Building resilience to violent extremism in Merton
Action Plan 2008-2011 /
The UK Counter Terrorism Strategy (CONTEST) has four strands: Prevent, Protect, Prepare and Pursue. This document addresses Prevent.
The Home Office Prevent Strategy[1] has an overall aim to reduce the risk to the UK and its interests overseas from international terrorism. Government identifies a critical role for local authorities, the police, and their partners in schools, other educational institutions and elsewhere, in preventing violent extremism: Local partners understand the local context and “are in a unique position to talk to local communities, hear their concerns and enable people to stand shoulder to shoulder, confident in their rejection and condemnation of violence.”[2]
The Prevent Strategy has five key strands:
challenging the violent extremist ideology and supporting mainstream voices,
disrupting those who promote violent extremism and supporting the institutions where they are active,
supporting individuals who are being targeted and recruited to the cause of violent extremism,
increasing the resilience of communities to violent extremism,
addressing the grievances that ideologies are exploiting,
Merton will achieve these key strands through developing understanding, analysis and information, and engaging communities through strategic communications.
The key objectives to build resilience to violent extremism in Merton are:
Supporting young people to resist violent extremism;
Supporting women and girls to resist violent extremism;
Promoting intergenerational and intercultural engagement to build understanding and respect;
Building capacity among voluntary and community groups to play an active role in building cohesive communities resilient to violent extremism;
Developing communication with and support for faith groups, including strengthening interfaith activity, to build capacity and skills to work with those who may be targeted by violent extremism; and
Dovetailing the borough’s community cohesion work with activity to build resilience to violent extremism.
Overarching activity
Action / Lead / Anticipated outcomes / Resources / Milestones / Progress (RAG)0.1 / Identify Prevent leads / Clear leadership for the Prevent/ building resilience to violent extremism work programme / Existing / Leads appointed
1 April 2008
Revised December 2009 / XX (LBM) and Acting CI (Police) appointed December 2009
0.2 / Identify Protect leads
(See Protect Action Plan for more info) / Clear leadership for the Protect work programme / Existing / Leads appointed
1 April 2008 / XX (Police) and XX (Safer Merton) appointed
0.3 / Support established Community Leaders Forum / Muslim community leaders involved in forum to provide advice on activity and give an opportunity to air grievances / PVE budget to cover meeting costs / Meeting at least 4 times a year with good attendance
Draft calendar of meetings for 2010
Establish standard agenda for 2010 / Community Leaders Forum established 2007/08. Meetings intermittent - last meeting 14 October 2009, next meeting planned for July 2010.
0.4 / Include an overview of Counter Terrorism work, including Prevent work, within the Safer and Stronger Thematic Partnership (CDRP) quarterly meetings / Ensure overview of counter terrorism activity / Existing / Agenda item on every CDRP
0.5 / Work with the CDRP to develop a Counter Terrorism sub-group to address specific Protect-related issues. / Sub-group to hold ownership of Protect agenda and monitor progress / Existing / Quarterly Emergency Plannnign Working Group held.
0.6 / Include an overview of Prevent work within the BOCU Security Review Meeting (SRM) structure / Joined up partnership working and information sharing via SRM / Existing / Monthly SRM meetings to have standing agenda item on Prevent / Prevent updates feature on agenda for SRM meetings.
0.7 / Draft comprehensive Prevent action plan / Action plan incorporating findings from Cronem report; Pathfinder year projects, esp. 3BM project; National good practice; NI 35 guidance; CTLP assessment and recommendations / Existing / To go to Merton Partnership Executive Board 26 March 2009
Review on six-monthly basis / Agreed at Executive Board 26 March 2009
Review underway January 2010
Review summer 2010 in light of new CTLP (see action 0.18)
0.8 / Merton Partnership to agree strategic objectives for the use of PVE funding / Agreed strategic objectives to commission projects using PVE funding / Existing / Merton Partnership Executive Board 26 March 2009
Update on annual basis / Agreed
Next due to go to Merton Partnership Executive Board in March 2010 – including reference to girls and women in objectives
0.9 / Commission Prevent projects for 2009/10 / Projects commissioned to deliver stated objectives for Merton / PVE fund / First round: Call for bids October 2009; Agreement of projects by end of December 2009
Second round to be launched September 2010. / First round bidding process complete
0.10 / Carry out annual NI35 self-assessment / Submit return to GOL/ the Hub in line with timescales / Existing / 2009/10 self-assessment completed and the results input into GOL and the Hub / 2009/10 self-assessment undertaken and submitted in line with deadlines
0.11 / Prevent steering group to be established as a result of restructure of ‘Stronger’ side of LSP / Overview of Prevent to be managed by partnership body, with regular updates to Safer and Stronger TP / Existing / Steering Group to meet for first time on 21 December 2009. / Group met and agreed to form steering group
0.12 / Draft Counter terrorism strategy for Merton, including all 4 Ps / Comprehensive strategy covering prevent, protect, prepare, pursue / Existing / Draft to be available end January 2010
Prevent leads to provide input from this strand / Draft produced February 2010 and comments required from the Prevent Leads and members of the SRM.
0.13 / Updated prevent action plan to be submitted to GOL for comment / Constructive comment from GOL/ CLG/ CTSU on Merton’s prevent plan to influence continuous improvement / Existing / Revised plan due to GOL December 2009
Comments due end January 2010 / Plan submitted to GOL in December 2009
0.14 / GOL ‘prevent tracker’ to be completed and submitted / Regular updates provided to GOL on Merton’s progress / Existing / Quarterly: Dec 2009; Mar, Jun, Sept, Dec 2010 / December 2009 and March 2010- done
0.15 / Counter Terrorism Local Profile (CTLP) to influence prevent activity / Prevent activity is driven by strategic intelligence / Existing / CTLP viewed by Borough Commander and LA Chief Executive
CTLP to be brought to SRM February 2010
Revised CTLP due in summer 2010
Prevent action plan to be reviewed in light of new CTLP (see action 0.9) / CTLP viewed by Borough Commander and LA Chief Executive
CTLP to be brought to SRM February 2010 to ensure that all relevant officers have had sight of content
0.16 / Explore opportunities for cross-borough working on prevent / ) / Reduced duplication and stronger outcomes through joined up working on joint initiatives
Shared best practice / Existing / Prevent Engagement Officer to attend monthly South London Cluster Prevent Engagement Officer meetings (Merton, Sutton, Wandsworth and Lambeth) and flag opportunities
Meeting to be arranged with Kingston to discuss activity and opportunities for joint working
Prevent steering group to oversee opportunities and agree which to take forward. / Prevent Engagement Officer Attends monthly South London Cluster PEO meetings
Initial contact made with Kingston Police and agreement to meet to discuss further
Strand 1: Challenging the violent extremist ideology and supporting mainstream voices
Action / Lead / Anticipated outcomes / Resources / Milestones / Progress (RAG)1.1 / Identify community leaders who are influential in communities and who may help others to form opinions / Develop relationships with key individuals to assist in gauging tensions and support positive influence / Existing / Complete mapping activity;
Invite key leaders to Community Leaders Forum;
Involve in broader community cohesion activity
MVSC project to carry out mapping exercise / Key leaders invited to CLF and involved in broader community cohesion activity.
Mapping activity delayed due to staff shortage,however Police Prevent Engagement Officer has undertaken some mapping work with SNTs
MVSC’s 2010 Prevent project to map faith groups across borough and activity
1.2 / Promote the role of faith groups in creating cohesive communities / Thriving Interfaith Forum that contributes to service delivery and development / Existing / Interfaith Forum Meeting at least 4 times a year with good attendance / Community Leaders Breakfast meeting on 11 March 2009 to reinvigorate Interfaith Forum Meeting, establish role of faith groups in creating cohesive communities and contributing to service delivery and development, and widen involvement across borough. IFF now meeting quarterly with wider membership
1.3 / Engage with local Muslims in community safety issues. / Train local Muslims as Metropolitan Special Constabulary and as local volunteer wardens / £14,400 from MPS preventing violent extremism fund / Pilot project with Baitul Futuh Mosque
Expand project to other mosques in the borough / PVE funding bid £14.4k submitted 22/7/08. Bid approved 28/08/08. 32 expressions of interest have generated 5 applications. Another recruitment event is due to be run February 2009. 4 of the applicants are Muslim.
1.4 / Monitor the impact of control orders on local communities / Minimal impact on local community of control orders (e.g. potential violent extremists who the courts have directed to stay in their homes) / Existing / Alert process in place to notify control orders in place
MAPPA structure in place to be enacted if necessary / July 08, VW have no control orders in place
Negligible Community Impact reported
1.5 / Organise a range of inter-cultural and/ or inter-generational activities / Strong community leadership on community cohesion messages / Various funding streams including LBM Community Cohesion, PVE / Including events for
Holocaust Memorial Day, LGBT History Month, St Georges Day, Gypsy and Traveller History Month, Celebrating Age Festival, Peace Week, Black History Month, Local Democracy Week, International Day of Disabled People / Well established programme of activity in train
1.6 / Establish relationship with Merton College to access youths aged 15-18 and BME youths / Positive relationships between Police and Merton College leadership, enabling greater access to College to build relationships with student body / Existing / Work with SNT and Crime Prevention Officers during Enrolment Week
Develop relationships with local student union reps.
Drop in activity for those students with concerns-crime or community related. Build good relationships with College staff, gaining trust, community intelligence and offering feedback / College tutor is now a member of Merton Police IAG. Operation Blunt initiatives at the college are being run with full cooperation and involvements of staff. Monitoring process is in place to establish the level of support in the community of this type of tactic. This work has generated numerous opportunities to engage students and tutors.
1.7 / Use‘Act Now’ to engage with young people and community groups / Provide the public with an insight into Police Community Tension work and establish positive relationships / Existing / The following sessions have been delvered:23.11.09 - Merton Police Cadets, 08.02.10 - Merton Youth Services, 17.02.10 - Uptown UK youth club, 11.03.10 - Merton College public services course. Further sessions are planned as follows; 16.04.10 - Muslim Youth Services, 27.04.10 - LBM Emergency Planning training day and 07.05.10 - 2nd public services session at Merton College.
Strand 2: Disrupting those who promote violent extremism and supporting the institutions where they are active
Action / Lead / Anticipated outcomes / Resources / Milestones / Progress2.1 / Establish partnership community tension monitoring activity / Comprehensive compilation of tension intelligence from key partner sources and community / Existing / Identify sources of data; Establish systems to flag up tension intelligence; Monthly return to GOL; System in place to enable immediate intervention, response through partnership working and trends analysis where necessary / Tension monitoring meeting is well established and meets monthly. Improvements in intelligence collected (police, council enforcement, wardens, housing, education/ youth, cohesion). Meeting formalised with actions. Highlighted as good practice by MPA
GOL to visit CTM meeting –wrhen a new Analyst is in post to support the meetings.
2.2 / Provide ongoing training for key officers (including SNT, Park Wardens, Neighbourhood Wardens, LSP, council staff, security staff, health staff, practice nurses) / Comprehensive compilation of tension intelligence from key partner sources and community / Existing / Operation Fairway DVD to be initiated
Rich Picture DVD to be initiated / Park Wardens, Neighbourhood Wardens and Refuse Collections completed November 2008
PCSOs and SNTs completed July 2009. Merton Priory Homes staff now need to be trained.
2.3 / Tension monitoring return to be brought to monthly Security Review Meeting (Daily Management Meeting for urgent matters) / BOCU Security Review Meeting to identify and address public order issues surrounding those who seek to promote violent extremism / Existing / Monthly Security Review Meeting (Daily Management Meeting for urgent matters) / Updates reported as needed
2.4 / Commission a programme of capacity building training for voluntary and community groups / Voluntary and community groups have capacity to play an active role in building cohesive communities resilient to violent extremism / TBC / Project to be commissioned via PVE funding round
Strand 3: Supporting individuals who are being targeted and recruited to the cause of violent extremism
Action / Lead / Anticipated outcomes / Resources / Milestones / Progress3.1 / Consider intelligence at the Security Review Meeting relating to individuals at risk / Individuals at risk identified and referred to an appropriate process for further action, if appropriate / Existing / Ongoing - to be dealt with immediately at DMM and documented at SRM / See action 3.5
3.2 / Develop local capacity to deliver a process (as “business as usual”) to manage risks/ concerns relating to vulnerable individuals / MAPPA and PPD based approach to manage risks/ concerns relating to vulnerable individuals / Existing / See action 3.5
3.3 / Develop links to identify a menu of intervention options that can be considered in respect of individuals at risk / Established links with partners, agencies and other sources from which referrals may be made regarding individuals at risk. Appropriate support provided to individual at risk / Existing / Develop options based on best practice (SO15 contacts)
Provide training and support to partners, agencies and other sources that might refer (e.g. PCT)
Develop local intervention arrangements where appropriate / The Police Prevent Lead, Prevent Engagement Officer and Integrated Offender Manager, to review links and systems and then
train Safer Merton Team
(Linked to 3.2 and 3.5)
3.4 / Develop individuals at risk project to effectively target young people identified as vulnerable and children excluded from schools. / Established links with partners, agencies and other sources from which referrals may be made regarding children and young people at risk. Appropriate support provided to children and young people at risk / Existing / Develop options based on best practice
Provide training and support to partners, agencies and other sources that might refer / The Police Prevent Lead, Prevent Engagement Officer and Integrated Offender Manager, to review links and systems In development
3.5 / Establish ‘Channel’ type project for Merton / Build into PPO Board intervention process / Existing, supported by intervention fund from PVE / Meeting with SO15 held on 15 February 2010 to discuss best practice and options for Merton
EBG to be first point of contact for SO15 on individuals at risk / The Police Prevent Lead, Prevent Engagement Officer Integrated Offender Manager , to review links and systems. A Channel Prevent Panel has been identified that can be called upon if a referral is received.
3.6 / SO15 Information sharing protocol to be agreed locally with LBM and Merton Police / Agreed information sharing protocol to enable joint working / Existing / To be agreed by end March 2010 / Document shared with LBM and Police – to consult respective legal departmentsIn interim, open source info from RICU (Home Office) , on key issues e.g. Proscription of Islam4UK is shared with Safer & Stronger Merton to pass on to relevant community groups. The Police information sharing policy is changing once it is approved arrangements can be made to share documents and agree a protocol.
Strand 4: Increasing the resilience of communities to violent extremism
Action / Lead / Anticipated outcomes / Resources / Milestones / Progress4.1 / Delivery of commissioned Prevent projects / Projects delivering against stated objectives to support prevent agenda in Merton / Existing/ PVE fund / Projects to be commissioned in December 2009
Projects to begin from January 2010
Monitoring arrangements to be agreed and rolled out
Evaluations to be submitted by project leads / Prevent steering group to be set up, comprising chair Stronger Merton, Safer Merton lead, police prevent lead & children schools & families et al, to monitor project spend with successful applicants
4.2 / Increase community resilience to violent extremism in schools / Aspire to identify and prevent those pupils most likely to enter the criminal justice system for doing so / £12k grant from DCSF, Safer schools officers / Roll out of DCSF Community Cohesion toolkit
Roll out SEAL (Social emotional achieving and learning)
Safer Schools Officers in post / SEAL programme already in place in schools 5-9 yr olds
Safer schools officers have objectives for the next reporting period to work to prevent pupils from entering the criminal justice system.
GOL to introduce the DCSF Prevent lead to Merton to support Community Cohesion toolkit roll out
Watch Over Me training delivered in schools. Wider Commnity training delivered to Youth Workers,PCSOs, Street Pastors and Schools Officers.
4.3 / Provide support and training to Imams to support their capacity to reach out to their communities and ‘hard to reach’ groups / Imams able to support their communities and work with those who may be targeted by violent extremism / TBC / Strenthened Interfaith activity. / MVSC’s 2010 Prevent project to map faith groups across borough and activity – support programme to be developed by taking into account findings and need. Year 1 of project will produce a Directory and Year 2-design and develop tailor made activities to contribute to building resilience.
Strand 5: Addressing the grievances that ideologies are exploiting
Action / Lead / Anticipated outcomes / Resources / Milestones / Progress5.1 / Review existing systems for reporting Hate/ Race crimes / Strengthened and more effective current procedures
Better informed picture of local issues
Identification of gaps and how to plug them / Existing / Quarterly meetings of the Hate Crime PMB
Development of a Hate Crime Strategy for Merton next meeting 25/2/10 / Hate crime project management board now monitors "religion and belief" as well as HO/RI disputes.
Hate Crime Strategy agreed 2009. Jan10 ADI Chuks GWAM leads police response
5.2 / Mapping exercise to establish where individuals can go to for support if they feel their grievance has not been dealt with satisfactorily on the grounds of race or faith / Improved service delivery which better meets the needs of BME groups / Exisiting / Communicating findings to community / Review in light of development of Hate Crime Strategy
A piece of work has been incorporated into the Hate Crime PB’s work programme for 2010/2011
5.3 / Build measures to address hate crime and publicise success to build community confidence / Increased community confidence among Muslim and BME groups / Exisiting / Written into the 2010/2011 coms programme / Safer Merton Comms & Engagement Group includes comms planning for hate crime
A piece of work has been incorporated into the Hate crime work programme for 2010/2011
5.4 / Distribute Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) leaflets on foreign policy as appropriate / To share information from FCO/ RICU about activity behind headlines / Existing / LBM Prevent Lead to register for GOL updates (which include RICU briefings)
Prevent leads to take a view on appropriate dissemination on case by case basis / LBM Prevent Lead has registered with GOL
Developing understanding, analysis and information