LONDON
\nThe UK government will overhaul the country\u2019s anti-extremism strategy, Home Secretary Priti Patel has said, amid concerns it is not focusing enough on Islamist extremists.
\nThe Times reported on Monday that she is awaiting the results of a delayed three-year independent review of Prevent.
\nPatel told the media in reference to the $52 million program: \u201cThe Prevent review is really important to me. I can\u2019t prejudge a review but it\u2019s quite clear, and I say this from my own observations from what I see, that there are things that need to change.\u201d
\nOver the past five years, Prevent worked with seven of 13 UK terrorists who went on to kill 14 people in separate attacks.
\nThat figure includes Ali Harbi Ali, the recently sentenced murderer of MP David Amess, who was stabbed to death last year.
\nDuring his trial last week, Ali said he feigned compliance with Prevent officers, who underestimated him.
\n\u201cI just knew to nod my head and say \u2018yes\u2019 and they would leave me alone afterward and they did,\u201d he added.
\nAli\u2019s former schoolteacher told the media that she had warned Prevent officials of his capacity for violence almost a decade ago, but was ignored.
\nOfficers reportedly told her: \u201cWe don\u2019t think he\u2019s a threat. We don\u2019t think he\u2019s worth taking on any further.\u201d
\nPrevent was designed as a frontline strategy to detect extremist sentiments. It requires local authorities \u2014 including teachers, health workers, religious officials and police, among others \u2014 to notify Prevent officials of people at risk of extremism.
\nThose cases then judged most concerning are passed to a scheme known as Channel, which provides compulsory de-radicalization training and mentoring.
\nBut UK counterterrorism experts have warned that Prevent statistics show that the program is failing to clamp down on extremism.
\nIslamist extremists accounted for about a quarter of Prevent cases, with the same proportion of far-right extremists also being referred.
\nThe other 50 percent were categorized as having \u201cvague\u201d ideologies that could not be defined.
\nPrevent has an \u201coveremphasis\u201d on not being anti-Muslim and focuses too heavily on far-right extremism, said Lord Carlile, a former terrorism legislation reviewer.
\nA senior civil service source told The Times that there were frustrations over the delay of the independent review into Prevent.
\n\u201cHome Office officials are frustrated it\u2019s taking so long. There\u2019s a team waiting for it week after week after week.\u201d
\nThe program has also faced criticism over its referral of young children, including an 11-year-old who said he wished his school would burn down during a fire drill.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
LONDON The UK government will overhaul the country\u2019s anti-extremism strategy, Home Secretary Priti Patel has said, amid concerns it is not focusing enough on Islamist extremists. The Times reported on Monday that she is awaiting the results of a delayed three-year independent review of Prevent. Patel told the media in reference to the $52 million […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":255868,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[6042,6041],"class_list":{"0":"post-255846","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world","8":"tag-anti-extremism-program","9":"tag-home-secretary"},"yoast_head":"\n