Extremism and Radicalisation

The Wales Police Schools Programme

The Wales Police Schools Programme (WPSP), also known as SchoolBeat provides a wrap-around service to schools in Wales offering crime prevention education and supportive policing services captured in the Programme’s strap line, ‘Police safeguarding the children of Wales through crime prevention education’. 

The sentence reflects our desire to ensure that children and young people have an opportunity to learn how to keep safe in all kinds of situations both online and offline.

We have been fortunate that we have the support of the Welsh Government and the four Welsh Police Forces of Wales to work in partnership with education to provide lessons and resources for our dedicated Police Officers to deliver in all schools in Wales.  These Officers also have responsibilities that include Supportive School Policing, which means that they assist schools in dealing with incidents with the intention of not criminalising children and young people needlessly.

Lessons and deliveries cover a wide spectrum of topics, helping to fulfil the rights of the child to information as indicated by the UNCRC (Article 13) and to keep them from harm, looked after and safe (Article 19).

Understanding radicalisation and extremism

Contrary to what might sometimes be portrayed, we know that Wales is a safe place to live; but it is true that children and young people get their information from many sources and can be exposed to many different views.  This can leave them open to misinformation and viewpoints that are considered radical or extreme.

The impact of the Covid19 epidemic has yet to be fully realised, but we are aware that there have been both positive and negative impacts on some children and young people.

Some reported relief from social pressure and bullying, enjoyment from spending more time with family members, being outdoors and active, having more time to pursue hobbies and learning new skills.

But overwhelmingly, the long periods of lockdown contributed to feelings of anxiety and isolation.  These feelings were felt by all members of the community but were sorely felt by our youngsters who were educated online and retreated into the online world for their leisure and social encounters.

Detective Superintendent Hall, head of Counter Terrorist Policing Cymru/Wales(CTP/CW’s) said,

"In fact, it is likely that the risk of radicalisation has increased for a small number of vulnerable people, as the pandemic may have driven young people to spend more time online and exacerbate grievances, which makes people more vulnerable to radicalisation."

The circumstances gave radicalisers an opportunity to exploit the vulnerable, cashing in on their loneliness and grooming them to adopt extreme views and ideologies. We know that radicalisers can be very persuasive and have a dominating effect on young or vulnerable people.

Radicalisation is described as:

“The process through which a person comes to support or be involved in extremist ideologies. It can result in a person becoming drawn into terrorism and is in itself a form of harm.” Radicalisation and child protection | NSPCC Learning

When we speak of radicalisation and extremism, the words can cause feelings of anxiety among professionals and the public alike. This is especially pertinent when we discuss extremism developing in children and young people who may have been radicalised.

Extremism is defined as,

“Vocal or active opposition to fundamental British values, including democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty and mutual respect and tolerance of different faiths and beliefs. We also include in our definition of extremism calls for the death of members of our armed forces, whether in this country or overseas.” (UK Government’s Prevent strategy definition for England and Wales 2011) .

So, we can see that, radicalisation and extremism refer to complex processes where feelings of opposition towards our basic societal values can develop and can eventually lead to criminal activity.

The impact of accepting extreme viewpoints can often be spotted by family members and those close to the ‘target’ of the groomer.  There is no single all-encompassing list – but family and friends might just get the feeling that something is not right.  They may notice that the child or young person may become:

• Increasingly socially isolated, have low self-esteem and feelings of being picked on or persecuted.
• Secretive about their activities online.
• Suddenly interested in becoming more religious or political.
• Different in appearance and dress in a specific way.
• Disinterested in hobbies or education.
• Disinterested in old friends and boast of having new ones.
• Supportive of the use of violence to support an idea or cause.
• Intolerant of anyone who does not share their views.
• Influenced or controlled by a group.

Some of these things put together might point to a problem, or it may just be teenagers being teenagers! Whatever the circumstances, help is available.

What does the WPSP do to help children and young people?

We provide opportunities for schools to work with Schools’ Officers and support them to educate learners about the risks that are associated with some online activities, and sometimes with individuals and groups in the offline world. This prevention work is vital and fulfils statutory requirements to ensure that all learners are kept safe.

We encourage all learners to be confident users of the internet and to have the skills to critically assess content and navigate social media, selecting the positives and being able to identify the negatives. Children and young people across Wales recognise the schools’ officers as trustworthy and credible sources of information. The trust established in the classroom encourages honest discussions which in turn help children make reasoned decisions and enable them to build resilience.

The broad menu of lessons and short deliveries we have available for schools can encourage children and young people to identify the risks and provide strategies to help them deal with tricky situations and circumstances and know who to turn to for help and support.

One lesson, called Extreme Encounters for 11–14-year-olds, was developed with CTP C/W’s support, working with a team of teachers and children.  It looks at the way in which two boys are influenced, one towards extreme right-wing ideologies and the other towards extreme Islamist thinking.  The boys’ friends become concerned and decide to tell their Schools’ Police Officer.  The message that individuals can do something to help is clear, and in story, the boys’ slide into extremism and possible criminality is averted.

Help and support available

We encourage learners to look out for their friends and to seek help for those they may be worried about.  A thread running through all the Programme’s safety lessons is to tell someone you trust and who can help you.  For learners they can speak to their teachers, or the School Officer.  The UK  Government’s Prevent strategy for England and Wales provides teachers with the skills and techniques to identify worrying behaviour and provide students with appropriate support.  A referral to CTP Cymru/Wales may be made.  These experts work with the young person, providing support, individual sessions and activities to help them become deradicalised.  

Children and young people can go online where help is available from Meic www.meiccymru.org or ChildLine: Phone 0800 11 11 or online at www.childline.org.uk Another way is to report concerns anonymously to www.fearless.org

The same key message is salient for all citizens.  Speak to the authorities if you are suspicious of something that could identify a threat to an individual or to your community. You can phone the anti-terrorist hotline on 0800 789 321 or report online, using the All Wales Prevent Partners Referral Form or phone the police on 101.

As a Programme we are privileged to work with the children and young people of Wales and are proud of the way in which they respond.  They are a precious resource, and we are resolved to help safeguard each one.