Record numbers of individuals suspected of terrorist tendencies were referred to the UK's anti-terror programme Prevent, with nearly 10,000 people reported in the year to September. This marks a ten-year high and includes hundreds of children under ten years old.
Referrals surge by 39%
The latest figures show a 39% increase in referrals, from 7,408 in the previous 12 months to a record 10,293 referrals for 9,957 people. This is the highest number of referrals in a single year since records began in 2015.
The spike follows a sustained significant increase in referrals after Axel Rudakubana's 2024 attack, which killed three girls at a dance class. Rudakubana, who was 17 at the time, was referred to Prevent three times but his case was closed due to a lack of clear ideology. He was sentenced to 52 years and later moved from HM Belmarsh Prison to Broadmoor psychiatric hospital.
Children under 10 among referrals
Where age was known, 11 to 15-year-olds made up the largest proportion of referrals (3,655 or 36%), followed by 16 to 17-year-olds (1,379 or 13%). Deeply worrying, 393 referrals (4%) were for children aged 10 or under. However, earlier intervention may help prevent radicalisation.
The figures also suggest far-right radicalisation may come from older family members influencing children. Referrals for extreme right-wing ideology rose to 2,103 (20% of the total), up from 1,480, while Islamist extremism referrals fell to 860 (8%), down from 945.
No identified ideology in most cases
More than half (56%) of referrals were for individuals with no identified ideology, indicating more people may be drawn to violence without a specific cause. This has happened before, as with senior British Islamic State member Alexanda Kotey, who was fascinated by beheading videos as a teenager. If Prevent had accessed him then, he might have been diverted from extremism.
The ethnicity of referrals shows 68% were white, 18% Asian, and 8% black, contradicting far-right claims about certain groups being more likely to commit terror attacks.
