Failed By Prevent - Leigh-on-Sea

Share this story!

Leigh On Sea News: Failed By Prevent – SIR David Amess’ murderer was dismissed from the Prevent anti-terror programme too quickly, a review into his case has found, with the head of Counter Terrorism Policing adding that the management of Ali Harbi Ali’s case “should have been better.”

Failed By Prevent - SIR David Amess’ murderer was dismissed from the Prevent anti-terror programme too quickly, a review into his case has found, with the head of Counter Terrorism Policing adding that the management of Ali Harbi Ali's case “should have been better.”

SIR David Amess’ murderer was dismissed from the Prevent anti-terror programme too quickly, a review into his case has found, with the head of Counter Terrorism Policing adding that the management of Ali Harbi Ali’s case “should have been better.”

Security Minister Dan Jarvis told the House of Commons that the report found “the rationale for certain decisions” in the monitoring of Ali was “not explicit”.

Ali murdered the Conservative MP for Southend West at a constituency surgery in Belfairs Methodist Church on 15 October 2021.

Ali was first referred to Prevent by his school, Riddlesdown college in south Croydon, London, after teachers noticed a change in his behaviour in 2014.

A month later he was moved on to the next stage of the anti-radicalisation scheme, Channel, but was exited from this in April 2015 after his terrorism risk was deemed to be low.

A 12-month post-exit police review in 2016 also found no terrorism concerns.

There were no further Prevent referrals in the five years between the case being closed and Sir David’s murder.

At Ali’s trial, the court heard how he had vowed to join the Islamic State group in Syria and wanted to take revenge against MPs who voted for airstrikes in the country.

The Prevent Learning Review, commissioned by the Home Office and Counter Terrorism Police, found that the “hope” of addressing Ali’s vulnerabilities was missed because of a “breakdown in communication”.

He said: “The assessment in terms of the perpetrator’s vulnerabilities was problematic, and this ultimately led to questionable decision making and sub-optimal handling of the case.

“Responsibilities between police and local authorities were blurred.

“The tool used for identifying an individual’s vulnerability to radicalism was outdated.”

Reacting to the review, head of Counter Terrorism Policing Matt Jukes said: “It is clear from the Prevent Learning Review where the management and handling of Ali Harbi Ali’s case in 2014 should have been better.

“Difficult decisions in steering people away from radicalisation continue to be made every day, and with almost 60,000 Prevent referrals in the last decade, we owe it to all those affected, including those making the decisions, to take every opportunity possible to improve the system.

“It is critical that we use reviews such as this to ensure the system works now, and in the future, so that other families are spared the pain felt by the loved ones of Sir David.”

Sir David’s wife Lady Julia Amess and daughter Katie Amess both welcomed the report’s publication, with both them and Anna Firth, Sir David’s political successor, urging the government to open a public inquiry into his death.

Lady Julia Amess commented that she had known of the findings of the report, but had been “gagged” from talking about them.

She said: “We are determined to keep up our fight for a public inquiry, which we believe the family and others deserve.”

Following Mr Jarvis’s statement, Anna Firth said his family and those of the Southport victims had been equally failed by Prevent, and suggested the inquiry could include other incidents, such as the three 2020 Reading murders by Khairi Saadallah and the two London Bridge killings by Usman Khan.

Mr Jarvis said the Home Office and families would need to discuss whether Sir David’s murder should be included in the Southport inquiry.

Separately, Sir David’s family have lodged a complaint regarding the protection afforded him by Essex Police at the constituency surgery on the day he died.

Picture: Sir David Amess.

about author

Editor