Vertical Markets

Alarm over terror use of social media

by Mark Rowe

The UK needs a helpline service open to all, aimed at parents who wish to seek advice or express concerns about someone at risk of becoming radicalised. This must be well publicised, and be a less extreme step than using the Anti-Terrorist Hotline. So say MPs of the Home Affairs Select Committee in a report, Counter-terrorism: Foreign fighters.

According to the MPs, communication between the police, schools and parents is in need of vast improvement. The police must engage in a regular and open dialogue with schools and community groups to ensure that information is exchanged. And where social media companies are given evidence that users of their services are seeking to promote violent extremism, they should act to suspend these accounts, as they do where there is abuse or harassment of other users. Young people need to be equipped with the skills to become critical consumers of online content, to build a more natural resistance against radicalisation through online extremist content and propaganda. This is not just about counter-radicalisation: an informed, critical and questioning approach to online sources is a valuable asset in all aspects of a young person’s social and intellectual development, according to the MPs.

Travelling abroad

The MPs said that the Home Office should work with airlines which serve destinations of conern (DOCs) such as Syria, Somalia, Iraq and Nigeria to develop stricter controls for passengers travelling there. And where it becomes clear that individuals might already have left for Syria, the police need to work faster to alert overseas partners and airlines about them as they did in the case of the three young men from North London. Once people reach even countries like Turkey, it may be too late. No-fly lists should be strictly adhered to and shared internationally.

And the committee reiterated its previous recommendations in its past Counter-Terrorism report: 17th Report – Counter-terrorism (May 2014).

Keith Vaz, senior Labour MP and chairman of the committee, said: “Radical groups from abroad are preying on young British citizens through social media to encourage them to travel abroad to join them. The number of cases being brought to public attention should ring alarm bells. Schools and the police must inform parents immediately, and work with them even if there is the smallest hint of radicalisation, or a close association with someone who is thought to have been radicalised. The lack of immediate action in the case of Amira Abase, Shamima Begum and Kadiza Sultana should be seen in contrast with the speed with which police worked to return the three young men from Brent. This is evidence of how vital it is to work closely with communities, families and international partners to tackle this growing threat. This must be a relentless battle for hearts and minds, and without a strong counter-narrative we are in danger of failing to prevent even more departures. We are at the edge of a cliff.

“The Anti-Terrorist Hotline is the wrong name to give a phone line which is supposed to be used by worried parents if they believe their child, or a family member, may have been radicalised. At a local level, there are too many agencies, and most families simply do not know where to go if they have such concerns. A neutral advice line should be created and well-publicised, with information on how to get in touch made clear and readily available in every school and community groups in areas where there are fears of radicalisation.

“At the check-in desk at airports and during exit checks, greater care should be taken with people travelling to destinations of concern (DOCs), such as Syria, Somalia, Iraq and Nigeria, as well as neighbouring countries, such as Turkey, which might be used as transit points to these destinations. Border Force must have a greater presence at departure points in the UK and spotters should be sent to these countries of concern to work with local enforcement agencies.”

ACPO comment

For the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) Lead for the Prevent work on counter-terror, Chief Constable Sir Peter Fahy said: “The legislation recently passed by Parliament makes the Prevent programme a statutory responsibility for schools, colleges, local authorities and the NHS. The police service will play its part but the prime responsibility for dissuading young people from getting involved in extremist activity has to lie with parents, families and carers.

“When police officers have specific intelligence or concerns about a young person we work with schools, families and other agencies to protect that young person. We have done so on many occasions. The police do not have the capacity to routinely work with every school in the country, therefore we have to target our efforts where concerns are identified. I agree that more needs to be done to support parents to understand the nature of the threat from extreme material on the internet but this is as much about violently and sexually extreme material as that relating to foreign conflicts.”

Related News

Newsletter

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to stay on top of security news and events.

© 2024 Professional Security Magazine. All rights reserved.

Website by MSEC Marketing