What is the Prevent duty?

This resource has been taken from our Prevent Duty training course.

Prevent is part of the government’s overall counter-terrorism strategy which is called CONTEST. The aim of Prevent is to reduce the threat from terrorism by stopping people becoming terrorists or supporting terrorism.

The Prevent strategy has three specific objectives:

1. respond to the ideological challenge of terrorism and the threat we face from those who promote it
2. prevent people from being drawn into terrorism and ensure they are given appropriate advice and support
3. work with sectors and institutions where there are risks of radicalisation.

There is Prevent duty statutory guidance for England and Wales, and separately for Scotland, issued under section 29 of the Counter-Terrorism and Security Act 2015. It places a duty on specific bodies to have ‘due regard to prevent people from being drawn into terrorism’.

The resource will take you through:

• what Prevent is
• what extremism and radicalisation are
• who may be vulnerable
• how messages are spread
• how the Prevent Duty may affect you.