Radicalisation risks reported more than once a week

Dudley is dealing with more than one person per week who is at risk of being radicalised into terrorism.

A report for the council’s Communities and Growth Scrutiny Committee on combating extremism says that so far this year, 40 cases have been referred to the Prevent programme.

Prevent is a national initiative which aims to intervene when individuals are at risk from radicalising influences and is part of the borough’s legal duty to support people who are vulnerable to being drawn into terrorism.

The report says in 2023/24 there was an 88 per cent rise in referrals to 62, which made the borough the third highest in the West Midlands conurbation behind Birmingham and Coventry.

Referrals to Prevent mainly came from education, prisons and probation or the NHS.

The report, signed by Kathy Jones, group director of housing and assets, says The Home Office found Dudley has made ‘significant strides’ in improving how its Prevent strategy works and encouraging more departments to be involved.

The borough has seen ‘sustained issues’ with community cohesion in the wake of civil disorder across the UK during July 2024.

The council’s Prevent lead officer received a commendation from the West Midlands Police Chief Superintendent for ‘effectively reducing tensions during the Southport civil disorder and for ensuring that all partners were kept informed on the evolving risk and threat levels’.

Dudley has also been encouraging people to report tensions and incidents within communities anonymously through its “See it, Snap it, Send it” campaign and Safe and Sound website.

There were 142 reports of tensions for 2024 calendar year which fall into a number of categories, the community section saw the most reports with 47, a total of 16 of those related to Immigration, migration and refugees.

Reports of criminality affecting community cohesion were second on 30, with race hate identified on six occasions, while religious hate was reported nine times.

There were 24 political issues reported, including incidents related to the Israel/ Palestine conflict and misinformation. 

The report concludes: “The report shows how we are working with local partners and communities to tackle extremism, hate, and civil unrest. 

“It highlights strong leadership and governance through our Prevent Duty work, including risk management and multi-agency co-ordination. 

“It also demonstrates how we are building a more inclusive and resilient borough through community projects, youth engagement, and better ways for people to report concerns.

“These efforts help strengthen community relationships, improve safety, and ensure services meet the needs of our residents.”