Priorities for Prevent in Merton

Merton Partnership 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 Strategy1 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.

1 The Prevent Strategy (http://security.homeoffice.gov.uk/news-publications/publication-search/prevent-strategy/preventing-violent-extremism) 2 Guidance for local authorities, police and partners working to stop the spread of violent extremism (http://security.homeoffice.gov.uk/news- publications/publication-search/prevent-strategy/prevent-strategy-part-1?view=Binary) 1 Overarching activity

Action Lead Anticipated outcomes Resources Milestones 0.1 Identify Prevent leads Clear leadership for the Existing Leads appointed Prevent/ building resilience to 1 April 2008 violent extremism work Revised December programme 2009 0.2 Identify Protect leads Clear leadership for the Existing Leads appointed (See Protect Action Plan Protect work programme 1 April 2008 for more info) 0.3 Support established Muslim community leaders PVE budget Meeting at least 4 Community Leaders involved in forum to provide to cover times a year with good Forum advice on activity and give an meeting costs attendance. opportunity to air grievances 0.4 Include an overview of Ensure overview of counter Existing Agenda item on every Counter Terrorism work, terrorism activity CDRP meeting including Prevent work, within the Safer and Stronger Thematic Partnership (CDRP) quarterly meetings 0.5 Work with the CDRP to Sub-group to hold ownership Existing develop a Counter of Protect agenda and monitor Terrorism sub-group to progress address specific Protect- related issues. 0.6 Include an overview of Joined up partnership working Existing Monthly SRM meetings Prevent work within the and information sharing via to have standing BOCU Security Review SRM agenda item on Meeting (SRM) structure Prevent 0.7 Draft comprehensive Action plan incorporating Existing To go to Merton Prevent action plan findings from Cronem report; Partnership Executive Pathfinder year projects, esp. Board 26 March 2009 3BM project; National good Review on six-monthly practice; NI 35 guidance; basis CTLP assessment and recommendations 0.8 Merton Partnership to Agreed strategic objectives to Existing Merton Partnership agree strategic objectives commission projects using Executive Board 26 for the use of PVE PVE funding March 2009 funding Update on annual basis

2 Action Lead Anticipated outcomes Resources Milestones 0.9 Commission Prevent Projects commissioned to PVE fund First round: Call for projects for 2009/10 deliver stated objectives for bids October 2009; Merton Agreement of projects by end of December 2009 Second round to be launched in February 2010 0.10 Carry out annual NI35 Submit return to GOL/ the Hub Existing 2009/10 self- self-assessment in line with timescales assessment completed and the results input into GOL and the Hub

0.11 Prevent steering group to Overview of Prevent to be Existing Steering Group met for be established as a result managed by partnership body, first time on 21 of restructure of with regular updates to Safer December 2009 ‘Stronger’ side of LSP and Stronger TP 0.12 Draft Counter terrorism Comprehensive strategy Existing Draft to be available strategy for Merton, covering prevent, protect, end January 2010 including all 4 Ps prepare, pursue 0.13 Updated prevent action Constructive comment from Existing Revised plan due to plan to be submitted to GOL/ CLG/ CTSU on Merton’s GOL December 2009 GOL for comment prevent plan to influence Comments due end continuous improvement January 2010 0.14 GOL ‘prevent tracker’ to Regular updates provided to Existing Quarterly: Dec 2009; be completed and GOL on Merton’s progress Mar, Jun, Sept, Dec submitted 2010 0.15 Counter Terrorism Local Prevent activity is driven by Existing CTLP viewed by Profile (CTLP) to strategic intelligence Borough Commander influence prevent activity 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)

3 Action Lead Anticipated outcomes Resources Milestones 0.16 Explore opportunities for Reduced duplication and Existing Police Engagement cross-borough working stronger outcomes through Officer to attend on prevent joined up working on joint monthly South London initiatives Cluster Prevent Shared best practice 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.

4 Strand 1: Challenging the violent extremist ideology and supporting mainstream voices

Action Lead Anticipated outcomes Resources Milestones 1.1 Identify community Develop relationships with Existing Complete mapping leaders who are influential key individuals to assist in activity; in communities and who gauging tensions and support Invite key leaders to may help others to form positive influence Community Leaders opinions Forum; Involve in broader community cohesion activity MVSC project to carry out mapping exercise 1.2 Promote the role of faith Thriving Interfaith Forum that Existing Interfaith Forum groups in creating contributes to service delivery Meeting at least 4 times cohesive communities and development a year with good attendance 1.3 Engage with local Train local Muslims as £14,400 Pilot project with Baitul Muslims in community Metropolitan Special from MPS Futuh Mosque safety issues. Constabulary and as local preventing Expand project to other volunteer wardens violent mosques in the extremism borough fund 1.4 Monitor the impact of Minimal impact on local Existing Alert process in place control orders on local community of control orders to notify control orders communities (e.g. potential violent in place extremists who the courts MAPPA structure in have directed to stay in their place to be enacted if homes) necessary 1.5 Organise a range of inter- Strong community leadership Various Including events for cultural and/ or inter- on community cohesion funding Holocaust Memorial generational activities messages streams Day, LGBT History including Month, St Georges LBM Day, Gypsy and Community Traveller History Month, Cohesion, Celebrating Age PVE Festival, Peace Week, Black History Month, Local Democracy Week, International Day of Disabled People

5 Action Lead Anticipated outcomes Resources Milestones 1.6 Establish relationship with Positive relationships Existing Work with SNT and Merton College to access between Police and Merton Crime Prevention youths aged 15-18 and College leadership, enabling Officers during BME youths greater access to College to Enrolment Week build relationships with Develop relationships student body 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 1.7 Use‘Act Now’ to engage Provide the public with an Existing with young people and insight into Police Community community groups Tension work and establish positive relationships

6 Strand 2: Disrupting those who promote violent extremism and supporting the institutions where they are active

Action Lead Anticipated outcomes Resources Milestones 2.1 Establish partnership Comprehensive compilation Existing Identify sources of data; community tension of tension intelligence from Establish systems to monitoring activity key partner sources and flag up tension community intelligence; Monthly return to GOL; System in place to enable immediate intervention, response through partnership working and trends analysis where necessary 2.2 Provide ongoing training Comprehensive compilation Existing Operation Fairway DVD for key officers (including of tension intelligence from to be initiated SNT, Park Wardens, key partner sources and Rich Picture DVD to be Neighbourhood Wardens, community initiated LSP, council staff, security staff, health staff, practice nurses) 2.3 Tension monitoring return BOCU Security Review Existing Monthly Security to be brought to monthly Meeting to identify and Review Meeting (Daily Security Review Meeting address public order issues Management Meeting (Daily Management surrounding those who seek for urgent matters) Meeting for urgent to promote violent extremism matters) 2.4 Commission a Voluntary and community TBC programme of capacity groups have capacity to play building training for an active role in building voluntary and community cohesive communities groups resilient to violent extremism

7 Strand 3: Supporting individuals who are being targeted and recruited to the cause of violent extremism

Action Lead Anticipated outcomes Resources Milestones 3.1 Consider intelligence at Individuals at risk identified Existing Ongoing - to be dealt the Security Review and referred to an appropriate with immediately at Meeting relating to process for further action, if DMM and documented individuals at risk appropriate at SRM

3.2 Develop local capacity to MAPPA and PPD based Existing deliver a process (as approach to manage risks/ “business as usual”) to concerns relating to manage risks/ concerns vulnerable individuals relating to vulnerable individuals 3.3 Develop links to identify a Established links with Existing Develop options based menu of intervention partners, agencies and other on best practice (SO15 options that can be sources from which referrals contacts) considered in respect of may be made regarding Provide training and individuals at risk individuals at risk. support to partners, Appropriate support provided agencies and other to individual at risk sources that might refer (e.g. PCT) Develop local intervention arrangements where appropriate 3.4 Develop individuals at risk Established links with Existing Develop options based project to effectively target partners, agencies and other on best practice young people identified as sources from which referrals Provide training and vulnerable and children may be made regarding support to partners, excluded from schools. children and young people at agencies and other risk. Appropriate support sources that might refer provided to children and young people at risk 3.5 Establish ‘Channel’ type Build into PPO Board Existing, Meeting with SO15 held project for Merton intervention process supported on 15 February 2010 to by discuss best practice intervention and options for Merton fund from EBG to be first point of PVE contact for SO15 on individuals at risk

8 Action Lead Anticipated outcomes Resources Milestones 3.6 SO15 Information sharing Agreed information sharing Existing To be agreed by end protocol to be agreed protocol to enable joint March 2010 locally with LBM and working Merton Police

9 Strand 4: Increasing the resilience of communities to violent extremism

Action Lead Anticipated outcomes Resources Milestones 4.1 Delivery of commissioned Projects delivering against Existing/ Projects to be Prevent projects stated objectives to support PVE fund commissioned in prevent agenda in Merton December 2009 Projects to begin from January 2010 Monitoring arrangements to be agreed and rolled out Evaluations to be submitted by project leads 4.2 Increase community Aspire to identify and prevent £12k grant Roll out of DCSF resilience to violent those pupils most likely to from DCSF, Community Cohesion extremism in schools enter the criminal justice Safer toolkit system for doing so schools Roll out SEAL (Social officers emotional achieving and learning) Safer Schools Officers in post

4.3 Provide support and Imams able to support their TBC Strengthened Interfaith training to Imams to communities and work with activity. support their capacity to those who may be targeted reach out to their by violent extremism communities and ‘hard to reach’ groups

10 Strand 5: Addressing the grievances that ideologies are exploiting

Action Lead Anticipated outcomes Resources Milestones 5.1 Review existing systems Strengthened and more Existing Quarterly meetings of for reporting Hate/ Race effective current procedures the Hate Crime PMB crimes Better informed picture of Development of a local issues Hate Crime Strategy Identification of gaps and how for Merton next to plug them meeting 25/2/10 5.2 Mapping exercise to Improved service delivery Exisiting Communicating establish where which better meets the needs findings to community individuals can go to for of BME groups support if they feel their grievance has not been dealt with satisfactorily on the grounds of race or faith 5.3 Build measures to Increased community Exisiting Written into the address hate crime and confidence among Muslim 2010/2011 coms publicise success to build and BME groups programme community confidence 5.4 Distribute Foreign and To share information from Existing LBM Prevent lead to Commonwealth Office FCO/ RICU about activity register for GOL (FCO) leaflets on foreign behind headlines updates (which include policy as appropriate RICU briefings) Prevent leads to take a view on appropriate dissemination on case by case basis

11 Developing understanding, analysis and information

Action Lead Anticipated outcomes Resources Milestones 6.1 Undertake a documented Counter Terrorism Local Existing Must be reviewed risk assessment of the Profile completed monthly at SRM threat and vulnerability from terrorism related issues as they apply to the borough, including community issues resulting from the terrorist threat 6.2 Measure key indicators Increased satisfaction against Existing Annual Residents through Annual Residents community cohesion Survey – results Survey and Place Survey indicators and responsive annually in September relating to community activity to bring about cohesion (e.g. % of increases Place Survey – people who believe biannually from people from different January 2009 backgrounds get on well together) 6.3 Developing a database of Understand the local Existing Complete mapping all component parts of the community and establish activity community (community positive relationships Invite key leaders onto contact points, community Community Leaders leaders and community Forum opinion formers, and Involve in broader places of significance to community cohesion communities) activity Share data across partners MVSC’s 2010 Prevent project to map faith groups across borough and activity 6.4 Understanding and Better targeting of limited Existing Use consultation data mapping current local resources to understand attitudes Improved communication changing perceptions between local communities and guide messaging and agencies Monthly community Improved response with tension monitoring longer lasting solutions meetings

12 Action Lead Anticipated outcomes Resources Milestones 6.5 Ensure appropriate Appropriate information is Existing Identify partner information sharing shared on need to know basis organisations with protocols are in place and that information is shared whom information will between services and and handled in accordance be shared. statutory agencies with data protection and Adopt SO15 info security level sharing protocol for dealing with individuals at risk Assess whether further protocols are needed for wider prevent work 6.6 Screen all Crimint entries Information fed into Existing Monthly community for intelligence relating to community tension monitoring tension monitoring prevent activity and flag to meetings/ SRM as necessary meetings the BOCU prevent lead. 6.7 Develop a local protocol Quick response to Existing with the Counter intelligence (eg around our Terrorism Intelligence critical national infrastructure Officer regarding the dual sites, or specific venues e.g. handling of intelligence places of worship which may be of interest to counter terrorism coordination and also has a bearing on local community cohesion or prevent activity 6.8 Ensure that BOCU staff Awareness of all police Existing Awaits product . receive Intelligence and officers and community Thereafter quarterly Community Engagement officers raised and thus updates until BOCU (ICE) training as enhanced intelligence 90% trained appropriate. submission and sharing with partners. 6.9 Ensure that all BOCU Increased awareness of signs Existing Training started staff (particularly SNT of violent extremism. 6/08/08 to SNT, staff) are appropriately Response & CID briefed in respect of Rich CID Due to be rerun Picture. May2010 during Officer safety training

13 Action Lead Anticipated outcomes Resources Milestones 6.10 Ensure that partners and Increased awareness of Existing Starts Feb 2009 LA staff are briefed on Op hostile reconnaissance When 25% then 50% Fairway of council staff have viewed Fairway DVD

14 Strategic communications

Action Lead Anticipated outcomes Resources Milestones 7.1 Develop communications Inform and promote to wider PVE fund/ Communications leads plan for this work area community and partners the LBM agreed for planned ** this should be a feature work and outcomes of community and ad hoc activity of each of the 4P strands commissioned PVE projects cohesion 2010/11 Comms plan but also included in and impact on community budget for Contest, including overall CT strategy doc cohesion prevent , protect, and comms strategy. E.g. Reduce fear and raise prepare, pursue to be using £7..5K protect awareness of CT/ Prevent agreed by March 2010 money, timetable comms Reassure public that Merton Comms plan to cover so Jan -Prevent, Feb, CT effort is robust message, audience, Protect…..etc ConsiderCT to be channels, delivery and coordinated with relevent evaluation. events e.g Holocaust Memorial day link Palestine- Israel conflict and AQ, Black History month link BNP & far right extremism. 7.2 Establish contacts and Able to communicate with key Existing Multi agency working process to communicate community representatives group for comms to be quickly and key partners during set up. Community periods of stress following safe access agreed trigger incidents or other between LA and MPS. incidents likely to be of Currently working with concern MPS re access to multi agency talk groups on Airwave radio. 24 hour contact/call out system available. 7.3 Provide communities with All operations to date have Introduce Community timely information been referred to relevant Safe system and concerning “Counter communities under the publicise terrorism coordination agreed standard operating Executive Action” under procedures the agreed standard operating procedures 7.4 Ensure culturally sensitive communication

15 Action Lead Anticipated outcomes Resources Milestones 7.5 Work closely with all Minimise risk, loss and LA- partners responsible for damage in the event of a Existing Emergency Planning to terrorist attack ensure co-ordination, efficiency and effectiveness in the event of a terrorist attack 7.6 Roll out multi-agency Improved engagement with Staff Delivered twice, plans partner and staff training small and medium sized to deliver to remaining programme so that businesses town centres this year. individuals know what to do in the event of a terrorist attack