part of this drive, working groups have been established across the Intelligence Community and wider HMG on:
- Discovery and analysis;
- Online;
- Prevent;
- Human intelligence (HUMINT); and
- Prisons.
Prevent strand
192. The Prevent strand is, rightly, a matter for the Home Affairs Committee. The ISC primarily oversees the Pursue strand (which is covered in the next chapter), and is focused on the terrorist threat rather than extremism. Nevertheless, it was useful background for the Committee in this Inquiry to hear about the Extreme Right-Wing from those who manage the Prevent strand, and we have included that evidence as an Annex to this Report.
193. In the context of our Inquiry we do, however, note that there has been a significant increase in the number of individuals being referred to Prevent. Whilst there is no link between numbers of Prevent referrals, terrorism casework and warrant applications—each of which are entirely separate processes—it is nevertheless interesting to note the differences in ratios:[1]
M. The continuing rise in the number of referrals to Prevent for concerns around Extreme Right-Wing activity does not necessarily signal a similar increase in the Extreme Right-Wing Terrorism threat, rather it indicates a greater awareness of the potential risk and the greater focus being placed on this issue. We consider that the Home Affairs Committee may wish to examine how and why people are being referred to Prevent—and who is making these referrals.
- ↑ These figures cover the following periods:
- Prevent referrals covering period 2020-2021 (ending March 2021) - Oral evidence, Home Office, 29 April 2021
- Number of SOIs (week commencing 26 April 2021) - Oral evidence, MI5, 28 April 2021
- New warrants issued in 2020-2021 - Written evidence, MI5, 26 May 2021
- Plots disrupted in 2016-2021 - Oral evidence, MI5, 29 April 2021.
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