PREVENT
Prevent is one of the four pillars of CONTEST, the UK’s counter-terrorism strategy. It operates in the non-criminal space and is designed to support people away from radicalisation before they commit an offence.
Prevent is underpinned by the Counter-Terrorism and Security Act 2015 (CTSA), which places a duty on public bodies, including schools, colleges, universities, health, local authorities, police, and prisons to prevent people from being drawn into terrorism. It operates across England, Wales, and Scotland.
Prevent deals with all forms of terrorism, including Islamist and Extreme Right-Wing ideologies, and emerging threats. As an early intervention programme, Prevent must consider susceptibility to involvement in terrorism, rather than be limited to cases where an ideology has already taken hold. Prevent is constantly evolving to reflect the changing threat and learning lessons from operational delivery to inform most effective management of risk. While Prevent cannot eliminate all risk, it aims to ensure that the Programme is robust, proportionate, and effective in protecting the public.