Recommendation SP32: Prevent training on online activity assessment
From The Southport Inquiry Report: Phase 1, published 13 April 2026.
Recommendation
While training for Counter Terrorism Policing, staff involved in Prevent currently cover the importance of understanding a referred individual’s online activity and the practical steps required to assess it, the Home Office and Counter Terrorism Policing Headquarters should review and strengthen this training to ensure that officers fully understand both the importance of investigating online activity and that where online behaviour is a factor in a referral, cases should not ordinarily be closed until proportionate steps have been taken to access and assess the individual’s online activity. Counter Terrorism Policing Headquarters should ensure that this remains a consistent priority across all regions. Counter Terrorism Policing North West should review its own processes in this regard.
In brief (written by this site)
In July 2026, HM Government stated that the Home Office and Counter Terrorism Policing were reviewing mandatory Prevent training programmes to ensure they properly cover the assessment of online activity (Home Office response, Jul 2026). It noted that policy development, linked officer training, and a review of the Prevent Assessment Framework were underway, with training completion anticipated in autumn 2026 (Home Office response, Jul 2026). The record holds no update since the government's response of July 2026 (Home Office response, Jul 2026).
Sources
AI-generated summary of the record on this page, checked by a second model and automatic checks, 26 Sep 2026. The record below is the sources' own words.
Government response
The Home Office and Counter Terrorism Policing (CTP) are working together to deliver this recommendation. Progress to date:
- CTP are quality assuring and reviewing existing CTP mandatory training programmes that relate to Prevent delivery to ensure they correctly reflect the importance of understanding the online activity of those referred, its relevance to Prevent, and the practical steps for assessment.
- CTP are working at pace on a number of actions related to online activity. This includes (subject to legal approvals) providing enhanced direction for online checks, policy development and linked training for Prevent Officers, with anticipated completion autumn 2026. Further updates on the progression of this work will be provided to the Inquiry as it develops.
- The Prevent Assessment Framework (PAF), captures and considers online activity to determine someone's suitability for Prevent. This assessment tool is currently under review and will include strengthened assurances for capturing and assessing the risks of a person's online activity.
Blanket government agreement does not establish acceptance or delivery by each addressee. Some response passages cover groups of recommendations.
Scope of the government response
The government's response to Phase 1 (CP 1623, 2 July 2026) agreed with all 67 recommendations in one sentence, and names only 39 of them individually. Where a recommendation is not named, the response shown is the passage the response gives for the group it belongs to (the recommendations for organisations outside central government, or the recommendations to policing bodies), which is not a response to that recommendation alone; the response does not list the members of any group. The 10 recommendations for Phase 2 of the Inquiry to consider show no response: the response introduces them (paragraph 20) but answers none of them. The government accepts the recommendations that are for central government to deliver. Where a recommendation is for an organisation outside central government, the government's agreement is not that organisation's acceptance.
Delivery
No statement on delivery from Home Office has been found in the sources searched (last checked 2 July 2026). This is separate from the response above.
Responsible bodies
Themes and tags
Who has spoken
- Home Office
Response