A counter-terrorism expert who advised ministers on prison extremism has called for failing to co-operate with the Government’s Prevent deradicalistion programme to be made a criminal offence.
Ian Acheson, a former prison governor who advised the Justice Secretary on controlling extremists behind bars, said the scheme had developed a “parish hall mentality” and become “blunted by layers of bureaucracy”.
He said another flaw was a misplaced attempt to equate the far-Right threat with the much greater danger posed by Islamists — saying “the body count doesn’t lie” — and a similarly flawed focus on “safeguarding” those referred to the scheme.
