Babies and toddlers have been referred to the government’s controversial counter-terrorism scheme Prevent hundreds of times since 2016, Hyphen has revealed.
Infants who had not yet turned two were referred to Prevent 86 times between 2016-17 and 2023-24 — with more than two-thirds (59) of these referrals over so-called “Islamist” concerns, data obtained by this website shows.
Children aged two to five, inclusive, were referred to Prevent a further 500 times over this eight-year period.
Alexander Gent, the chair of the National Association of Muslim Police, said he was “absolutely shocked” by Hyphen’s findings.
The human rights charity Rights & Security International raised concerns earlier this year that the personal data of those referred to Prevent may be being duplicated across a “convoluted spider’s web” of publicly administered databases, where it may remain visible to police, immigration authorities and other agencies even after the initial entry has been deleted.
“These figures are deeply concerning and raise serious questions about how Prevent is operating,” said the Liberal Democrats education spokesperson and Twickenham MP Munira Wilson.
“In its current form, Prevent does not seem to be the right way to protect vulnerable children from terrorism or extremism.
“The government must ensure that the Prevent commissioner takes a comprehensive look at Prevent and that any future approach is genuinely community-led and focused on safeguarding.”
Read more on Hyphen.
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