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A record 8,778 individuals were referred to the government's anti-extremism scheme, Prevent, in the year to March 2025, marking a 27 per cent increase. Extreme right-wing concerns accounted for 21 per cent of referrals, surpassing Islamist extremism at 10 per cent, while the largest proportion (56 per cent) fell under the 'no ideology' category. Counter-terrorism officials noted a significant rise in referrals following the Southport murders, with concerns raised about the capacity to manage complex cases involving individuals with mixed or no clear ideology. Assistant Commissioner Laurence Taylor advocated for increased mental health services to support violence-fixated individuals, highlighting the strain on counter-terrorism policing. The data revealed that four in ten referrals were children aged 11 to 15, and over a third of all referred individuals had a mental health or neurodiversity condition.
