Decision details

RESOLVED that the Executive approve and adopt the Bracknell Forest Prevent Strategy 2024-27.

i.       Prevent is one of the four elements of CONTEST, the government’s counter-terrorism strategy. It aims to stop people becoming terrorists or supporting terrorism. The Home Office works with local authorities and a wide range of government departments, and community organisations to deliver the Prevent Strategy.

ii.     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.

iii.    In addition, the December 2019 update of the Counter-Terrorism and Security Act 2015, introduced a new duty for local authorities to “provide support to people vulnerable or susceptible to being drawn into terrorism or violent extremism”.

iv.    Bracknell Forest’s response to both duties is the Prevent Strategy which draws together how it will work with partners to comply with the duties and prevent harm.

No alternative options have been considered for the following reasons:

·       The duties are laid down in law

·       A published strategy and action plan sets out our identified priorities 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 a strategy and action plan

·       Acts of terrorism and radicalisation destroy communities and lives, causing deaths and injuries to many and leaving communities living in fear and

sometimes divided by hatred and confusion. Radicalisation is the process by

which a person comes to support terrorism and extremist ideologies.

None