Almost 4,000 people were referred to the government’s counter-terrorism scheme last year – nearly triple the figure in the previous year, and an average of 11 people a day, The Guardian reports.
The rise in referrals followed moves by the government that placed prisons, NHS Trusts and schools under a new statutory duty to tackle “extremist radicalisation.”
Children aged nine and under were among the 3,955 people reported to the Channel programme in 2015, up from 1,681 in 2014, official figures show.
The figures, published by the National Police Chief Council under the Freedom of Information Act, are the first since local authorities, prisons, NHS Trusts and schools were made to prevent radicalisation taking place within their walls in June last year.
The big rise in referrals suggests that public bodies have become increasingly vigilant in alerting the authorities to individuals believed to be at risk of extremism, with the average of 11 referrals each day across the year.
People identified as at risk of being drawn into terrorism are assessed and about a fifth of these are required to attend deradicalisation sessions.
In the West Midlands, the only region for which detailed data was provided, 788 people were referred to Channel last year. Of these, 68 were children aged nine or under, 183 were 10-14 and 235 were aged 15-19.
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Of the West Midlands referrals, 354 were made by a school or educational establishment, the figures show. There were 293 people identified as Muslim among the 788 individuals referred in the region.
A four-year-old child is the youngest person reported to Channel. However, police said this was a one-off when an entire family was referred for “operational reasons”.
Under the new counter-terrorism law, the seventh in Britain since 9/11, local councils are required to make checks on the use of their public buildings, internet filters, after-school clubs and tuition centres to support home education.
In prisons, governors are expected to consider cell-sharing risk assessments and initial reception and induction interviews.
Guidance published by the Home Office says schools are under a new duty to protect pupils by safeguarding them from the risk of being drawn into terrorism, which includes non-violent extremism.
