Counter terrorism

Information for businesses or event organisers in North East Lincolnshire on public safety in relation to counter-terrorism please go to Event Safety Advisory Group (Protect).

What is terrorism?

The use or threat of action designed to influence the government or an international governmental organisation or to intimidate the public, or a section of the public; made for the purposes of advancing a political, religious, racial or ideological cause; and it involves or causes:
– serious violence against a person;
– serious damage to a property;
– a threat to a person’s life;
– a serious risk to the health and safety of the public; or
serious interference with or disruption to an electronic system.
Terrorism Act (2000)

Online radicalisation

The internet is part of our daily lives so it’s increasingly important that we all know what to look out for when online. For us and our family members.

Extremists know how to capitalise on feelings of insecurity and convince the person they can help by providing a solution. Young people can meet people online who hold strong or extremist views through social media or online gaming platforms

If you’re concerned that your child is being exposed to extremist influences, talking to them can seem worrying but it’s important to understand what they are viewing and accessing and who they are friends with online.

Ensure you have set up parental controls on any device your child uses to access the internet. This ensures they access age appropriate content.

Young people don’t always think of people they meet online through gaming as strangers, they are just online friends. Discuss online safety with them and reiterate the importance of privacy.

You can report images or videos that promote terrorism or encourage violence or websites containing disturbing images.

Report online terrorism

Who might be involved?

There is no single profile of a person likely to become involved in extremism, and the process of radicalisation is different for every individual. Radicalisers use normal social processes such as loyalty, self-perception, and fear of exclusion to influence their targets; it is not simply people with low intelligence or from deprived backgrounds who are susceptible as it is often tempting to assume.

Indicators for susceptibility to radicalisation are the same as those you are already familiar with: family tensions, sense of isolation, migration and distance from cultural heritage, experience of racism or discrimination, feeling of failure etc. Those in the process of being radicalised may become involved with a new group of friends, search for answers to questions about identity, faith and belonging, possess violent extremist literature or advocate violence actions, change their behaviour and language, seek to recruit others to an extremist ideology. It is vital to note that children and young people experiencing these situations or displaying these behaviours are not necessarily showing signs of being radicalised. There could be many other reasons for the behaviour including those you are already familiar with – alcohol or drug abuse, family break down, domestic abuse, bullying, or something more minor.

What can we do?

Safeguarding children, young people and adults from radicalisation is no different from safeguarding them from other forms of harm and is something you can do with no additional training, simply trusting your judgement and using your existing professional knowledge.

Prevent

Prevent is about safeguarding people and communities from the threat of terrorism. It aims to stop people becoming terrorists or supporting terrorism.

The Prevent Strategy aims to provide early intervention to individuals at risk of radicalisation. It focuses on support and guidance, and not on criminalisation.

The three key objectives of Prevent are:

Ideology: challenge the ideology of terrorism and disrupt the ability of those who promote it.
Individuals: prevent people from being drawn into terrorism and ensure that they are given appropriate advice and support.
Institutions: work with sectors (including education, faith, health, criminal justice, charities and the internet) where there are risks of radicalisation that we need to address.

Channel Panel

Channel is a multi-agency approach to identifying and safeguarding individuals who are at risk of being drawn into terrorism. It is about early intervention to protect and divert people away from the risk they face before illegality occurs.

It aims to protect susceptible people by:

Identifying individuals at risk;
Assessing the nature and extent of that risk; and
Developing the most appropriate support plan for the individuals concerned.

Channel is for any adult or child, regardless of faith, ethnicity or background, who is susceptible to being drawn into any form of terrorism, radicalisation or extremism; to provide support before they are exploited and/or led into embracing terrorism or becoming involved in criminal terrorist related activity.

Legislation requires:

Local authorities to ensure that a multi-agency panel exists in their area;
The local authority to chair the panel;
The panel to develop support plans for individuals accepted as Channel cases;
The panel to consider alternative forms of support, including health and social services, where Channel is not appropriate;
All partners of a panel (as specified in Schedule 7), so far as appropriate and reasonably practicable, to co-operate with the police and the panel in the carrying out of their functions.

How can I make a Prevent referral?

The Prevent National Referral Form is for professional use and should be completed with the details of the person(s) for whom the referring officer/agency has concerns in relation to their vulnerability to radicalisation for extremist or terrorist purposes.

Regardless of the age of the individual you should refer your concerns via the Prevent National Referral Form, remembering to follow your standard organisational safeguarding policy (such as informing your manager).

Counter Terrorism Policing North East (CTPNE) will carry out an initial assessment and, if appropriate, set up a multi-agency meeting to agree actions for supporting the individual. If it is deemed that no there are no concerns about radicalisation, support will be arranged for the individual through other means such as a through social care or another organisation.

Remember that any information you give to the CTPNE at this stage will be investigated in the pre-criminal arena; it does not assume that any criminal activity has taken place and the professionals will be looking to support and guide rather than to criminalise and arrest.

If you would like a referral form please email [email protected] to request one. The form will include an email address for its submission.