Information on the Prevent and Channel programmes which support people who are at risk of becoming drawn into terrorism.
About Prevent
Prevent is a national programme to safeguard people and communities from the threat of terrorism. It covers all forms of terrorism and extremism.
Prevent is part of CONTEST, the government's counter-terrorism strategy. It aims to stop people becoming terrorists or supporting terrorism and violent extremism.
The Prevent duty was introduced to make sure that the same approach is taken by all authorities in the UK. It will also help to stop terrorism by responding to the ideological challenge of terrorism.
Find out more about the Prevent programme (GOV.UK).
Prevent in Bristol
Prevent in Bristol is about early intervention and prevention.
This includes understanding community concerns, grievances and potential drivers that might lead to people engaging in extremist activities.
We're engaging with local communities, groups and organisations across the city so that we can collectively deliver activities to support individuals who may be vulnerable to radicalisation and extremism.
To do this, we're:
- supporting local community projects
- providing training and awareness around radicalisation
- safeguarding those who may be affected
About Channel
If someone is referred to Prevent and it's decided that they're at risk of being radicalised, they'll be invited to join a support programme called Channel.
Led by the Bristol City Council, it's a programme which focuses on supporting people at an early stage who could be drawn into terrorism.
It ensures people of any age, faith, ethnicity, or background receive support before their vulnerabilities are exploited by those wanting them to embrace terrorism or any illegal extremist activity.
Channel is a confidential and voluntary process that allows individuals to have the final say of accepting support or not.
The type of support that's provided is decided upon by the individual referred and partners who will work with them. This ensures that any support that is provided is tailored to the person's needs.
Support may be with education, employment, housing, mental health, and any other necessary challenges.
Ideological support is also common, which may include discussion with credible ideological experts and faith leaders.
Individuals who are referred to Prevent or receive support from Channel are not criminalised and will not receive a criminal record unless a criminal offence is committed.
The Channel team will only engage with an individual with their consent.
For information on how we use any information we collect as a part of this process, the statutory duty for processing data related to Prevent and Channel can be found in our pdf Prevent and Channel privacy notice (224 KB) .
What to do if you have a concern
If you are concerned about an individual, or suspicious activity, you can report this:
- at gov.uk/ACT
- at www.ireportit.uk
- by contacting the police in confidence on 0800 789 321
- by completing the document National Prevent referral form (60 KB) and it email to PreventSW@avonandsomerset.police.uk
In an emergency you should always dial 999