In accordance with section 1 (1) (a) of the Act our response is
provided below;
We have now considered your request and we are not obliged to
provide the information you have requested.
Section 17 of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 requires the
Cheshire Constabulary, when refusing to provide such information
(because the information is exempt) to provide you with a notice
which a) states that fact, b) specifies the exemption in question
and c) states (if that would not otherwise be apparent) why the
exemption applies.
In this case the following exemptions apply:
Section 24(1) - National Security
Section 31(1) - Law enforcement
Evidence of harm
The publication of specific Channel data would provide
information to those who seek to challenge the process, which would
not be in the public interest. Allegations of 'spying in the
community' and 'targeting Muslims' misrepresent and undermine the
intention of Channel and ultimately the Prevent programme, which
seeks to support those individuals vulnerable to being drawn into
violent extremism. Figures on the ethnicity or age of participants,
when compiled, may fuel perceived grievances such as the view that
young Muslims are being targeted or that the issue of political
extremists (e.g. the far-right) are not being tackled. Revealing
detailed and specific statistics could lead to the identification
of:
- individuals who have been referred;
- those who may have referred individuals to Channel in
confidence;
- local organisations who are working with us to protect and
safeguard those at risk; and
- ongoing cases which could lead to the withdrawal of individuals
from the process and thus threaten the successful conclusion of a
case.
This would bring the process into disrepute, destroy trust and
damage Prevent at a National level.
Public Interest considerations favouring disclosure for
Section 24
Revealing statistical information would enable the public to
have some reassurance that the Governments Counter Terrorism
strategy is robust. This is an issue high on the public agenda and
therefore the release of this information would contribute to an
informed public debate.
Public Interest considerations favouring non-disclosure
for Section 24
Revealing detailed statistics may increase interest in cases
which could ultimately lead to the identity of individuals and the
organisations we work with, which may assist others intending to
counter such work. Identification of those working locally to
deliver the aims and objectives of Channel could enable those
wishing to counter such work to engage in activity to disrupt and
jeopardise the successful delivery of ongoing work. This could
threaten the successful delivery of Channel and the government's
counter terrorism strategy and lead to the public being at
increased risk from terrorism. There is also a potential for such
data to be used to increase community tensions in an area which
would not be in the public interest.
Public Interest considerations favouring disclosure for
Section 31
Publicity over the number of referrals and organisations
involved in the Channel project would enable local communities to
be aware of a range of contacts and have confidence they were
delivering services to those within the community. Anything that
allows the public to feel reassured about the work of the
government and partner agencies, will lead to an effective
challenge to those that seek to damage the communities in and
around the UK would be in the public interest to disclose.
Public Interest considerations favouring non-disclosure
for Section 31
Local communities working in partnership with their local
authorities, police, educational institutions and others are at the
heart of stopping people becoming or supporting violent extremists.
The release of any detailed information that might prevent this
from succeeding will damage the process; the credibility of those
delivering; put individuals at risk and prevent the police from
achieving their goal of delivering against all forms of law
enforcement and crime prevention. The aim of Channel and Prevent in
general is to allow any individual and group in the local community
to work in partnership with the police and other agencies in order
to support other community members who may be vulnerable to being
drawn into violent extremism. Those who work to achieve this will
always face a risk of a backlash and disclosure of organizations,
coupled with the release of statistics that could potentially
identify individuals and would put them at considerable risk of
harm. If this were to happen, then this could seriously damage the
confidence of the community in the police and other agencies to
deliver the Channel project which would not be in the public
interest.
Balance Test
The security of the country is of paramount importance and the
Police service will not divulge information if to do so would place
the safety of an individual at risk or undermine National Security.
The Channel Project and the Prevent program support individuals
that are vulnerable to being drawn into violent extremism, and
therefore provide a valuable counter-terrorism resource
Therefore, in all the circumstances of the case, the public
interest in maintaining the exemptions outweigh the public interest
in disclosing the information.
Although the actual answers to the questions 1-4 have been
exempted as above, Prevent at a national level have provided the
following information that we can give which you may find
useful
The following data on Channel covers the period April 2007 -
December 2008:
- 228 referrals were made to the Channel Project
- the known age range of those referred to Channel as potentially
vulnerable to violent extremism and in need of multi-agency support
was 7-50 years.
- the majority of referrals were aged between 15-24 years;
- of those referred to Channel as potentially vulnerable to
violent extremism and in need of multi-agency support 93% were
male.
The below link provides more information from recent
parliamentary questions:
Publication Parliament
The referral process can apply to any individual who may be
vulnerable to violent extremism. It is about supporting vulnerable
individuals to avoid them from being drawn into criminal behaviour.
It can be used to protect individuals of any faith, ethnicity or
background from being drawn into any type of violent extremism,
including far right. It is about behaviour of concern and can apply
to any threat or violent extremist group. Support mechanisms will
be developed appropriate to each case.
There is no single profile of a violent extremist. There are a
range of factors and vulnerabilities that may facilitate the
process of radicalisation. In delivering the Prevent Strategy an
Updated Guide for Local Partners (see below link) includes a
description of the factors that might leave a person more
susceptible to exploitation by violent extremists.
Local Partners Updated Guide
Local partners work together and using their professional
judgement assess an individual's vulnerability to being drawn in to
violent extremism.
Other web links that maybe useful are below: