Prevent is a part of the UK's counter-terrorism strategy, CONTEST. Prevent helps to protect society from terrorism by supporting people who are at risk of radicalisation and offering them appropriate interventions.
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 radicalisation and Prevent deals with all of them.
If someone is at risk of radicalisation, they should be referred to Prevent's support programme, Channel. Channel is confidential and voluntary, and offers support including:
- mentoring
- mental health support such as counselling
- education or career development support
- online safety training for parents
In Middlesbrough, we have been delivering Prevent in partnership with our local communities, police, and a range of statutory partners and organisations. The local response to Prevent is both focused and proportionate to risk, with commitment among the statutory partners to take decisions in an informed, transparent, and open manner with clear accountability to local communities. Our purpose is to reach the small number of people who are susceptible or vulnerable to being drawn into terrorist-related activities.
The government's Prevent document explains the strategy in more detail.
Threat levels
Threat levels are designed to give a broad indication of the likelihood of a terrorist attack:
- Low - an attack is highly unlikely
- Moderate - an attack is possible, but not likely
- Substantial - an attack is likely
- Severe - an attack is highly likely
- Critical - an attack is highly likely in the near future
You can see the current threat levels on the MI5 website.
Members of the public are advised to always remain alert to the danger of terrorism and report any suspicious activity to the police on 999 or the anti-terrorist hotline on 0800 789 321.
If your information does not relate to an imminent threat, you can also contact MI5.