The Local Prevention of Terrorism: Strategy and Practice in the Fight Against Terrorism PDF
Preview The Local Prevention of Terrorism: Strategy and Practice in the Fight Against Terrorism
The Local Prevention of Terrorism The Local Prevention of Terrorism Strategy and Practice in the Fight Against Terrorism Joshua J. Skoczylis Lecturer in Criminology, University of Lincoln, UK © Joshua J. Skoczylis 2015 Foreword © Clive Walker 2015 S oftcover reprint of the hardcover 1st edition 2015 978-1-137-49900-4 All rights reserved. No reproduction, copy or transmission of this publication may be made without written permission. No portion of this publication may be reproduced, copied or transmitted save with written permission or in accordance with the provisions of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, or under the terms of any licence permitting limited copying issued by the Copyright Licensing Agency, Saffron House, 6–10 Kirby Street, London EC1N 8TS. Any person who does any unauthorized act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages. The author has asserted his right to be identified as the author of this work in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. First published 2015 by PALGRAVE MACMILLAN Palgrave Macmillan in the UK is an imprint of Macmillan Publishers Limited, registered in England, company number 785998, of Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire RG21 6XS. Palgrave Macmillan in the US is a division of St Martin’s Press LLC, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10010. Palgrave Macmillan is the global academic imprint of the above companies and has companies and representatives throughout the world. Palgrave® and Macmillan® are registered trademarks in the United States, the United Kingdom, Europe and other countries. ISBN 978-1-349-57640-1 ISBN 978-1-137-49901-1 (eBook) DOI 10.1057/9781137499011 This book is printed on paper suitable for recycling and made from fully managed and sustained forest sources. Logging, pulping and manufacturing processes are expected to conform to the environmental regulations of the country of origin. A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Skoczylis, Joshua J., 1982– The local prevention of terrorism : strategy and practice in the fight against terrorism / Joshua J. Skoczylis, Lecturer in Criminology,University of Lincoln, UK. pages cm Includes bibliographical references. 1. Terrorism – Prevention. I. Title. HV6431.S55626 2015 363.325917—dc23 2015018314 Contents List of Illustrations vi Forewordd vii Clive Walker Acknowledgements x List of Abbreviations xi 1 Introduction 1 2 Concepts and Tensions Affecting Prevent 12 3 Is CONTEST Innovative? Counter-Terrorism and Prevent 45 4 The National Implementation of Prevent 74 5 Prevent and Its Local Professional Deliveryy 112 6 Local Communities and Prevent 153 7 Conclusion 182 Appendix 201 Bibliographyy 204 Index 233 v List of Illustrations Figures 2.1 Reshaping and framing terrorism and extremism 18 5.1 Prevent: organisational structure in Maybury between 2007 and 2011 115 Tables 5.1 Maybury’s revised Prevent objectives 120 5.2 Purposes of Prevent-funded programmes in Maybury between 2007 and 2011 127 6.1 Local newspaper circulation: on- and offline access 156 vi Foreword The genesis of the United Kingdom Government’s flagship strategy, Countering International Terrorism (CONTEST), reflected considerable official reticence. Only after the bombings of the London transport system on 7 July 2005 did a sufficiently strong official resolve emerge to confront terrorism with explicit determination to rally the open engage- ment of the public. Neither of these avenues of response had been much in evidence during the previous 30-year conflict of the Northern Ireland Troubles, when the abiding approaches became technical securi- tisation and political Ulsterisation. However, once the phenomenon of ‘neighbour terrorism’ – terrorism by one’s erstwhile neighbour – became palpable, the modal stance of closing off counter-terrorism as an enter- prise for shadowy official organisations working clandestinely could no longer be sensibly maintained as the only option. At that point, it became necessary to unveil the full glory of CONTEST, including the Prevent measures to stop people becoming terrorists or supporting violent extremism. But even after 7/7, the Government did not highlight the changes afoot. Instead, much more prominent was the statement of Prime Minister Tony Blair in August 2006 about how ‘the rules of the game are changing’. He was referring here not to Prevent but to other aspects of the counter-terrorism panoply, such as the criminal law, criminal procedure, and the growing weaponisation introduced by the immi- gration and nationality law. Those issues have involved important changes since 2005 (and Prevent has continued to evolve since then). By contrast, Prevent was not for some time the subject of any legislation, and has never attracted anywhere near as much financing as the more traditional areas of Pursue, Prepare and Protect. Yet it is Prevent which is far the most radical aspect of CONTEST, and it has remained so since its public inauguration in 2006. There are several reasons for the persistent controversy surrounding Prevent, whose notoriety belies its secondary status. The reasons include the lack of clarity as to its scope and objectives. Thus, there is endemic vagueness in the adopted basic general terminology – the terms ‘extremism’, ‘radicalisation’, and ‘Britishness’ remain open-textured – and even the basis for engagement and intervention in individual situations often leaves much room for official discretion – a discretion vii viii Foreword that has been highlighted in some prominent cases, such as the failure to engage with Michael Adebolajo, one of the killers of Lee Rigby at Woolwich in 2013. The monitoring of the achievements of Prevent is also lacking in transparency, so all that is made available tends to be political assertions rather than scientific measurement. The very design of Prevent also carries the potential for skewing relations between offi- cialdom (including the police) and the minority communities which are viewed as being at risk of terrorism (especially Muslim-heritage commu- nities). These effects can arise by support being given to selected strands of opinion or leadership, including former extremists and conservative religious scholars, or by the labelling of individuals as being current ‘extremists’ or at risk of becoming so. There is also the potential for collective alienation if the appearance is given that Prevent demands constant infiltration and surveillance from above rather than empow- erment and partnership from below. Some of these contentious issues were addressed by the Home Office’s Prevent Strategy Revieww in 2011. That exercise clarified some aspects of the scope and objectives of Prevent. However, it equally left many problems unaddressed. The government had to return to some of them by promoting the first ever legislation on the subject, the Counter-Terrorism and Security Act 2015. While this is the first act that has had the potential to apply rule of law standards to a vague and potentially threatening area of discretionary security policy, it has done so in a half-hearted way, with much emphasis on vague guidance about the roles of selective officialdom. These continuing travails of Prevent seem to be never far from the head- lines. Whether because of the involvement of extremists in Birmingham schools or the alarming flow (and backflow) of volunteers to the Islamist groups in Syria, Prevent has never been more prescient or more contro- versial than now. It sparks vehement opponents, who complain of net widening, discriminatory labelling, and even the creation of ‘suspect communities’. There are equally strong supporters, ranging from promi- nent politicians across a broad spectrum to anguished parents, all of whom see the need for political engagement with extreme violence and the wisdom of reacting to children and young people who have made life-changing choices (or are on the path towards doing so) in terms which adopt social or regulatory modes of risk management instead of the traditional criminal justice modes of heavy sanction. In the light of these conflicting narratives, this book could not have arrived at a more opportune moment. By engaging with this extremely important area of public policy, Dr Skoczylis offers original and well- researched insights into the policy formation of Prevent, its key terms, Foreword ix and its working practices. The author presents a book which builds upon his Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC)-funded research while at the University of Leeds, which ranged effectively in its scholarly review of academic literature and policy documentation and which also involved the conduct of important fieldwork research which he pursued doggedly and thoroughly. The result is an important and highly inform- ative book. In respect of the policy analysis of Prevent, Dr Skoczylis ventures further than previously published books, since he offers a deep engagement with policy in a counter-terrorism context and is able to explain, analyse and assess the significant phases of development of Prevent including its 2011 revisions. Furthermore, his deep research over several years includes comparisons with other British counter-terrorism campaigns, such as those in Malaya and Northern Ireland. Reflection along those lines helps to elucidate the extent to which Prevent is in fact innovative. In respect of the study of the policy’s implementation both nationally and in a sample location, originality is secured for the book by substantial fieldwork. The result is an in-depth understanding of impact at both a national level and also in a selected location through qualitative fieldwork, including an assessment of legitimacy and trust felt by affected communities which shows greater complexity and deeper understanding than the usual, and rather shallow, ‘suspect community’ perspective. From these clear methods and findings, the book arrives at a number of innovative conclusions and recommendations. Having worked with Dr Skoczylis during his time at Leeds, I was delighted to be asked to write the Foreword to this book. It has been rewarding to me to have been so closely involved in the production of an original and important addition to the literature of counter-ter- rorism. Just as I have learnt much from the author’s research, so am I sure that this book will be of great value to stakeholders, students and the general public. Clive Walker Professor Emeritus, School of Law, University of Leeds, UK
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