Official Statistics

Individuals referred to and supported through the Prevent Programme, April 2024 to March 2025

Published 6 November 2025

Applies to England and Wales

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This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/individuals-referred-to-prevent-to-march-2025/individuals-referred-to-and-supported-through-the-prevent-programme-april-2024-to-march-2025

This release contains official statistics in development on individuals referred to and supported through the Prevent Programme due to concerns they were susceptible to radicalisation. Following initial screening and assessment, referrals may be passed to a multi-agency Channel panel where a risk of radicalisation exists. Chaired by local authorities, these panels determine the extent of an individual’s susceptibility to radicalisation and whether a tailored package of support is necessary and proportionate to address the risk.

Upcoming changes

We are seeking feedback from users to help us improve future releases of the Prevent statistics publication. Please complete our short user survey to tell us how you use this publication, which parts you find most useful, and any other comments or feedback you may have. The survey should take no longer than 10 minutes to complete, and your views will help shape future publications. Responses can be submitted until 17:00 on Friday 9 January 2026.

Main changes and additions to this release

This release uses a new joint data source, the Prevent Case Management Tracker (PCMT). The PCMT combines information on Prevent referrals and Channel cases, which were previously held in separate systems and required additional data matching to track an individual’s journey. The introduction of the PCMT provides access to new variables. As a result, this release includes additional data on consent, mental health and neurodiversity, and ethnicity. The type of concern categories have also been updated in the new PCMT to better describe the nature of concerns that are referred into Prevent, and are reflected in this release. A summary of the main changes and additions to this bulletin is provided in the accompanying user guide.

Key results

Figure 1: Number of Prevent referrals between 2015/16 to 2024/25

Source: Home Office, Individuals referred to and supported through the Prevent Programme, England and Wales

Figure 2: Number of referrals discussed at a Channel panel and adopted as a Channel case, between 2015/16 to 2024/25

Source: Home Office, Individuals referred to and supported through the Prevent Programme, England and Wales

Notes:

  1. Figures for adopted Channel cases in 2024/25 are not directly comparable with previous years due to a change in methodology. Adoption is now recorded at the point of the Channel panel’s decision rather than when consent is provided. As a result, figures for adopted cases will be higher. Users should exercise caution when comparing these figures with previous years. The count of referrals and discussed at a Channel panel is unaffected by this change. Further detail is available in the user guide.

In the year ending 31 March 2025, there were 8,517 individuals referred to Prevent, with a total of 8,778 referrals made. This represents a 27% increase compared with the previous year (6,922) and is the highest number of referrals recorded in a single year since the data series began in April 2015.

Of the 8,778 referrals made to Prevent in the year ending 31 March 2025:

  • 1,727 individuals (20% of referrals) were discussed at a Channel panel, and 1,472 individuals (17% of referrals) were adopted as a Channel case
  • the proportion of referrals discussed at a Channel panel has increased (20% this year versus 13% last year and 16% the year before) and the proportion of referrals that were adopted as a Channel case also increased (17% this year versus 7% last year and 9% the year before); the large increase in adopted cases in the year ending 31 March 2025 is primarily due to a change in methodology (see the user guide for further details); users should therefore exercise caution when comparing these figures with previous years
  • the education sector made the highest number of referrals (3,129), accounting for 36% of all referrals this year; this represents a small decrease in proportion from the previous year, when education accounted for 40% of referrals (2,788 out of 6,922)
  • referrals by the police (2,631; 30%) increased by 37% compared with the previous year (1,921; 28%); referrals from local authorities had the largest percentage increase (54% from 582 to 895); in contrast, referrals from the community and from friends and family were the only groups to show decreases, falling by 25% and 7% respectively
  • individuals aged 11 to 15 accounted for the largest proportion (3,192; 36%) of the 8,759 referrals to Prevent where age was known
  • 1,472 cases were adopted by Channel, with individuals aged between 11 and 15 accounting for 39% of all cases adopted
  • as in previous years, most referrals where sex was specified (8,525), were for males (7,605; 89%)
  • ‘Extreme Right-Wing’ concerns accounted for 21% (1,798) of referrals, higher than those related to ‘Islamist Extremism’ (10%; 870); compared with the previous year, the proportion of referrals for ‘Extreme Right-Wing’ concerns increased (up from 19%; 1,314 of 6,921), while the proportion for ‘Islamist Extremism’ decreased (down from 13%; 913 of 6,921)
  • the majority of referrals that went on to be adopted as a Channel case were for ‘Extreme Right-Wing concerns’ (612 out of 1464 (total specified); 42%); while 226 (15%) were for concerns related to ‘Islamist Extremism’
  • the ‘no ideology’ type of concern categories (‘no ideology – other susceptibility to radicalisation identified’ and ‘no ideology identified’) accounted for the largest proportion of referrals (4,917; 56%), where a type of concern was specified (8,769 referrals), however, also had one of the lowest Channel adoption rates (7%; 330 of 4917); when examined separately, ‘no ideology identified’ accounted for 34% of referrals (3,009 of 8,769), with only 4% (132) adopted as a Channel case, while ‘no ideology – other susceptibility to radicalisation identified’ made up 22% of referrals (1,908 of 8,769), with 10% (198) adopted among referrals where a type of concern was specified
  • for those referrals where ethnicity was specified (4,203), 65% (2,747) of referrals were recorded as White, 19% (798) Asian, 8% (320) Black and 8% (338) other
  • around one-third of Prevent referrals (2,955 of 8,778) had at least one mental health or neurodiversity (MHND) condition recorded; Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD) was the most common condition recorded (14% of all referrals; 1,226 of 8,778); two-thirds of referrals (5,823) had no MHND information recorded, either because no concern was identified or relevant information was not captured
  • among adopted Channel cases where consent status was specified, 55% (767) provided consent to receive Channel panel support, while 45% (616) did not consent to support

1. Introduction

Prevent forms part of the government’s wider counter-terrorism strategy, known as CONTEST. The latest version of the CONTEST strategy was published in July 2023. Prevent aims to safeguard people from becoming terrorists or supporting terrorism. For more information, please see the following publications on the GOV.UK website: Prevent duty guidance, Channel duty guidance and 2023 CONTEST strategy.

1.1 Coverage of this release

This release contains official statistics in development on the number of individuals recorded as having been referred to and supported through the Prevent Programme in England and Wales, from 1 April 2024 to 31 March 2025. The statistics cover an individual’s journey from referral to adoption as a case, broken down by demographic statistics, the type of concern and region.

More information about official statistics in development can be found on the UK Statistics Authority website. The Home Office aims to improve the quality of data recording and assurance procedures so that these statistics can be designated as Accredited Official Statistics in future years. As part of these improvements, the PCMT was introduced in May 2024, bringing together data on Prevent referrals and Channel cases into a single system. Home Office analysts continue to work with Prevent policy colleagues and Counter Terrorism Policing (CTP) to improve the quality of existing data, particularly in areas where completion rates are low. This includes developing further guidance and training for police case officers and Channel practitioners, and working jointly with CTP to strengthen consistency in recording across regions in England and Wales.

More detailed breakdowns of the data relating to this release can be found in the accompanying data tables. This includes data for Prevent and Channel in the year ending March 2025. Previous years data covering April 2015 to March 2024 can be found in the accompanying data tables.

The data presented in this release was extracted from the PCMT on 29 September 2025, covering the year ending March 2025. Figures within PCMT are updated continuously by practitioners, and therefore represent a snapshot in time, providing an indication of trends rather than definitive counts. The timing of data extraction can also affect the closure outcomes of cases. The further the extraction date is from the reference period, the more likely it is that cases will have been closed, which may influence comparability with earlier or future releases. Users should therefore exercise caution when making comparisons over time. In addition, cases that are discussed or adopted are recorded by the referral date, not by the date they were discussed or adopted at a Channel panel. For example, a referral received on 25 April but discussed or adopted on 15 June will appear under April figures.

1.2 Identification and referrals

If a member of the public, or someone working with the public, has a concern about a person they know who may be susceptible to radicalisation, they can raise their concerns with their local authority safeguarding team or the police for an assessment.

Staff working in public-facing organisations receive training to help identify people who may be susceptible to radicalisation, and what to do about it. Local authorities, schools, colleges, universities, health bodies, prisons, probation organisations and the police are subject to a statutory duty through the Counter-Terrorism and Security Act 2015 to include in their day-to-day work consideration of the need to safeguard people from being drawn into terrorism.

1.3 Initial assessment

The police screen and assess all Prevent referrals for genuine susceptibility to radicalisation. The majority of referrals will either be progressed to Channel; referred onwards to mainstream services; or require no further action. In instances where consent for Channel support is not provided, or where the person is considered too high risk for Channel, they may be managed under Police-Led Partnerships (PLP). These partnerships are led by the police, and work with other agencies, employing similar approaches used within Channel. The support package provided in Channel/Prevent Multi-Agency Panel (PMAP) is voluntary and requires consent. If a person refuses to engage with Channel/PMAP support, or is not suitable for management in Channel/PMAP (due to being deemed too high-risk), CTP will consider whether sufficient concerns remain to refer the case to PLP for further management.

1.4 The Channel programme

The Channel programme in England and Wales is an initiative that provides a multi-agency approach to support people susceptible to radicalisation. For those individuals where the police assess there is a risk of radicalisation, a Channel panel chaired by the local authority, and attended by other partners such as representatives from education and health services, will meet to discuss the referral. They will discuss the extent of the susceptibility, assess all the circumstances of the case, and decide whether to adopt the individual as a Channel case. Cases are adopted in order to further assess the susceptibility, or to provide a tailored package of support where necessary and proportionate to do so. A Channel panel may decide that an individual’s susceptibility is not terrorism-related and will refer the individual to other forms of support.

Since May 2024, data on Channel cases is recorded in the new PCMT that has been developed between the Home Office and Counter-Terrorism Policing. Prior to that, and for data presented in previous year’s releases, data on Channel cases was extracted from the Home Office owned Channel Management Information System (CMIS).

Information shared among partners is strictly within the terms of the Data Protection Act and the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). The Home Office collects, processes and shares personal information to enable it to carry out its statutory functions as part of Channel. For further information on how personal data is stored and used for the Channel programme, please refer to the Channel Data Privacy Information Notice (DPIN).

The Counter-Terrorism and Security Act 2015 placed the Channel programme on a statutory footing and created a duty on each local authority in England and Wales to ensure there is a panel in place for its area. Statutory guidance for Channel panels was first published in March 2015.

1.5 Providing support and leaving the programme

Participation in the Channel programme is confidential and voluntary. Once a Channel panel has made the decision to adopt a case, consent is obtained before Channel support is provided. Where consent is not secured, the case will need to be closed to Channel. Where consent is secured for Channel, tailored support is provided based on the needs identified for an individual. Many types of support are available, addressing educational, vocational, mental health and other susceptibilities. Ideological mentoring is common. The role of the Channel panel is to coordinate service support through statutory partners and Channel-commissioned Intervention Providers (IPs) or oversee existing activity depending on what is most appropriate and proportionate for the case.

A Channel panel will review the progress of an individual in the Channel programme on a monthly basis. If there is an escalation of risk, where deemed appropriate, the police may transfer a case from Channel to police-led partnership management. PLP covers the management of individuals that are not suitable for Channel, but which have identified Prevent-relevant issues requiring support or mitigation. PLP are led by police but work in partnership with other agencies and employ many of the same type of approaches used within the multiagency processes of Channel. Since January 2025, Channel support has been extended to include some of those subject to Pursue investigation, enabling support to continue through this process.

The panel decides an individual will leave the Channel programme when there is no further risk of radicalisation. Support to address non-radicalisation-related concerns could continue in some cases but would be managed outside of the Channel programme.

The local authority or other providers may provide alternative forms of support to individuals who do not consent to Channel support or are deemed not appropriate for the Channel programme. In these circumstances, the police will manage any risk of terrorism that might present.

After an individual has left the Channel programme, their progress will be reviewed after 6 and 12 months as a minimum. If the individual shows further radicalisation-related concerns, they can re-enter the Channel programme and receive further support.

The Prevent process is summarised below in Figure 3, including how a referral is handled within Police Case Management and at Channel.

Figure 3: Prevent process flow diagram

Source: Home Office

2. People referred to the Prevent Programme

This section presents statistics on the number of referrals to Prevent due to concerns that an individual was susceptible to radicalisation. It includes the sector of referral and information on how the individuals referred were assessed and supported, including those who required no further action, a referral to another service or were reviewed by a Channel panel for support through the Channel programme.

The data presented in this release represents activity recorded by the police and local authority partners. Although quality assurance is undertaken to confirm these numbers, the statistics rely on recording of information and so the overall completeness and accuracy of reported totals cannot be guaranteed. Please see the user guide for further information.

Throughout this release, the number of referrals reported includes individuals who had been referred more than once during the year. This information is included as each referral may not contain the same information (for example, different sector of referral or type of concern) and may not have the same outcome (for example, signposted to statutory partners, discussed at a Channel panel). Including multiple referrals provides a more complete picture of all support recorded and provided through the Prevent Programme in the year ending March 2025. While the release does not focus on the unique number of individuals referred, where referrals progress to Channel panel discussions and are subsequently adopted as Channel cases, these are treated as unique cases within the Channel dataset.

2.1 The referral process

In the year ending 31 March 2025, there were 8,778 referrals to Prevent due to concerns that an individual was susceptible to radicalisation. This year, the education sector made the most referrals (3,129; 36%), followed by the police (2,631; 30%). Compared with the previous year, the number of referrals made by education, local authority, health, police, HMPPS and ‘other’ sectors increased by 12%, 54%, 47%, 37%, 21% and 41% respectively, whilst the number of referrals made by the community and friends and family decreased by 25% and 7% respectively.

Figure 4: Sector of referral and subsequent journey, year ending 31 March 2025

Source: Home Office, Individuals referred to and supported through the Prevent Programme, England and Wales, April 2024 to March 2025, Table 2

Notes:

  1. HM Prison and Probation Service.
  2. ‘Other’ includes employment, military and government (including Home Office Immigration Enforcement and HMRC), for example.
  3. Referrals received that ‘required no further action’ include but are not limited to: individuals already receiving support through Prevent, those presenting a higher risk than can be managed by Prevent, and those who were found to have no susceptibility at initial assessment.
  4. Individuals can be signposted after a Channel case has been closed to ensure that they continue to receive support for any non-radicalisation-related vulnerabilities.
  5. ‘Not adopted as a Channel case’ refers to cases that were discussed at a Channel panel but were deemed not suitable for adoption. This category also includes 7 cases where an adoption decision was still pending at the time of data extraction.
  6. The sum of ‘Required no further action’, ‘Signposted to other services’, and ‘discussed at a Channel panel’ do not equal the total number of Prevent referrals due to 52 open cases at the information gathering stage at the point of data extraction from PCMT (29 September 2025). Individuals can be signposted to statutory partners to address wider susceptibilities depending on what the panel assess as being necessary and proportionate.
  7. Percentages may not add up to 100 due to rounding.

Of the 8,778 referrals to Prevent in the year ending 31 March 2025:

  • 80% (6,999) were deemed not suitable for Channel consideration and exited the process prior to a Channel panel discussion; of which the majority were signposted to other services (4,363; 62%)
  • 20% (1,727) were discussed at a Channel Panel and considered for support
  • ultimately, 17% (1,472) of all referrals were adopted as a Channel case
  • an additional 52 cases were open at the information gathering stage at the time of data extraction (29 September 2025)

The proportion of Prevent referrals that were adopted as a Channel case has seen a large increase in the latest year ending March 2025, up by 10 percentage points (change from 7% to 17%) compared to the previous year. Since 2015/16 to 2023/24, Prevent referrals have been adopted as a Channel case at an average rate of 9%. The increase observed this year is primarily explained by a change in the methodology used to capture the number of adopted cases. In previous years, adopted cases were counted at the point when the referred individual provided consent.

However, this approach did not fully reflect Channel panel processes, as panels make adoption decisions before individuals are asked to provide consent for support. Users should therefore exercise caution when comparing adopted case figures with previous years, as this change represents a break in the time series. The increase observed this year may also, in part, reflect heightened public awareness of Prevent following the Southport incident in July 2024. Further information is available below in Chapter 2.2 and in the accompanying user guide, which provides additional detail on the change in methodology.

Of the 4,363 referrals deemed not suitable for consideration by Channel and signposted to alternative services for support, most were directed to the education sector (1,357; 31%), Health (957; 22%) and local authorities (938; 21%).

The sector to which an individual is signposted to receive alternative forms of support after exiting the Prevent Channel process, having been assessed as not suitable for Channel adoption. Of the 1,727 referrals deemed suitable through preliminary assessment to be discussed at a Channel panel in the year ending 31 March 2025:

  • 255 (15%) referrals were not adopted as a Channel case; of these, the majority (163; 64%) were signposted to alternative services for support outside of the Channel programme to address concerns, where the panel deemed the individuals to have non-radicalisation-related vulnerabilities or had appropriate support already in place; at the time of data extraction, 7 referrals (3% of 255) were discussed at a Channel panel but the adoption decision was still pending
  • most of the referrals discussed at a Channel Panel were adopted as a Channel case (1,472; 85%); of these, over three-quarters 1,123 (76%) of the individuals concerned left the Channel process within the 12 months ending 31 March 2025; 349 (24%) remained a Channel case at time of data extraction (29 September 2025)

Of the 1,123 referrals adopted as a Channel case that have subsequently closed, 949 (85%) of the individuals concerned exited with no further radicalisation concerns. This can include individuals:

  • who had a susceptibility to radicalisation addressed by a Channel-commissioned Intervention Provider
  • for whom the Channel panel oversaw existing support already in place through statutory partners
  • who were adopted as a Channel case to further assess whether a susceptibility to radicalisation was present and determine whether additional support was needed

The remaining 174 referrals (15%) that were adopted as a case and have now closed, concerned individuals who either withdrew from the Channel programme or were withdrawn because it was no longer deemed appropriate, although in some cases support from other services may still be in place. Any terrorism risk that might be present is managed by the police.

2.2 Referrals over time

In the year ending 31 March 2025, there were 8,778 referrals to Prevent (the highest number of referrals in any year), a 27% increase in comparison with the previous year (6,922). This also represents the second largest year-on-year percentage increase since statistics were published (referrals in the year ending March 2022 rose by 30% compared with the previous year). Quarter 4, January to March, (in the year ending March 2025) saw the highest number of referrals (3,287; 37%). Quarter 4, January to March, also saw referrals increase by 70% compared with the previous quarter (rising from 1,933 in quarter 3, October to December to 3,287 in quarter 4, January to March,) and by 82% when compared with quarter 4, January to March, in the previous year (up from 1,802 in quarter 4, January to March, 2023/24).

Lord Anderson, the Interim Independent Prevent Commissioner, suggested in his report Lessons for Prevent that the large increase in referrals observed in quarter 4, January to March 2024/25 likely followed publicity surrounding Rudakubana’s Southport trial (20 January 2025), which took place following the Southport attack on 29 July 2024 (see Section 2.3 for further details).

There was a 93% increase in the number of referrals discussed at a Channel panel compared with the previous year, rising from 893 to 1,727. The proportion of referrals discussed at a Channel panel also increased, from 13% to 20%. As noted above, this increase may have been influenced by awareness surrounding Rudakubana’s case.

Additionally, a number of operational and policy improvements and associated training packages have been rolled out during the reporting period, including the launch of the new PCMT, the national roll out of a new Prevent Assessment Framework (PAF) tool to support practitioners in assessing referrals, and the introduction of the new National Prevent Referral Form, among others. It is possible these changes may also have had an impact on practice.

Among referrals discussed at a Channel panel, the proportion adopted as a Channel case also increased, from 57% (512 of 893) last year to 85% (1,472 of 1,727) this year and the proportion of all referrals adopted as a Channel case increased from 7% to 17%. This increase is likely primarily due to a change in methodology (see the user guide), so users should exercise caution when comparing adoption figures with previous years.

Figure 5: Proportion of Prevent referrals not discussed at a Channel panel, discussed but not adopted, and discussed and adopted as Channel cases, years ending 31 March 2016 to 2025

Source: Home Office, Individuals referred to and supported through the Prevent Programme, England and Wales

Notes:

  1. Proportion for ‘Discussed at Channel panel - not adopted’ and ‘Discussed at Channel panel - adopted’ cases in 2024/25 are not directly comparable with previous years due to a change in methodology. Adoption is now recorded at the point of the Channel panel’s decision rather than when consent is provided. As a result, the proportion for ‘Discussed at Channel panel - not adopted’ will be lower and ‘Discussed at Channel panel - adopted’ will be higher. However, the increase in adoption proportion is not solely attributable to this methodological change; wider factors, such as the publicity following the Southport attack, may also have contributed. Users should exercise caution when making year-on-year comparisons. The count of ‘Referrals deemed not suitable for Channel panel’ is unaffected. Further details are available in the user guide.

2.3 Trends following the 29 July 2024 knife attack at a children’s dance club in Southport

This sub section reports trends in Prevent referrals and Channel cases following the Southport incident on 29 July 2024. This includes monthly data on referrals, cases discussed at Channel panel and cases adopted to identify trends after the attack between 29 July 2024 to 31 March 2025. Users should note that trends cannot be directly attributed to the Southport attack.

In the period from 29 July 2024 to 31 March 2025, there were 6,350 referrals made to Prevent. This represents a large increase of 34% (up from 4,722 referrals) compared to the same period in year ending March 2024 and 37% increase (up from 4,647 referrals) compared with the same period in year ending March 2023.

Figure 6: Total number of referrals to Prevent, by month from 29 July to 31 March, for the years 2022 to 2023, 2023 to 2024 and 2024 to 2025

Source: Home Office

Notes:

  1. July figures begin from 29 July, therefore only covering 3 days. As a result, the numbers for July are lower than for other months.

When examining the data by month, the total number of referrals to Prevent between 29 July 2024 and 31 March 2025 was higher in nearly all months compared with the same months in the previous 2 years, except for November and December 2024. A notable increase occurred in August 2024, immediately following the Southport attack, where referrals rose by 66% compared with August 2023, and by 53% compared with August 2022.

A further sharp increase was observed between January and March 2025 (3,287 referrals), coinciding with the public trial of the Southport case. Referrals during this period were 82% higher than in the same quarter of the previous year (1,802) and 64% higher than during the equivalent period 2 years earlier (2,005).

Of the 6,350 referrals made to Prevent between 29 July 2024 and 31 March 2025, 21% (1,318 out of 6,350) were discussed at a Channel panel and 18% (1,123 out of 6,350) were adopted as a Channel case. This compares to 17% (409 out of 2,428) discussed at a Channel panel and 14% (349 out of 2,428) adopted as a case for the earlier part of the year before the Southport attack (1 April 2024 to 28 July 2024). Although the comparison periods differ in length (approximately 8 months compared with 4 months), the higher proportions observed after the Southport attack still provide a useful indication of increased Channel activity, even though the figures are not directly comparable on a like-for-like basis.

3. Demographics

This section reports statistics on the individuals referred to Prevent due to concerns about their susceptibility to radicalisation. Demographics (including age, sex, ethnicity, mental health and neurodiversity) are reported according to their progression through Prevent.

3.1 Age

In the year ending 31 March 2025, individuals aged 11 to 15 accounted for the largest proportion of the 8,759 referrals to Prevent (3,192; 36%) where age was known (Figure 6). However, this was down from 40% the previous year, bucking the trend since year ending March 2021 where this age group has accounted for an increased proportion of referrals each year. Those aged between 16 to 17 account for the second largest proportion (1,178; 13%) of all referrals.

As individuals moved through the Prevent Programme in the year ending 31 March 2025, those aged 11 to 15 accounted for a slightly larger proportion of both those discussed at a Channel Panel (657; 38%) and those adopted as a Channel case (568; 39%).

Figure 7: Age group from youngest to oldest of those referred, discussed at a Channel panel and adopted as a Channel case, year ending March 2025

Source: Home Office, Individuals referred to and supported through the Prevent Programme, England and Wales, April 2024 to March 2025, Table 4

3.2 Sex

In the year ending 31 March 2025, of the 8,525 referrals where sex was specified, the majority were for males (7,605; 89%). Males also accounted for the majority of the referrals discussed at a Channel panel (1,535 of 1,702; 90%) and those adopted as a Channel case (1,311 of 1,456; 90%).

3.3 Ethnicity

The collection of data on ethnicity is not mandatory on the Prevent referral form which means that the ethnicity field in the PCMT can be left blank. Previous years’ statistical releases have not included ethnicity data due to the large proportion of referrals that do not have any ethnicity data. This year we are including ethnicity data as the proportion of referrals with this data specified has increased.

Figures in this section are based on the ethnicity of an individual as reported by the person making the referral to Prevent or as later updated on the system by a case officer as more information about an individual comes to light.

The ethnicity categories in this release draw from those listed on the PCMT. The Home Office and CTP are currently working to improve the ethnicity categories to align with ONS standards.

In the year ending 31 March 2025, of the 8,778 referrals to Prevent, 48% had ethnicity specified on PCMT while 52% were unspecified. The percentage of referrals for which ethnicity was specified increased as individuals moved through the Prevent Programme. Of the 1,727 individuals discussed at a Channel panel, 56% had ethnicity specified and of the 1,472 adopted by a Channel panel, 57% had ethnicity specified.

For those referrals where ethnicity was specified (4,203), 65% (2,747) of referrals were recorded as ‘White’, 19% (798) ‘Asian’, 8% (320) ‘Black’ and 8% (338) ‘other’. Among cases adopted as a Channel case where ethnicity was specified (839 of 1,472), 73% (611) were recorded as ‘White’, 16% (135) as ‘Asian’, 6% (47) as ‘other’, and 5% (46) as ‘Black’.

3.4 Mental health and neurodiversity

The new PCMT system that launched in May 2024 enabled the systematic recording of data on mental health and neurodiversity (MHND) of individuals referred into Prevent. This section presents the available data in PCMT for the period 1 April 2024 to 31 March 2025. As this data reporting is a new element on PCMT we expect that data quality will improve over time. Therefore, the trends in this data over the next few years will need to be carefully interpreted as data coverage and quality improves. The MHND categories presented in this release are based on those currently recorded in PCMT. A full list of categories is provided in the user guide. The Home Office and CTP are currently working to improve the MHND categories to align with NHS standards.

In the year ending March 2025, there were 8,778 referrals to Prevent. Across these referrals, 2,955 (34%) had at least one MHND condition recorded on PCMT (please see Figure 8). Please note that as each referral could have more than one MHND condition recorded, the total presented in Figure 8 does not equate to the total number of referrals to Prevent.

The condition most frequently recorded was ‘Autistic Spectrum Disorder’ (ASD) (14%, 1,226 referrals), of which 65% (797) were classified as ‘confirmed’ and 35% (429) as ‘unconfirmed’. This was followed by ‘suicide risk’ (9%; 811) and ‘self-harm’ (5%; 436). The least commonly reported MHND conditions were ‘eating disorder’ (<1%, 22) and ‘Bipolar Affective Disorder’ (1%, 88).

Additionally, 931 referrals had at least one ‘other’ MHND condition recorded. The ‘other’ category may include individuals with MHND conditions not already specified such as ADHD, OCD, or PTSD. Please note that referrals may have more than one condition specified under ‘other’.

Sixty-six per cent of referrals (5,823) had an unspecified MHND condition, meaning at the time of data recording, no confirmed or unconfirmed MHND was associated with the individual and the field was therefore left blank. Alternatively, it may reflect instances where relevant information was available but not recorded in the system.

Figure 8: Total number of mental health and neurodiversity conditions by referral and status, year ending March 2025

Source: Home Office, Individuals referred to and supported through the Prevent Programme, England and Wales, April 2024 to March 2025, Table 8

4. Type of concern

This section reports statistics on the individuals referred to Prevent and progressing to Channel, according to the type of concern recorded.

The type of concern categories were updated within the new PCMT to better describe the nature of concerns that are referred into Prevent. They were developed based on analysis of data available as well as consultation with frontline staff and policymakers about their experiences and requirements. The new type of concern categories do not exactly match onto previous years’ categories, therefore, there is a break in the time series and trends by type of concern should be interpreted carefully.

As in previous years, the type of concern presented is based upon information provided by the referrer. For cases that progress further into the programme, officers may update the type of concern based upon new information that comes to light. Therefore, the statistics regarding type of concern are likely to include a mix of the type of concern raised by the original referrer and the type of concern that the Channel Case Officers believe the individual is presenting as more information has become available.

4.1 Referrals by the type of concern

In the year ending 31 March 2025, of the 8,769 referrals to Prevent where the type of concern is specified, 56% (4,917) were for individuals with no identified ideology (type of concern categories: ‘no ideology – other susceptibility to radicalisation identified’ and ‘no ideology identified’), which accounted for the largest proportion of referrals. When examined separately, ‘no ideology identified’ accounted for 34% of referrals (3,009 of 8,769), with only 4% (132) adopted as a Channel case, while ‘no ideology – other susceptibility to radicalisation identified’ made up 22% of referrals (1,908 of 8,769), with 10% (198) adopted.

Referrals due to ‘Extreme Right-Wing’ (ERW) concerns (1,798; 21%) accounted for the second highest proportion, followed by referrals regarding ‘Islamist Extremism’ (IE) (870; 10%). Five per cent (469) of referrals were due to concerns regarding ‘Fascination with extreme violence or mass casualty attacks (where no other ideology)’. The ‘Fascination with extreme violence or mass casualty attacks’ category recorded a large increase in referrals in the latest quarter (January to March 2025), rising by 240% compared with the previous quarter (from 82 to 279). Other types of concern, such as ERW and IE, also saw increases of 61% and 14% respectively in the last quarter, though these were less pronounced than the rise observed in the ‘Fascination with extreme violence or mass casualty attacks’ category.

Referrals for ERW concerns for the year ending March 2025 increased by 37% compared to the previous year (up from 1,314 to 1,798 referrals). The number of IE referrals decreased by 5% (down from 913 to 870), despite the overall upward trend and increase in total referrals seen this year.

There were 424 referrals (5%) related to ‘multiple ideologies (with no dominant ideology)’ and 66 referrals (1%) linked to ‘InCel Extremism’. A further 175 referrals (2%) were recorded under ‘other’ types of concern. For a description of the categories included in ‘other’ see the user guide.

Figure 9: Prevent referrals by type of concern, year ending March 2025

Source: Home Office, Individuals referred to and supported through the Prevent Programme, England and Wales, April 2024 to March 2025, Table 6

A total of 1,464 referrals were adopted as a Channel case where the type of concern is specified. As in previous years, there were more adopted cases among referrals for concerns related to ERW (612; 42%) compared to referrals related to IE (226;15%). The proportion of adopted cases related to ERW concerns decreased compared with the previous year (from 45% to 42%). The proportion of adopted cases associated with IE showed a larger decline, falling from 23% to 15%.

Individuals with ‘Fascination with extreme violence or mass casualty attacks (where no other ideology)’ accounted for 9% (126) of referrals that were adopted as a Channel case, of which nearly three-quarters (73%) of these referrals came in during the last quarter of the year ending March 2025. There were 104 referrals adopted as a Channel case for individuals with a ‘multiple ideologies (with no dominant ideology)’ (7%), 21 for ‘InCel Extremism’ concerns (1%), 6 for ‘Left-Wing Extremism’ (less than 1%) and one for ‘Northern Ireland Related – Dissident Republican Extremism’ (less than 1%).

4.2 Proportions of adoption as a case by type of concern

Overall, the proportion of referrals discussed at a Channel panel that were subsequently adopted as a Channel case increased to 85% (1,472 of 1,727) in the year ending March 2025, up from 57% (512 of 893) in the previous year. This increase is primarily explained by a change in methodology (see user guide for further details).

Referrals with ERW concerns that were discussed at a Channel panel had the highest rate of adoption (34%; 612 of 1,798), followed by ‘InCel Extremism’ (32%; 21 of 66), ‘Left Wing Extremism’ (29%; 6 of 21), ‘Fascination with extreme violence or mass casualty attacks (where no other ideology)’ (27%; 126 of 469) and IE (26%; 226 of 870). The lowest adoption rate was for referrals with ‘Northern Ireland Related – Dissident Republican Extremism’ (6%; 1 of 16).

4.3 Type of concern by age

Where age was known, those aged between 11 to 15 accounted for the largest proportion of referrals in 7 of the 11 categories of the type of concern. Individuals aged 11 to 15 accounted for 35% (623 of 1,791) of ERW referrals and 23% of IE referrals (203 of 866) where age was specified. Despite only accounting for 23% of IE referrals, those aged 11 to 15 accounted for 34% of adopted cases with concerns related to IE. The 11 to 15 age group also accounted for 52% of referrals for ‘Fascination with extreme violence or mass casualty attacks (where no other ideology)’ referrals (243 of 469). Individuals aged between 18 and 21 accounted for the highest proportion of referrals for ‘InCel Extremism’ concerns (23%; 15 of 66) and ‘Left Wing Extremism’ concerns (29%; 6 of 21). Individuals aged between 31 to 40 accounted for the highest proportion of referrals with ‘Northern Ireland Related – Dissident Republican Extremism’ (25%; 4 of 16).

4.4 Type of concern by sex

Across all types of concern, males accounted for a higher proportion of referrals, cases discussed at a Channel panel, and cases adopted as a Channel case than females. Where sex was specified, all referrals for both ‘InCel Extremism’ (65) and ‘Anarchist Extremism’ (13) involved males. Referrals for ERW concerns were also predominantly male (92%; 1,609 of 1,749), compared with 82% (696 of 850) for IE concerns.

This section reports regional trends in referrals for individuals due to concerns regarding their susceptibility to radicalisation. Within this statistical collection, the North East also covers Yorkshire and the Humber.

In the year ending 31 March 2025, there were 142 referrals to Prevent per million population across England and Wales. This marks an increase on the average in year ending 31 March 2024 which was 116 referrals per million population. The region that received the highest number of referrals per million population was the West Midlands (176), whereas the South East accounted for the highest proportion of referrals made (16%; 1,397 of 8,778). The East region had the lowest number of referrals per million population (93), accounting for 7% of all referrals.

The region that had the highest number of referrals discussed at a Channel panel per million population was the North West (51; up from 26 last year). The North West was also the region that had the highest number of referrals adopted as a Channel case per million population (39; up from 13 last year). The North West region had the highest case adoption rate (23%; up from 10% last year), followed by Wales (18%; up from 9% last year). Case adoption rates refer to the proportion of referrals which go on to be adopted as a Channel case. The North West region had the highest case adoption rate (23%; up from 10% last year), followed by Wales (18%; up from 9% last year). The South East and South West regions had the lowest case adoption rates, each at 14%.

Please see table 7 of the accompanying data tables for more detailed breakdowns.

Table 1: Total number of referrals, those discussed at a Channel panel and adopted as a Channel case by Counter Terrorism Policing regions, year ending 31 March 2025

Region Prevent Referrals Prevent Referrals Discussed at a Channel panel Discussed at a Channel panel Adopted as a Channel Case Adopted as a Channel Case
Region Total Per million population Total Per million population Total Per million population
East 614 93.4 123 18.7 106 16.1
East Midlands 749 147.9 145 28.6 126 24.9
London 1,354 149.0 242 26.6 223 24.5
North East 1,312 155.6 211 25.0 191 22.6
North West 1,296 167.5 398 51.4 303 39.2
South East 1,397 144.9 240 24.9 197 20.4
South West 568 96.4 96 16.3 80 13.6
Wales 398 124.9 88 27.6 71 22.3
West Midlands 1,090 176.2 184 29.7 175 28.3
Total England and Wales 8,778 142.0 1,727 27.9 1,472 23.8

Source: Home Office, Individuals referred to and supported through the Prevent Programme, England and Wales, April 2024 to March 2025, Table 7; Office for National Statistics, Mid-Year Population Estimates, United Kingdom, June 2024

Notes:

  1. We have reviewed our processes and made the decision that mid-year population estimates are more appropriate for these calculations. Therefore, from 2024/25 and onwards, the rates will based on mid-year population estimates as opposed to 2021 census population estimates.

6. Consent analysis

The PCMT, launched in May 2024, introduced a systematic method for recording consent status data within the Prevent cohort. This section presents data from PCMT covering the period 1 April 2024 to 31 March 2025. As this is a new reporting feature within PCMT, data quality and completeness are expected to improve over time. Consequently, trends observed in the early years of reporting should be interpreted with caution, as improvements in data coverage and recording practices may affect comparability over time.

Figures in this section are based on the consent status of individuals that were adopted as a Channel case. Participation in the Channel programme is confidential and voluntary. Where consent is not secured, the case will be closed to Channel, and in some cases, where deemed appropriate, the police may take management of the case. For individuals who provide consent, a range of support may be offered to address identified susceptibilities - including educational, vocational, mental health, and other forms of support. Ideological mentoring is also a common intervention.

Consent status in this release is grouped into the following categories: ‘Adopted – consented’, ‘Adopted – no consent’, ‘Adopted – consent pending’, and ‘Adopted – unspecified’. The latter category refers to cases with no consent status recorded, representing 6% (89 of 1,472) of all adopted cases. For further information on the consent groupings and definitions, refer to the accompanying user guide.

Prevent Stages Q1, April to June Q2, July to September Q3, October to December Q4, January to March Total
Prevent Referral 1,809 1,749 1,933 3,287 8,778
Discussed at Channel panel 310 305 402 710 1,727
Adopted - consented 126 138 186 317 767
Adopted - no consent 129 124 145 218 616
Adopted - unspecified 10 8 17 54 89
Adopted - consent pending 0 0 0 0 0

Source: Home Office, Individuals referred to and supported through the Prevent Programme, England and Wales, April 2024 to March 2025, Table 1

Notes:

  1. Data extracted from the live PCMT on 29 September 2025. ‘Adopted – consent pending’ shows as zero due to the time lag between the reference period and the extraction date. The distribution of consent statuses may have differed if data had been extracted closer to the reference period.

In the year ending 31 March 2025, of the 8,778 referrals to Prevent, 1,727 cases were discussed at Channel panel of which 1,472 cases were adopted as Channel panel case. Among adopted Channel cases where consent status was specified, 55% (767 of 1,383) provided consent to receive Channel panel support, while 45% (616 of 1,383) did not.

Source: Home Office, Individuals referred to and supported through the Prevent Programme, England and Wales, April 2024 to March 2025, Table 4

In the year ending March 2025, among cases where consent status was recorded, the highest consent rate was observed in the 11 to 15 age group (71%; 374 of 526), followed by the 16 to 17 age group (59%; 152 of 256) and the 31 to 40 age group (50%; 53 of 107). In contrast, the highest proportions of ‘no consent’ were seen among those aged 41 to 50 (77%; 59 of 77), 61 and over (69%; 11 of 16), and 26 to 30 (64%; 56 of 88).

In the year ending March 2025, among cases where both consent status and sex were recorded, males were more likely to provide consent to receive Channel panel support than females (56%; 691 of 1,232 compared with 48%; 60 of 124). Individuals recorded as ‘other’ also had a relatively high consent rate (67%; 8 of 12), although this should be interpreted with caution due to the small number of cases. The ‘other’ category includes individuals recorded as non-binary, transgender, or where sex was recorded as ‘other’.

Source: Home Office, Individuals referred to and supported through the Prevent Programme, England and Wales, April 2024 to March 2025, Table 6

In the year ending March 2025, among cases where both consent status and type of concern were recorded, the highest consent rate was observed for ‘InCel Extremism’ (89%; 17 out of 19), followed by ‘Fascination with extreme violence’ (67%; 76 out of 113). Cases related to ‘Extreme Right-Wing’ concerns had a consent rate of 56% (316 out of 568), while those related to ‘Islamist Extremism’ had a consent rate of 44% (97 out of 218).

The highest ‘no consent’ rates (100%) were recorded for ‘Anarchist Extremism’ (2 out of 2) and ‘Northern Ireland Related – Dissident Republican Extremism’ (1 out of 1). These high proportions should be interpreted with caution, as they are based on small numbers of adopted cases and therefore are not directly comparable with other concern types with larger case volumes.

Refer to the user guide for the full list of ‘other’ type of concern categories.

In the year ending March 2025, among cases where consent status were recorded, the highest consent rate was observed for ‘education’ (65%; 312 out of 483) and ‘ friends and family’ (65%; 15 out of 23), followed by ‘local authority’ (64%; 99 out of 155), ‘health’ (50%; 66 out of 133), ‘police’ (49%; 223 out of 458), ‘HMPPS’ (48%; 24 out of 50), ‘community’ (41%; 7 out of 17) and ‘other’ (33%; 21 out of 43).

In the year ending March 2025, among cases where consent status was recorded, the highest consent rate was observed in Wales (77%; 53 out of 69), followed by the West Midlands (66%; 107 out of 162), South West (63%; 45 out of 72), and North East (61%; 107 out of 175). Other regions reported consent rates of 57% in the East Midlands (69 out of 122), 56% in the East (54 out of 96), 51% in the South East (97 out of 192), 48% in the North West (136 out of 282), and 46% in London (99 out of 213).

In the year ending March 2025, among cases where both consent status and ethnicity were recorded, the highest consent rate was observed among individuals of ‘Asian’ ethnicity (62%; 77 out of 125), followed by those of ‘White’ ethnicity (57%; 324 out of 573), ‘Black’ ethnicity (47%; 20 out of 43), and ‘other’ ethnicity (43%; 18 out of 42).

Around 43% (633 out of 1,472) of adopted Channel cases had missing ethnicity information, and approximately 6% (89 out of 1,472) had missing consent status data. Figures should therefore be interpreted with caution.

7. Further information

The user guide provides further details on this release, including the strengths and limitations of the data and the quality assurance processes involved in the production of this release. It also includes a glossary of terms used throughout this release.

7.1 Main changes and additions to the bulletin

New type of concern categories

This statistical publication introduces several new data categories for 2024/25, including an updated classification of concern types, and new sections on consent status, mental health and neurodiversity, and ethnicity.

Forthcoming publications are pre-announced on the statistics release calendar.

Previous releases of these statistics can be found on the Prevent Programme statistics collection page.

Police Scotland publish statistics on the number of individuals referred to Prevent in Scotland.

7.3 Feedback and enquiries

If you have any feedback or enquiries about this publication, please contact HSAI_Statistics@homeoffice.gov.uk

Home Office responsible statistician: Jodie Hargreaves

Press enquiries: 0300 123 3535

The ‘Individuals referred to and supported through the Prevent Programme’ release is an Official Statistics in development output produced to the highest professional standards and free from political interference. It has been produced by statisticians working in the Home Office Analysis and Insight Directorate in accordance with the Home Office’s ‘Statement of compliance with the Code of Practice for Official Statistics’ which covers our policy on revisions and other matters. The Chief Statistician, and the Head of Profession, report to the National Statistician with respect to all professional statistical matters and oversees all Home Office Official Statistics products with respect to the Code of Practice, being responsible for their timing, content and methodology.

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