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Rich, readable blogs from our experts who work among the community, in academia and research, providing invaluable insight on new developments in Prevent and their real impact on people.

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Another Prevent Learning Review with similar flaws is leading us down the same dangerous path

Jump to… In the span of one week, two Prevent Learning Reviews have been published: the first in relation to Axel Rudakubana who killed 3 young girls in Southport in 2024; and the second in relation to Ali Harbi Ali who killed the MP Sir David Amess in 2021. Both attackers had been referred to Prevent, yet neither was stopped before carrying out their deadly acts. Last week, we outlined five reasons why the Prevent Learning Review related to Rudakubana is misleading. This week, we turn our attention to the review of Harbi Ali – another report, another reviewer, but similar critical flaws, leading also to misleading conclusions about the future of Prevent. Prevent’s ‘risk’ assessments continue to miss the mark Unlike Rudakubana who was referred to Prevent three times, Harbi Ali was referred to Prevent just once, seven years before he killed Sir David Amess. His referral came when […]

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CategoriesCommunity Expert View Health Expert View Latest Expert Views Our Expert Views

Prevent Learning Review: Five reasons why the recommendations are misleading

Jump to… The political framing of the Southport atrocity as a Prevent failure ignores the counter-terrorism mechanisms beyond the Prevent framework.  Following the revelation that Axel Rudakubana was referred to Prevent three times between 2019 and 2021, there has been much discussion about Prevent’s role in relation to the atrocity in Southport. Prior to the wider public inquiry under the new independent Prevent commissioner Lord Anderson, a review focused on Prevent had been commissioned by the Home Office and Counter Terrorism Policing, the “Prevent Learning Review: Southport Attack”. Media coverage of its publication reports serious failures in the government’s Prevent strategy. These are associated with the fact that no appropriate action seemed to have been taken, despite Rudakubana having been reported to Prevent three times. The claims are firstly that these should have been treated cumulatively, rather than as three separate incidents. Secondly, it is claimed  that three referrals warranted […]

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empty school desks for story on how uk prevent duty erodes children's rights to safe education CategoriesCommunity Expert View Education Expert View Latest Expert Views Our Expert Views

UN Submission: How the UK Prevent duty erodes children’s right to safety in education

A summary of our submission to the UN outlining how Prevent makes school an unsafe space especially for targeted children, with serious implications for children’s well-being. This submission addresses how Prevent undermines the right to safety in education under International Human Rights law. Download Prevent Watch’s full final 2025 submission to the UN on how Prevent violates the right to a safe education. The issues raised are framed in response to specific questions posed by the UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Education in her call for contributions. We have published this as the UK government approves the Children’s Well-being and Schools BIll that seeks to “break the link between young people’s background and their future success”. A Prevent referral – even when it is determined to be unnecessary as in 85% of cases – can follow a child through their life, seriously impacting their well-being and success. Since […]

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Kier Starmer CategoriesCommunity Expert View Education Expert View Latest Expert Views Our Expert Views

Prevent and the political performance of ‘justice’

Each time tragedy strikes, a predictable script unfolds: politicians stand before the cameras, blaming the toxic Prevent strategy for the atrocity, while presenting it as the solution to protect us against the next. This is part of a downward spiral that we must exit in order to find real solutions. The political performance takes place before the full facts are established—often alongside calls for a “review” or “inquiry,” though logic would dictate that conclusions should follow, not precede, such investigations. In this spectacle, politicians play the roles of decisive leaders, delivering rehearsed lines about the ever-present boogey-man (implied as “Muslims”), while the real threats and root causes remain hidden behind the curtains, never quite making it into the script. Our current Prime Minister and Home Secretary’s response to the Southport attack is one in a long line of familiar instances. A tragic event has been used to reinforce the prevailing […]

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Why we need to speak about reparations for Prevent in 2025

While much discussion has centred on the UN call to suspend Prevent, little has been said about reparations – this year, it’s time to put the subject on the table. As we enter a new year with a new government and new proposals to be announced for Prevent, it is vital to reflect on Prevent’s decade-long legacy as a statutory duty, specifically what these potential changes—or the lack thereof—mean for those already harmed by Prevent. This reflection gains urgency as we await the UK Government’s response to the UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination’s (CERD) recommendation to not only suspend Prevent, but to also consider reparations for those harmed by it. While much discussion has centred on the call to suspend Prevent, little has been said about reparations – for example, how do we define ‘harm’ and – importantly – how can it be compensated? Prevent Watch’s extensive […]

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CategoriesCommunity Expert View Education Expert View Latest Expert Views Our Expert Views

Lies, Damned Lies and Prevent Statistics

Jump to… Each year, the Home Office presents its Prevent statistics as part of its commitment to transparency. Here we outline THREE reasons why we must not rely upon them as a credible reference point. For every researcher, NGO and individual who has ever requested a Freedom of Information request about Prevent, it is clear that the Home Office has been far from transparent about the operation, delivery and impact of Prevent.  The annual Prevent statistics, and especially their most recent publication on the 5th of December, only serves to reinforce this trend.  While the data presented this year is more detailed than ever before, it paradoxically tells us even less about the reality and impact of Prevent, in particular on children and other vulnerable individuals. The most obvious lie: When the numbers don’t add up This year’s Prevent report breaks precedent by dedicating an entire chapter to trends following […]

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