HOME OFFICE News
Release (221/2008) issued by COI News Distribution Service. 10
December 2008
Home Secretary
Jacqui Smith and Communities Secretary Hazel Blears today stepped
up the fight against extremism, challenging the rhetoric of
extremists, calling for a stronger civil response and pledging a
further £13.8 million to disrupt radicalisers and support
vulnerable individuals at a local level.
Speaking to representatives from local government, police and
community groups at a conference on ways to prevent violent
extremism, Ministers announced that the new money will fund a
range of initiatives to help tackle extremism by strengthening
public institutions and empowering community leaders to stop
radicalisers from taking advantage of vulnerable individuals.
Speaking at the Prevent Extremism 08 conference, Ministers also
challenged those who create an environment in which violent
extremism can be accepted through the promotion of division,
isolation and hate. The Home Secretary urged local communities to
address the ideology and arguments of extremists.
Home Secretary Jacqui Smith said:
"Preventing people becoming terrorists in the first place is
one of the most important challenges this Government faces and
recent events in India underline that point only too well.
"I am delighted to announce the extra funding of £13.8
million to the Prevent strategy. The extra money will be used at
local level to fund a wide range of projects to disrupt
radicalisers, strengthen institutions and support vulnerable individuals.
"Tackling extremists cannot just be about legal solutions.
That is why we are calling for a civic, as well as a legal
challenge against those who seek to undermine us. All of these
elements are central to the Prevent strategy."
The Communities Secretary Hazel Blears emphasised that
confronting violent extremism is about more than just community
cohesion and urged local authorities to put a bigger focus on
tackling the 'sharper end' of Prevent.
A new report 'Preventing Violent Extremism Pathfinder Fund:
Mapping of Project Activities 2007/08' published today,
points to the wide range of innovative projects currently underway
that are estimated to have reached over 44,000 people and include
training courses for Imams in English language and better
community engagement, a range of arts and sporting activities, as
well discussion groups to address grievances and issues of
vulnerable young people.
Blears praised the excellent work as evidence of the way in which
many people have risen to the challenges of this difficult agenda
but also stressed that a point has been reached where work needs
to be stepped up, hardened, the challenge better understood and
responses tailored accordingly.
Hazel Blears said:
"We have seen how even the most cohesive communities can
harbour extremist activity. Building community cohesion is not the
cure all in protecting vulnerable young people or wider society
from the threat of violent extremism. That means working with the
whole community and a focus on shared values alongside activity
targeted specifically at individuals who are most at risk.
"That requires tough decisions, difficult debates, moving
into uncomfortable and new territory and going beyond the usual
people, usual ways of doing things and usual places of doing them.
But that is the challenge and one that we have already seen many
people rise to."
The pathfinder year was intended to support local authorities in
getting to grips with what is a still a new agenda. In many cases,
getting this work underway meant understanding the make up Muslim
communities, building relationships with community leaders and
generating the trust and understanding that would enable this work
to happen. But that work is the start, not the end point and there
is now a need to get a better balance.
The report examines all 261 projects and looks at how those
projects fit into the wider prevent objectives. The report
concludes that there has been less of a focus on what is
considered to be at the 'sharper end'. Whilst work at
this end is more difficult and can cause tensions, this is a
serious agenda and the consequences of getting it wrong, or
failing to tackle problems, are high. Whilst the majority of areas
have and will continue to produce good work, a small minority of
local authorities getting to the next level will require
significant efforts. That means learning lessons, developing more
distinct responses and going further in their work to confront and
isolate violent extremism.
In a letter to local authorities, Ministers will warn that
everyone needs to be taking this agenda seriously and will note
that they are currently reviewing the way funding is delivered to
local authorities to support this agenda and to ensure maximum
impact and coherence.
However there is no expectation that local authorities will be
left to do this work on their own. Government has a clear role in
supporting local areas and can and will do more to support this.
Ministers today announced:
- £13.8m funding including an extra £5 million for local
authorities, Government offices and the police in support of work
in schools, colleges and Universities; a new £5.8 million fund a
local level and regional level to disrupt and a new £3m
'challenge and innovation' fund that local authorities
will be invited to apply for to promote more innovative and
challenging approaches.
- Better sharing of security and wider intelligence information -
local authorities will have routine briefings about the threat
within their local area. Local leaders will now have a more
informed sense of the problem and will therefore be better placed
to come up with the solutions.
In addition, we know that communities here maintain strong links
with their country of origin. International issues can have an
impact and influence on British communities. We will work with FCO
to ensure local leaders are better briefed on these issues, and
are alive to events overseas that might have an impact in the UK.
Central government will also share more information and research
about the demographics, economic status, educational attainment
and challenges experienced by various ethnic groups in order to
help increase understanding.
- Improving local and international links. Preventing extremism
is a global challenge. Countries around the world are developing
responses and ministers frequently meet with counterparts overseas
to share information and ideas. We want to replicate this at local
level. An initiative is already up and running that brings
together UK and US Muslims and representatives from Holland will
be attending today's conference to talk to local authorities
here about their work.
- A new centre of excellence. We have listened to practitioners
and have heard their call for greater support on Prevent and
greater clarity about where to turn for help. We intend to develop
a real centre of excellence, readily accessible to them, and will
work with local partners to get this in place early in 2009.
The long-term challenge is stopping people getting to the point
where they can contemplate cruel and desperate acts. Getting that
right requires several steps to be taken. Getting the right
foundations is crucial but the Government is clear that we must
all have our eyes firmly fixed on the threat and that everyone has
a role to play in defeating it.
NOTES TO EDITORS
1. Government recently published new guidance that offers all
those working in our local communities advice and support on how
to turn the Prevent strategy into practical measures and solutions
that will make a real difference
2. Communities and Local Government launched the Preventing
Violent Extremism (PVE) Pathfinder Fund in 2007. This was a £6m
fund to support around 70 priority local authorities to work in
partnership (for example with the police) to facilitate
community-based, community-led responses to the challenge of
violent extremism. The Pathfinder fund has helped us to build
capacity to tackle extremism within local communities. Local areas
brought forward a wide range of ambitious and innovative proposals.
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