Priti Patel defies her critics to expand Prevent anti-terror drive

The Home Secretary is planning ‘root and branch’ reform of the Government’s controversial deradicalisation programme amid fears that large areas of the country are dangerously unprotected from extremists.

In the biggest shake-up of the Prevent strategy since its launch in 2003, Priti Patel has proposed dividing England and Wales into nine regional hubs. Dedicated teams would operate from extremist ‘hot spots’ within each.

Officials believe it will give Prevent officers better access to extremists in rural areas and allow for the rapid deployment of teams in the event of an attack.

The review was ordered after intelligence highlighted the changing nature of extremism in Britain, with an increasing number of Islamic terrorist offenders living in neighbourhoods outside traditional Muslim areas, and most far-Right extremists based in areas with little or no previous extremist activity. There has also been a significant rise in the number of far-Left, animal rights and environmental extremists and those with ‘no fixed ideologies’.

At present, Prevent’s structure sees about 50 councils categorised as ‘high-priority areas’. They have dedicated deradicalisation teams and receive most of the annual £45 million budget, but it leaves much of England and Wales designated as ‘non-priority areas’.

Sources have told The Mail on Sunday that the latest Home Office data shows that as many as 22 per cent of Islamic terrorist offenders now live in council areas that have been deemed non-priority areas. Sixty-five per cent of far-Right extremists and up to three quarters of far-Left, animal rights and environmental extremists are also found in non-priority areas.

An insider said the terrorist attack at Parsons Green Tube station in 2017 had provided stark evidence of the problem.

Ahmed Hassan, then 18, detonated a crude bucket bomb on a morning rush-hour Tube train, injuring more than 30 commuters. At the time, he was living in the non-priority area of Spelthorne, Surrey.

‘In Hassan’s case, the influence of a dedicated Prevent officer may have helped to mitigate the risk beforehand,’ a source said.

‘There has been a campaign by some groups to curtail Prevent, or even get rid of it, but these proposals mean Prevent will actually expand. It shows the Government definitely does not want to get rid of the strategy.’

Prevent was created after the 9/11 attacks as part of Contest, the Government’s overall counter-terrorism strategy. It initially focused on deradicalising Muslim extremists but critics have described it as ‘national spying programme’.

A senior Whitehall source said: ‘We always said that we wanted to look at Prevent to make it more effective and we are looking at it structurally. We want to make sure that everyone who needs it has access to it. We have begun consulting with local authorities and our ambition is to have the new model in place by April next year.’

A Home Office spokesman said: ‘There is an independent review of Prevent and the Government wants to see it concluded as soon as possible.’