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Referrals to the Prevent anti-extremism scheme spiked by more than a third in the wake of the Southport attack. There were 6,350 cases referred to the government’s flagship programme between the day of the murders, July 29 last year, and the end of March. It marked a 34 per cent jump on the same period in 2023-24. But the scheme still appears to be underplaying the jihadist threat and focusing on right-wing extremism, despite warnings raised about the imbalance in an official report published nearly three years ago. Nearly 1,800 cases of suspected far-Right extremism were referred to Prevent in the year to March, compared with just 870 cases of suspected Islamist extremism. A major report published in 2023, commissioned by the Home Office, warned that Prevent had become 'politicised' because officials feared being labelled Islamophobic or racist. The review by William Shawcross, former head of the Charity Commission, said: ‘At present, 80 per cent of the Counter Terrorism Police network's live investigations are Islamist while 10 per cent are extreme Right-wing. 'The fact that only 22 per cent of Prevent referrals for the year 2020-21 concerned Islamism suggests a loss of focus and failure to identify warning signs.' However, the latest data shows the proportion of Islamist referrals has slipped to just 10 per cent of the total. Overall there were a record number of referrals with 8,778 individuals flagged to the scheme in the year, up 27 per cent, according to Home Office data. The scheme assesses individuals who are flagged by police, teachers, social workers and other officials. If someone is believed to pose a threat they can be put on the Channel scheme which aims to address their behaviour. However, Prevent has made a series of high-profile errors. Southport attacker Axel Rudakubana, who fatally stabbed three young girls at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class, was referred to Prevent three times but his case was closed. The scheme was also criticised for failing to address the activities of the murderer of MP Sir David Amess in 2021 and the 2017 Parsons Green Tube bomber, among others. The spike in Prevent referrals has continued after the time period covered by the published data, it is understood. Senior officials believe it shows genuine concerns amid frontline workers who in the wake of Southport are showing less caution in coming forward if they are troubled by an individual’s behaviour. The Home Office figures, published today, showed referrals involving individuals deemed to have ‘no ideology’ made up the largest proportion of the total, with 4,917 or 56 per cent. The second-largest group was extreme Right-wing ideology at 1,798, or 21 per cent, followed by those related to Islamist extremism, at 870 or 10 per cent. Five per cent of referrals, 469 cases, were due to concerns regarding ‘fascination with extreme violence or mass casualty attacks’. Individuals aged 11 to 15 made up the largest proportion of overall referrals, with 3,192, followed by 16- to 17-year-olds, with 1,178. There were 345 referrals for children aged 10 or under. For the first time the data included figures on the number of people referred to Prevent who suffered mental health problems or were neurodiverse. Of the 8,778 cases reported in the year 2,955 - 34 per cent - fell in either of these categories. The most common condition was autism, with 1,226 cases. Other categories included suicide risk with 811 cases, self-harm (436), learning disorders (218), depressive disorders (215), schizophrenia (196), and personality disorders (150). In the year, 1,472 referred cases were adopted as a Channel case for further intervention, up from 512 the previous year – but the large rise was attributed to a change in methodology. Security minister Dan Jarvis said: 'We must direct people away from the dangerous path of radicalisation – whether it be Islamist ideology, extreme Right-wing or those seeking mass violence. 'Prevent has diverted 6,000 people away from violent ideologies, stopping terrorists, keeping our streets and country safe.
