To: EXECUTIVE

22 September 2020

                                                                                                                                                      

Prevent Strategy and Action Plan 2020/23

Executive Director: People

 

1          Purpose of Report

1.1       The Bracknell Forest Prevent Strategy and Action Plan 2017/19 has now expired and a revised strategy and action plan for 2020/23 has been prepared.

2          Recommendation(s)

2.1       That the Executive approve and adopt the Bracknell Forest Prevent Strategy and Action Plan 2020/23

3          Reasons for Recommendation(S)

3.1       Section 26 of the Counter-Terrorism and Security Act 2015 and its revisions places a duty on specified authorities to “have due regard to the need to prevent people from being drawn into terrorism” in the exercise of their functions.

 

In addition to the Prevent Duty, the Counter-Terrorism and Security Act 2015, (updated December 2019) introduced a new duty for local authorities to provide support for people vulnerable to being drawn into terrorism. 

 

Bracknell Forest’s response to the above is the Prevent Strategy and Action Plan which draws together how it will work with partners to achieve these objectives.

4          Alternative Options Considered

4.1         No alternative options have been considered for the following reasons:

·         A strategy is necessary to publish our identified priorities in this area of work as well as how we plan to tackle them

·         Prevention and support for those at risk of radicalisation is a multi-agency process which is best co-ordinated through an action plan

5             Supporting Information

Context

5.1         In addition to the 2015 Act, there is a UK Strategy for Countering Terrorism 2018 (known as CONTEST) which is the delivery plan made up of the Prevent, Pursue, Protect and Prepare strands. The aim of CONTEST is to reduce the risk to the UK and its citizens and interests overseas from terrorism, so that people can go about their lives freely and with confidence. 

 

 

 

Principles of the Bracknell Forest Strategy and Action Plan

5.2       Our strategy and action plan, which addresses the Prevent strand of the UK Strategy, is based on the following principles:

 

·         Prevent is everyone’s business and therefore awareness will be mandatory for all specified authorities, including their commissioned services

·         Actions taken will always be proportionate to the risk identified for Bracknell Forest

·         Bracknell Forest-specified authorities will work effectively together through the Prevent Steering Group (a sub-group of the Community Safety Partnership) to deliver the Action Plan, with local delivery arrangements in place where appropriate and proportionate

·         Prevent is part of the wider safeguarding agenda and thus will focus on providing support and re-direction to vulnerable individuals at risk of being drawn into terrorism from an early stage

·         The Prevent programme must not involve any covert activity against individuals or communities

 

Governance and Monitoring

5.3         Governance and monitoring take place through the Prevent Steering Group which is a multi-agency partnership group currently comprising representatives as follows. It is chaired by the BFC Head of Transformation and Engagement. The Prevent Steering Group is a sub-group of the Community Safety Partnership which holds governance of its work.

 

Bracknell Forest Council

Lead Member for Culture, Corporate Services and Public Protection

Head of Community Safety

BFC Prevent Lead

Youth Offending Service (YOS)

Community Cohesion and Engagement Partnership

Organisational Development

Bracknell Forest Safeguarding Board (BFSB) representative

Police

Counter-Terrorism Policing South East (CTPSE)

Thames Valley Police – Bracknell and Wokingham LPA Prevent Lead/representative

Health

Bracknell and Ascot Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG)

Berkshire Healthcare Foundation Trust (BHFT)

Probation

National Probation Service (NPS)

Thames Valley Community Rehabilitation Company (CRC)

Bracknell and Wokingham College

Prevent/Safeguarding Lead

 

It is noted that Prevent is also a safeguarding issue and, therefore, the Prevent Steering Group has a line of accountability to the Bracknell Forest Safeguarding Board too, allowing those members to have reassurance of the ongoing work as well as being able to input to the further development of the Prevent work.

 

 

5.4       The Prevent Duty in the Act requires local authorities to have a Channel Panel in place to safeguard any person who is referred in by Counter-Terrorism Policing South East where there are concerns that the person is vulnerable to radicalisation. The Bracknell Forest Channel Panel is in place and meets monthly throughout the year. In addition, the Panel meets twice a year to ensure the partnership structure is maintained and to discuss and share good practice and learning. Membership of the Channel Panel is shown in the table below. It is chaired by the Business Manager of the Bracknell Forest Safeguarding Board and the Community Safety Prevent lead.

Bracknell Forest Council

 

 

 

 

Community Safety Team

Youth Offending Service

Organisational Development

Bracknell Forest Safeguarding Board

Multi-Agency Safeguarding Hub (MASH)

Police

Counter-Terrorism Policing South East

Thames Valley Police – Bracknell and Wokingham Local Police Area (LPA)

Health

Berkshire Healthcare Foundation Trust

Bracknell and Ascot Clinical Commissioning Group

Community Mental Health Team

Probation

National Probation Service

Thames Valley Community Rehabilitation Company

 

 

Additional case-aAdditional case-specific individuals are invited where relevant and required.

 

5.5       Bracknell Forest Profile

 

The Bracknell Forest Counter-Terrorism Local Profile (CTPL), which is a restricted document produced by CTPSE (Counter-Terrorism Policing South East), informs our awareness and understanding of the risk held locally.

 

Bracknell Forest is a low demand and low risk area regarding the threat of active terrorism and continues to be designated as a Tier 3 non-priority areas in the latest Counter-Terrorism Local Profile (CTPL, 2019).

 

In 2018/19, referral for right-wing (white supremacy) terrorist behaviour outnumbered those for Islamist referrals in all of Berkshire. This type of terrorism is also the most prominent threat of extremism in Bracknell Forest (CTPL, 2019).

 

International terrorism and home-grown terrorists have meant an increased role for policing in recent years. This has led to some in our country’s communities feeling uncomfortable with a sense of being under scrutiny. The perception from some is that there is a focus on Muslim communities rather on the very small numbers that support an extremist ideology. Prevent work in Bracknell Forest does not stereotype communities and takes measures to counter this. It recognises that it is important to have and maintain communication across communities and to make this work accountable to people within them.

 

 

 

 

5.6       Comparison to the 2017-19 Strategy and Action Plan

 

It is highlighted that there have not been significant changes to the local threat, harm and risk to Bracknell Forest since the previous Strategy and Action Plan in that Bracknell Forest is still a non-priority area for threat of terrorism and extremism, the Channel Panel receives low numbers of referrals and the Action Plan still prioritises awareness-raising and training which are fundamental to this agenda.

 

However, our approach has been strengthened in the new strategy in the following ways:

 

·         the referral pathway to the Channel Panel is clearer and more transparent to all referring agencies

·         6-monthly reviews of all cases take place to identify lessons learnt to improve our process

·         we are developing a better understanding of our local hate crime profile and how we respond to that information

·         we are developing an improved understanding of unaccompanied asylum seekers arriving in Bracknell and their risk of being radicalised

6          Consultation and Other Considerations

Legal Advice

6.1       The Bracknell Forest Strategy and Action Plan 2020/23 follow legal requirements.

Financial Advice

6.2       There are no financial implications.

Other Consultation Responses

6.3       Prevent Steering Group (a sub-group of the Community Safety Partnership), the Community Safety Partnership and the Bracknell Forest Safeguarding Board.

Equalities Impact Assessment

6.4       Attached

Strategic Risk Management Issues

6.5       By completing a Bracknell Forest Prevent Strategy and Action Plan, we are complying with the duty placed upon us as a local authority in the Counter-Terrorism and Security Act 2015 and the UK Strategy for Countering Terrorism 2018. Without a strategy and action plan to guide our local response, agencies will be unaware of the local profile (which may be subject to change) and prevention and protection will be unclear and un-coordinated. This would heighten risk to those vulnerable to extremism and radicalisation.

Background Papers

Bracknell Forest Prevent Strategy and Action Plan 2020/23

 

Contact for further information

Alison O’Meara (Head of Community Safety)

Alison.O’Meara@bracknell-forest.gov.uk

01344-352286