Referrals to Prevent anti-terror scheme at 10-year high
Summary
Nearly 10,000 people were referred to the UK government’s Prevent anti-terrorism program in the year leading to September 2025, a record high. The increase is linked to greater public awareness after a deadly attack in Southport in 2024 and improvements in the program's training and policies.Key Facts
- There were 10,293 referrals in England and Wales in the year to September 2025, a 39% increase from the previous year.
- The largest group referred was children aged 11 to 15, making up 36% of referrals.
- The Southport attack in July 2024, where a 17-year-old killed three children and injured others, raised public awareness of Prevent.
- The Southport attacker had been referred to Prevent three times before the attack but his case was closed too early.
- Referrals related to extreme right-wing beliefs increased by 42%, now making up 20% of all referrals.
- Islamist extremism referrals made up 8% of the total.
- Over half of the referrals (56%) were for individuals without any identified extremist ideology.
- Only half of the referrals included ethnicity data; most of those were white (68%), followed by Asian (18%) and Black (8%).
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