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Referrals to the Government’s counter-terrorism programme have surged to a record high following the Southport murders, new data shows. A total of 8,778 people were referred to Prevent in 2024/25, up 27 per cent from the previous year’s 6,922. The South East saw 1,397 people reported to the scheme, with London close behind at 1,354. Officials say referrals have soared since the attacks in Southport in July 2024, when teenager Axel Rudakubana killed children Bebe King, Elsie Dot Stancombe and Alice da Silva Aguiar and injured ten others during a stabbing spree at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class. Rudakubana had been referred to Prevent three times over concerns about his interest in school shootings and violence but each case was closed due to a lack of clear ideology. Between January and March alone, 3,287 referrals were made – the highest quarterly total since records began. The majority of cases – 56 per cent or 4,917 – were logged under “no ideology”. Where one was identified, extreme right-wing views accounted for 21 per cent (1,798), more than double those linked to Islamist extremism (10 per cent or 870). Independent Prevent Commissioner David Anderson KC said he heard evidence from across the country that there had been a large increase in Prevent referrals in the first quarter of this year following the publicity surrounding the Rudakubana case. Before the attack, referrals were expected to remain stable, but reports suggest heightened vigilance among professionals has fuelled the rise. 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." Overall, children under 18 accounted for 4,715 referrals in 2024/25, the highest annual number for this combined age group, but a slightly lower proportion of the total referrals (54 per cent) than in 2023/24 (57 per cent). There were 345 referrals (4 per cent of the total) for children aged 10 or under. For the first time, data also revealed mental health and neurodiversity factors. Over a third of referrals (34 per cent) had at least one condition recorded, most commonly Autism Spectrum Disorder (14 per cent). Head of Counter Terrorism Policing Laurence Taylor warned there is not enough capacity in the system to deal with the number of mental health cases. He said: "I don't believe we have the capacity in the system to deal with the complexities that people are displaying that are coming into our purview, so through Prevent or other means. "So, I do think the capacity needs increasing." Despite long-running criticism of the Prevent programme after multiple attacks by individuals previously referred, officials insisted that new training and assessment reforms are being rolled out to strengthen decision making.
