Preventing violent extremism
During the development of the borough’s new community plan, local residents talked about
their desire to see ‘One Tower Hamlets’ – a place where all
sections of our community can live and work together. This has
therefore become the overarching theme of all the activities
proposed in the plan.
As part of the Government’s Prevent agenda, which aims to
promote cohesive communities and tackle violent extremism, the
council has been allocated £1.3 million over the next three
years. With this funding the council aims to work with
local community groups and organisations under a strand of work
called PVE.
Six pilot projects ran during 2007/8 and new projects are now
starting.
What is PVE and what does it mean for Tower Hamlets?
PVE stands for Preventing Violent
Extremism. Tower Hamlets was a pilot for PVE work, running six
local projects to engage local community groups in discussions
relating to PVE and related training, events and activities during
2007 – 8.
During 2008, we asked local community groups
and voluntary organisations to put forward their proposals for the
next round of PVE work, which will run from 2008 – 2011.
We received over eighty applications bidding
for part of the £1.3m of funding that our borough received.
After a rigorous selection process, 28 new projects were selected
and these are now up and running in the borough.
The council and its partners aim to support
local organisations to deliver projects that make a real difference
at a very local level. It’s about reaching people, particularly
young people, who might otherwise be at risk of radicalisation or
extremism, and presenting them with alternative perspectives.
The projects range from engaging young people
through boxing and football to workshops, debates and training
sessions. They were identified to tackle the three tiers of
radicalisation – pre-radicalisation, self-identification and
indoctrination.
Each one also meets criteria identified by the
council, in partnership with the local police, and covers or links
key groups including women, young people and interfaith
working.
More information about the projects will
follow shortly.
The Police's Community Engagement Prevention Team
The Police's Community Engagement Prevention Team works closely
with Tower Hamlets Council to prevent violent extremism and support
community cohesion.
The Team works out of Limehouse Police Station and can be
contacted at any time with concerns, questions or comments.
The team are: Sergeant Dave Shipp, PC Ian Kershaw, PC Iain
Galloway and Community Engagement Worker Abdul Mannan.
Contact the team
Tel: 07827 882197 or or 020 72754513
Email: HTMailbox-PVE@met.pnn.police.uk
Council contacts
There are also council officers who lead on
PVE within the council. They are:
Frances Jones
Equality and Diversity Coordinator
Tel: 0207 364 4521
Email: frances.jones@towerhamlets.gov.uk.
Forida Khanom
Scrutiny and Equalities
Tel: 0207 364 3090
The Lead Member for PVE work is Councillor
Abdal Ullah. He can be contacted on 020 7364 4988 or by
emailing: cllr.abdal.ullah@towerhamlets.gov.uk.