THE MAYOR of Greater Manchester has called for ‘new thinking’ on extremism after a new report was released.
The Commission Preventing Hateful Extremism and Promoting Social Cohesion was published yesterday by deputy mayor Bev Hughes.
It found there was no single cause which led individuals to become radicalised but that the increase in the number of individuals inciting hate and violence, and the more localised nature of the threat, means the police and security services are unable to monitor all those posing a risk.
Mr Burnham said: “In the aftermath of the horrific and evil attack on the Manchester Arena, people in Greater Manchester responded with a spirit of great defiance and solidarity. The deputy mayor and I commissioned this report to see how we might capture that spirit on an on-going basis, with a desire to make our communities permanently stronger and safer.
“The truth is that we live in polarised times when violent extremism is on the rise in all communities. As the Commission concludes, it is families, friends and neighbours who are most likely to be the first to witness changes towards more extreme behaviour that might lead to violence. This is not about encouraging people to spy on each other but creating a greater understanding of the signs that indicate where behaviour has crossed the line and then making it easier to report.
“Of course, the primary responsibility for tackling terrorism will always lie with the police and security services. They have our full support and they have done great work since the attack to bring those responsible to justice and reassure our communities. But there is more that we can all do to help them. The more we adopt a ‘whole-society’ approach to tackling extremism, the more effective it will be.
“I want to thank the commissioners and Councillor Rishi Shori for all their time and care in preparing this important report and opening up a new perspective in the nation’s debate about preventing violent extremism. Its conclusions deserve full consideration at a local and national level.”
In response to the report, deputy chief constable Ian Pilling said: “We welcome the Preventing Hateful Extremism and Social Cohesion Report published today.
“Greater Manchester Police has had a chance to contribute to this comprehensive piece of work and it is clear that substantial effort has been put into producing it.
“Along with our partner agencies, we have already started to work on some of the areas mentioned in the report including the creation of a Regional Multi Agency Centre for the North West. This is the second pilot outside London and will consider how information can be shared more widely across public partnerships to reduce the risk of people engaging in terrorism.
“Now the final report has been released, we will now consider it and work with other organisations on the recommendations.”
The full report can be found here: https://www.greatermanchester-ca.gov.uk/downloads/download/194/a_shared_future
