Counter-terrorism Strategy (CONTEST)

To respond to the threat from terrorism the Government has developed a coordinated long-term counter-terrorism strategy known as CONTEST.

The overall aim of that strategy is to reduce the risk to the UK and its citizens and interests overseas from terrorism, so that people can go about their lives freely and with confidence.

The Strategy comprises four key components:

• Prevent: to stop people becoming terrorists or supporting terrorism
• Pursue: to stop terrorist attacks
• Protect: to strengthen our protection against a terrorist attack
• Prepare: to mitigate the impact of a terrorist attack

The purpose of Prevent is at its heart to safeguard and support vulnerable people to stop them from becoming terrorists or supporting terrorism. 

Prevent work also extends to supporting the rehabilitation and disengagement of those already involved in terrorism. 

Prevent works in a similar way to programmes designed to safeguard people from gangs, drug abuse, and physical and sexual abuse.

Success means:

• an enhanced response to tackle the causes of radicalisation, in communities and online
• continued effective support to those who are vulnerable to radicalisation, and
• disengagement from terrorist activities by those already engaged in or supporters of terrorism

The objectives of Prevent are to:

• Tackle the causes of radicalisation and respond to the ideological challenge of terrorism.
• Safeguard and support those most at risk of radicalisation through early intervention, identifying them and offering support.
• Enable those who have already engaged in terrorism to disengage and rehabilitate.

Prevent depends on effective partnership working. In South Tyneside multi-agency safeguarding measures are available, to prevent people from being drawn into terrorism, and frontline staff who engage with the public should understand what radicalisation means and why people may be vulnerable to being drawn into terrorism as a consequence of it.