Record Number of Referrals to UK’s Prevent Anti-Terror Program

A total of 8,778 referrals were made – a 27% increase on the 6,922 in the previous year.The majority of referrals, where a concern was identified, were for individuals with "no identified ideology", accounting for 56%.

An inquiry into the murder of three children in Southport found that Prevent referrals had surged since the attack in July 2024, where there were "concerns about violent extremism".

Axel Rudakubana, who carried out the murders, had been referred to Prevent three times – but the inquiry found he did not meet the criteria for further intervention because there was no evidence he held a fixed ideology.

The head of Prevent, Michael Stewart, resigned in March after an emergency review found he had closed Rudakubana's case "prematurely".

The second most common concern for referrals in the year to March was right-wing extremism, at 21%, followed by Islamist extremism at 10% – the same order as the previous year.

The latest data showed that children aged 11-15 made up the largest proportion of referrals where the individual's age was known, at 36%.

This was followed by 16-17 year olds, at 13%.

There were also 345 referrals for children under 10, representing 4% of the total cases.

The data also revealed that approximately one-third of referrals involved individuals with at least one mental health issue or who were neurodivergent.

The independent Prevent Commissioner, Lord David Anderson KC, said he had heard evidence of a "significant increase in referrals" from across the country following the publicity surrounding the Rudakubana case. He also cited the TV show Adolescence, which was released in March 2025, as a possible contributing factor.

Prevent, a key part of the UK's counter-terrorism strategy, places a legal responsibility on public bodies – including schools and the police – to identify individuals who may be susceptible to radicalization.