战略与国际研究中心-A-Panoramic-Gender-Lens-to-Fight-Terrorism-and-Counter-Violent-Extremism_116页_1mb

Prevent Strategy Summary

Core Content

The Prevent Strategy is a key component of the UK's counter-terrorism strategy, CONTEST, aimed at stopping people from becoming terrorists or supporting terrorism. It was published in June 2011 and outlines the Government's approach to countering radicalisation and extremism, both domestically and internationally.

Main Objectives

The strategy outlines three main objectives:

1. Challenging the ideology that supports terrorism and those who promote it
2. Protecting vulnerable people from being drawn into terrorism
3. Working with key sectors and institutions where there are risks of radicalisation

Key Principles

• Prevent is part of CONTEST and focuses on stopping radicalisation and supporting those at risk.
• The ideology of extremism is the core issue, not legitimate religious belief.
• Prevent must not fund or work with extremist organisations that oppose the UK's values of human rights, equality, democracy, and social participation.
• Integration is vital but must not be conflated with Prevent. The Government will not securitise its integration strategy.
• Evaluation and performance monitoring are critical to ensure value for money and effectiveness of Prevent activities.
• Local delivery is important, with the Home Secretary as the lead Minister and the Office for Security and Counter-Terrorism (OSCT) as the coordinating body.
• Prevent will be implemented through a multi-agency approach, involving policing, local authorities, community groups, and other relevant institutions.
• The internet is a key sector for preventing radicalisation, and the strategy includes measures to counter extremist content online.

Current Threat Context

• The UK faces multiple terrorist threats, with Al Qa'ida and its affiliates being the most serious.
• Radicalisation is a process, not an event, and is driven by:
  • Extremist ideologies that sanction violence
  • Propagandists both within and outside the UK
  • Personal vulnerabilities and local factors that make extremist ideas appealing
• Extremist ideologies are often linked to the rejection of a cohesive, integrated, multi-faith society and parliamentary democracy.
• Terrorist groups can exploit ideas from legally operating extremist organisations, which has implications for the scope of Prevent strategy.

Evaluation and Funding

• Evaluation of Prevent projects has been inadequate in the past, leading to wasted public funds.
• The new strategy aims to improve monitoring and evaluation to ensure effectiveness and value for money.
• Funding for Prevent will come from the Home Office and other departments, with the third area (overseas work) funded by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO).
• The strategy emphasizes proportionality in resource allocation, focusing on the most significant threats.

Next Steps and Improvements

• Challenging extremist ideologies will involve better communication of government policies, education initiatives, and collaboration with communities.
• Support for vulnerable people will continue through the Channel programme, which identifies and supports individuals at risk of radicalisation.
• Improvements to the Channel programme include stricter criteria to prevent misuse and ensure that it does not infringe on free speech.
• Working with key sectors will involve:
  • Education: Schools and higher education institutions will be engaged to counter radicalisation.
  • Faith institutions: These will be involved in challenging extremist ideologies.
  • Healthcare and criminal justice: These sectors will also be targeted for Prevent activities.
  • Charities and the internet: These areas will be prioritised for further action.

Devolved Administrations

• Counter-terrorism is a reserved matter, so Prevent is primarily a UK Government responsibility.
• However, some sectors (like education and health) have been devolved, leading to different approaches in Scotland and Wales.
• The police role in Wales is not devolved, so the UK Government remains responsible for its implementation there.

Legal and Ethical Considerations

• No changes to the legal framework for Prevent-related work are planned.
• Covert surveillance of communities is not part of Prevent.
• Trust in Prevent must be improved, and the strategy will avoid the perception of discrimination against any faith or ethnic group.

Conclusion

The new Prevent Strategy is designed to be more focused, proportionate, and effective. It aims to tackle the ideological basis of terrorism, protect vulnerable individuals, and work with key sectors to prevent radicalisation. The strategy also seeks to improve governance, enhance evaluation, and promote integration without undermining civil liberties. The ultimate goal is to fight extremism comprehensively and protect national security.