Record number of children arrested for terror offences

Figures released by the Home Office show that a record number of children were arrested on suspicion of terror offences in the UK last year, possibly linked to the shutdown of schools during the early stages of the pandemic.

The data shows that there were 25 such arrests of under-18s in the 12 months to September, the majority in relation to far-right ideology. This was an increase from 17 arrests the previous year. Under-18s accounted for 13 per cent of all terror arrests last year, up from eight per cent.

Investigators highlighted the impact of pandemic-related school closures, arguing that educational settings help normalise behaviour, while schools regularly report cases of concern to Prevent, the government’s de-radicalisation programme.

At the same time, restrictions on socialising and movement helped push down the number of adult terrorism arrests by 13 per cent, reflecting wider lockdown-related falls in crime.

Meanwhile, Counter Terrorism Policing has reported that the UK intelligence services stopped seven late-stage terror attacks since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic. This takes the total number of foiled terrorism plots since March 2017 to 32 – with 18 related to Islamist extremism, 12 to Extreme Right Wing Terrorism (XRWT) and two to Left, Anarchist or Single Issue Terrorism (LASIT).

Deputy Assistant Commissioner Dean Haydon, Senior National Coordinator for Counter Terrorism Policing, said: “CTP and our colleagues in the security services have stopped seven terror plots in less than two years, assisted by our officers making 188 arrests in the 12 months to the end of September. The public will also be well aware of the fact that the UK has suffered two terror attacks in quick succession, with the national threat level raising to Severe – meaning an attack is highly likely.

“All of this combines to paint a picture of a sustained and high tempo threat, which our world-class police, security and intelligence services are doing everything in their power to combat.

“But it takes a whole society approach to effectively tackle terrorism, and co-operation between the police and the public is vital, so we need you to be vigilant, and we need you to be alert. As we approach the festive period, we need the public to help play their part in protecting the UK. That means trusting your instincts and contacting us if you see anything suspicious – we get 10,000 reports of suspected terrorist activity from the public every year and around 20 per cent of those are useful intelligence which helps officers stop terrorists.”