Prevent
What does "Prevent" mean to you? How about "extremism" and "radicalisation"?
These are all important topics we discuss at College. Putting politics and religion aside, as part of British Values we believe in these key things:
- Democracy
- Respecting and abiding by this country’s laws
- Individual liberty
- Mutual respect and Tolerance
Extremism means the holding of extreme views. These might be political or religious or tied in with a belief system. Extremists are prepared to break the law and harm others to achieve their goals and they don’t care about democracy. Extremists believe things are far from the "norm" and they refuse to listen to other people’s views. They divide friends, families and communities and encourage violence, anger and hatred. What makes someone an extremist is not the causes they support, it’s the values they reject.
Radicalisation means the way in which extremists get other people to join them. Extremists target individuals and try to manipulate them into joining them. They might try to isolate vulnerable people and prey on any feelings of insecurity they may have about their identity, family, friends or community. They might instil an idea of victimisation, focus on an "common enemy", work hard to present that enemy as sub human (with no rights or self esteem so it’s harder to relate to the "enemy") and then present any acts of crime, violence and hatred as though the person committing the crime is seen as a hero, doing a service to humanity.
Signposting
Radicalisation is the process by which a person comes to support terrorism and extremist ideologies. If you are worried someone close to you is becoming radicalised act early and seek help. The sooner you reach out, the quicker the person you care about can be protected from being groomed and exploited by extremists.
Police forces across the country have specially trained Prevent officers who work with professionals in health, education, local authorities and charities, as well as faith and community groups to help vulnerable people move away from extremism. They are here to listen and offer help and advice. Receiving support is voluntary.
Friends and family are best placed to spot the signs, so trust your instincts and share your concerns in confidence.
They can help if you act early. You won't be wasting police time and you won’t ruin lives, but you might save them.
Prevent is one way our Government is safeguarding people and communities from the threat of terrorism. Prevent is actually one of four elements of "CONTEST", the Government’s counter-terrorism strategy (Prevent, Pursue, Protect and Prepare). The aim is to stop people becoming terrorists or supporting terrorism.
The Prevent strategy provides practical help to prevent people from being drawn into terrorism - it tackles the ideas surrounding terrorism and extremism and the threat from those who promote those views. The Home Office works with local authorities, schools, colleges, universities, prisons, charities, justice, faith and community organisations to deliver the Prevent strategy. It supports people who are at risk of being drawn into extremist behaviour through the Channel process. There are three main parts to "Channel", identifying people at risk of being drawn into terrorism; assessing the nature and extent of that risk and developing a support plan for the individual concerned.
You won’t get into trouble if you talk with a member of College staff about any concerns you may have. If you feel confused by anything to do with Prevent, Extremism, Radicalisation or any other matter it’s better to talk with your tutor or a member of staff and share your concerns. If something bothers you, it bothers us. There is no judgement. If you’re worried about something or someone please come forward and talk with us. We can help.