20 Sep
COMMENTARY

The Home Secretary Looks Determined to Shake Up Prevent

When the Independent Review of Prevent by Sir William Shawcross was published earlier this year, many in the counter-terrorism field applauded what Shawcross had said. If implemented, the reforms he proposed would be the biggest overhaul of Britain’s national counter-radicalisation programme in a decade. Yet despite the Government saying that it was committed to implementing all 34 of the Prevent review’s recommendations, some supporters I spoke to were quietly doubtful. They seemed convinced that the Prevent review and its recommendations would soon fall into obscurity and that nothing would really change. The release of the new Prevent Duty Guidance earlier...

Read more

08 Feb
BLOG

Commentary on the Independent Review of Prevent

What the Shawcross review says about Britain’s counter-radicalisation efforts and what it means. Hannah Stuart 8 February 2023 In January 2021, author and former Chair of the Charity Commission William Shawcross was appointed by the Home Secretary to lead the independent review of Prevent, part of the country’s wider counter-terrorism strategy. Shawcross’s review and the Government’s response were today laid before Parliament, marking the fulfilment of a commitment to an independent review in the Counter Terrorism and Border Security Act 2019. In a wide-ranging and detailed review, Shawcross sets out his findings on Prevent and makes 34 recommendations for change, all of...

Read more

08 Feb
PRESS RELEASE

Shawcross’s Prevent review shows inadequacies of the UK’s counter-terrorism strategy, says the Counter Extremism Group

CEG welcomes William Shawcross’s review providing clear, practical solutions to refocus Prevent and tackle the growth of extremist ideologies in the UK. London, UK – 8 February 2023 – Today, the Counter Extremism Group (CEG), a UK-based think tank that challenges extremist ideologies, welcomes and supports William Shawcross’s review of the UK Government’s counter-terrorism Prevent strategy following its publication. In his review, the former Chair of the Charity Commission, William Shawcross, who was also a Special Representative on the UK victims of Qadhafi-sponsored IRA terrorism, recognises the vital importance of Prevent in countering terrorism in the UK, yet offers clear recommendations for Prevent...

Read more

14 Oct
PUBLICATION

The UK Prevent Strategy: A Literature Review, 2011-2021

The UK’s counter-radicalisation Prevent strategy has become one of the most well established soft-power counter-terrorism programmes in the Western world. It offers a far more subtle approach than alternatives such as sting operations or intrusive levels of surveillance by security services. Despite this, from its beginnings, Prevent has faced criticism from campaigners, academics, and community groups. There can be little argument that there are areas where Prevent needs reform and improvement. Yet it is questionable whether adopting the claims made by many of the programme’s critics would assist making Prevent any more effective.

Read more

12345