affiliated terrorist ideologies.

Threat from extreme right-wing and from self-initiated terrorist remains substantial in the UK. Online influences play a significant role.

At the moment, counter-terrorism efforts encounter a range of personal and ideological motivations for violence. This is where a traditional terrorist narrative may only be part of a much more complex picture. Individuals are increasingly adopting a mix of ideas from different ideologies into their grievance narratives.

Early intervention

Early intervention and safeguarding is at the core of Prevent work. We use a range of initiatives to tackle both the causes and risk factors that can lead someone to become radicalised.

The early intervention support provided by Prevent addresses the personal, ideological, and social factors which make people susceptible to radicalisation before they become involved in criminal terrorist-related activity.

The Prevent Duty helps to ensure that people who are susceptible to radicalisation are supported in the same way they would be under safeguarding processes.   

To tackle the ideological causes of terrorism, Prevent focuses on reducing the influence of radicalisers on susceptible audiences, as well as reducing the availability of, and access to, terrorist content.  

Prevent adopts a multi-agency approach to individuals from being exploited by extremists and terrorists by:

• supporting people susceptible to radicalisation
• enabling those who have already engaged in extremism and terrorism to disengage and rehabilitate

Definition of terrorism

Terrorism is an action that:

• endangers or causes serious violence to a person or people
• causes serious damage to property
• seriously interferes or disrupts an electronic system

The use or threat must be designed to influence the government or to intimidate the public and is made for the purpose of advancing a political, religious, or ideological cause (Terrorism Act 2000).

Each of the 3 elements of the definition must be satisfied:

1. The actions (or threats of action) encompassing serious violence against a person, damage to property, and creating a serious risk to health or safety
2. The target to which those acts must be directed, such as influencing a government or international organisation or intimidating the public (or a section of the public).
3. The underlying purpose such as advancing a political, religious or ideological cause must be present.

Find out what terrorism means.

Definition of radicalisation

Radicalisation means someone is being encouraged to develop extreme views or beliefs in support of terrorist groups and activities. There are many different types of radicalisations. Prevent deals with all of them.

Definition of extremism

On 14 March 2024, the Department of Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) announced a new definition of extremism and engagement principles for government departments.   

Extremism is defined as:

the promotion or advancement of an ideology based on violence, hatred, or intolerance, that aims to:

1. Negate or destroy the fundamental rights and freedoms of others; or, 
2. undermine, overturn, or replace the UK’s system of liberal parliamentary democracy and democratic rights; or
3. intentionally create a permissive environment for others to achieve the results in (1) or (2).  

The definition also sets out the types of behaviour that are indicative of the kind of promotion or advancement which may be relevant to the definition. 

Prevent Guidance remains unchanged and Prevent continues to be involved in extremism which can be reasonably linked to terrorism, such as where it might lead to radicalisation into participating in or supporting terrorism.