Latest news with #PreventScheme
BBC News
14 hours ago
- Politics
- BBC News
Forbury Gardens attack families welcome anti-terror changes
The families of three men murdered in a Reading park have said they cautiously welcome changes to anti-terror measures outlined by the Furlong's son James, Joe Ritchie-Bennett and David Wails were stabbed to death by Khairi Saadallah in Forbury Gardens on 20 June month, Mr Furlong said he was frustrated with the speed of outlined changes to the Prevent scheme, which failed to intervene in the life of the Southport killer Axel secretary Yvette Cooper has since met Mr Furlong and Mr Ritchie-Bennett's families and written to the three families, acknowledging that Prevent was "not working as it should" in 2020. Following an inquest last year, judge coroner Sir Adrian Fulford concluded their deaths were avoidable and found major problems with intelligence sharing between was given a whole-life term in 2021 after admitting murder and the attempted murder of three other men. In her letter, Cooper said there was a "lack of understanding of the cumulative risk" posed by Saadallah and how updated training will be given to frontline Prevent staff and counter-terrorism police."This letter shows that change can be achieved when families and victims fight hard enough," Mr Furlong said."However, it remains a tragedy the human cost that has been suffered in order to take these forward steps. "Our hope now is that the improvements laid out by Yvette Cooper in her letter will have the desired positive effect, and that other families will not have to suffer as we have." Mr Furlong and his wife Jan have asked for a meeting with health secretary Wes Streeting to address points raising by Sir Adrian about mental health provisions for people identified as posing a high risk, like night before the murders, officers visited Saadallah after his brother rang police to raise concerns about his mental Day partner Benjamin Burrows, who represents the victims' families, said Cooper's meeting was a "step in the right direction"."The coroner also raised serious concerns with the mental health care of Saadallah, and our clients remain determined to speak with health secretary Wes Streeting to address these."The Home Office was approached to comment. You can follow BBC Berkshire on Facebook, X, or Instagram.
Telegraph
3 days ago
- Politics
- Telegraph
Britain's anti-terror strategy is completely unfit for purpose
Following the horrific Southport atrocity last year, the Government will be asked to consider a new scheme to detect people who are obsessed with violence before they potentially kill. The recommendation comes at a time when various organs of the British state are concerned by younger men consuming a diverse diet of horrific content online and displaying worrying levels of interest in acts of violence. Axel Rudakubana, who murdered three little girls at a dance class in the Merseyside coastal town, was referred to the UK's anti-terror Prevent scheme on three separate occasions – once at the end of 2019 and twice in 2021. Each time, his case was rejected because officials had concluded that he was not motivated by a clear terrorist ideology. But it was evident that Rudakubana had a morbid fascination with violence – which included genocides, terrorist attacks, and school shootings. As well as possessing an academic study of an al-Qaeda training manual, he owned material on Nazi Germany and anti-colonial literature. While Rudakubana did not have a clearly-defined belief system, he clearly represented a significant violent threat to the public and Prevent failed to address it – with devastating consequences. Introducing a new 'anti-violence scheme' for individuals who do not necessarily have a clear ideological background, a proposal floated by the interim reviewer of Prevent, David Anderson KC, could have its benefits. It could free up time and resources for Prevent to focus more on traditional forms of ideological risk, such as Islamist extremism, which continues to be the primary terror threat in the UK. Of course, this also depends on Prevent itself being reformed to an extent so there is less reliance on public bodies with a progressive-liberal bias which are paralysed by political correctness. It means this part of the UK's anti-terror infrastructure is freed up to focus more on the growing threat of far-Right extremism and the emergent problem of far-Left revolutionary activity. There are other minor religio-political ideologies of concern which can be clearly identified, such as Hindu fundamentalism (Hindutva ideology) and Khalistani extremism. A separate scheme which focuses on high-risk violent individuals with a complicated background which involves a ghoulish obsession with violence, however, would have to be c omprehensively funded and well-resourced. But it could reduce the load on Prevent, which has witnessed a surge in referrals which fall into the 'mixed, unstable, or unclear' (MUU) category of ideologies – in simpler terms, 'conflicted' cases which do not fall neatly into a specific and coherent ideological type, but where the individual has demonstrated a concerning level of interest in violence and is at-risk of being drawn into terrorism-related activity. In the context of these MUU cases, a more joined-up approach with mental-health services would alleviate pressures on the UK's anti-terror services. The Southport atrocity was a dark moment in our history – and it was one that could have been avoided. A new anti-violence scheme may be costly, but there should be no price on matters of security – especially when it comes to the safety of the most exposed, vulnerable, and defenceless members of our society.
Sky News
09-07-2025
- Politics
- Sky News
Southport inquiry live: Father whose 'hero' daughter was stabbed by Southport killer tells inquiry how she managed to survive
Southport murders 'one of the most egregious crimes in our country's history' Speaking on the first day of the inquiry, chair Sir Adrian Fulford said there was a "wholesale and general failure" to address the risks posed by Axel Rudakubana before the Southport attack, which he called "one of the most egregious crimes in our country's history". In his opening statement at Liverpool Town Hall, Sir Adrian told a council chamber full of legal representatives, lawyers, the media and the public that "ordinary language simply fails to reflect the enormity of what [Rudakubana] did". "None of the most powerful adjectives even begin to suffice. There are no words that adequately describe what occurred and I am not going to try, and then fail, to find them." Sir Adrian said the teenager's "known predilection for knife crime" suggests it was "far from an unforeseeable catastrophic event". The former vice president of the Court of Appeal said Rudakubana's actions "impose the heaviest of burdens" to investigate how it was possible for him to cause "such devastation". The public inquiry, split into two phases, will look into whether the attack could or should have been prevented, given what was known about the killer. Rudakubana had been referred to the government's anti-extremism Prevent scheme three times before the murders, including over research into school shootings and the London Bridge terror attack. He had also accessed online material about explosives, warfare, knives, assassination and an al Qaeda training manual. Sir Adrian said Rudakubana's "unhindered" ability to access "gravely violent material" on the internet speaks to a "wholesale and general failure to intervene effectively, or indeed at all, to address the risks that he posed". He said he aims to make recommendations to ensure the best chance of stopping others "who may be drawn to treating their fellow human beings in such a cruel and inhuman way".
Sky News
09-07-2025
- Politics
- Sky News
Southport inquiry live: Impact statements to be heard from survivors' families
Southport murders 'one of the most egregious crimes in our country's history' Speaking on the first day of the inquiry, chair Sir Adrian Fulford said there was a "wholesale and general failure" to address the risks posed by Axel Rudakubana before the Southport attack, which he called "one of the most egregious crimes in our country's history". In his opening statement at Liverpool Town Hall, Sir Adrian told a council chamber packed with legal representatives, lawyers, the media and the public that "ordinary language simply fails to reflect the enormity of what [Rudakubana] did". "None of the most powerful adjectives even begin to suffice. There are no words that adequately describe what occurred and I am not going to try, and then fail, to find them." Sir Adrian said the teenager's "known predilection for knife crime" suggests it was "far from an unforeseeable catastrophic event". The former vice president of the Court of Appeal said Rudakubana's actions "impose the heaviest of burdens" to investigate how it was possible for him to cause "such devastation". The public inquiry, split into two phases, will look into whether the attack could or should have been prevented, given what was known about the killer. Rudakubana had been referred to the government's anti-extremism Prevent scheme three times before the murders, including over research into school shootings and the London Bridge terror attack. He had also accessed online material about explosives, warfare, knives, assassination and an al Qaeda training manual. Sir Adrian said Rudakubana's "unhindered" ability to access "gravely violent material" on the internet speaks to a "wholesale and general failure to intervene effectively, or indeed at all, to address the risks that he posed". He said he aims to make recommendations to ensure the best chance of stopping others "who may be drawn to treating their fellow human beings in such a cruel and inhuman way".
