A report published yesterday revealed that, in the aftermath of the 7/7 terror attacks the focus on 'hard' policing approaches - such as surveillance, and stop and search, at the expense of developing positive community relations could contribute towards violent extremism. The findings of the report were disseminated in full at a Parliamentary seminar which took place yesterday (Wednesday 13 May 2009).
The report, funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) and the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC), focused on preventing terrorism by examining the effectiveness of developing community partnerships in post 7/7 UK.
The research by the University of Birmingham’s Dr Basia Spalek and Dr Salwa el-Awa looked at the effective use of partnership work with Muslim groups, including those deemed as 'radicals', in so called ‘soft’ policing methods. The report also found that the increased trust and access to community-based expertise is helping to prevent extremist propaganda and acts of violence.
The project was led by criminal justice expert Dr Basia Spalek. She says, “We conducted in-depth interviews with 29 influential members of the Muslim community and 13 high-ranking police officers who are actively engaged in counter-terrorism strategy - including members of the specialist Muslim Contact Unit (MCU).”
Dr Spalek continues, “The targeted interviews and an analysis of strategies for preventing terrorism, have found that an understanding of community perspectives and experiences, including a better understanding of faith is critical for the long-term success of anti-terrorism policing.”
Through their interviews, Dr Spalek's team also found significant evidence that the understanding of the role that women and young people can play in countering violent extremism is apparently underdeveloped. Dr Spalek says, “Specialist police units with specific remits to build links in this area - such as the MCU - can be vital for focussing skills, experience and tactical resources. Some participants in this study also noted that police should be free to engage with whoever can bring effective results - including groups and individuals deemed to be radical.”
The research findings were disseminated in full at the Parliamentary seminar hosted by Phil Willis MP. Confirmed delegates included MPs and Parliamentarians, representatives from Police, as well as think tanks, community and religious groups and academic experts.
Mr Zaheer Ahmad, President of the National Association of Muslim Police concludes, "This research is invaluable, it ensures that we have an independent review of police strategy in counter terrorism and the impact it has on our communities and in particular the Muslim community.”
The summary report and full project report can both be downloaded here-
Youth Project Summary (91kb)
Summary Report (816kb)
Full Project Report (656kb)
Ends
Notes to the editor
Media contact: Emi Spinner, AHRC Communications Officer, e.spinner@ahrc.ac.uk. Tel: 0117 9876 770 mob: 07968 480 336
Dr Basia Spalek is a Senior Lecturer in Criminology and Criminal Justice in the Institute of Applied Social Studies at the University of Birmingham. Her research interests include looking at questions of diversity and difference in relation to criminal justice contexts; victimisation; Muslim communities, crime and criminal justice; and community-based approaches to counter-terrorism. Recent publications include: B.Spalek (2008) Ethnicity and Crime: a reader Open University Press; B.Spalek (2008) Communities, Identities and Crime Policy Press and B.Spalek (2006) Crime Victims: theory, policy and practice Palgrave. Basia is the Principal Investigator of another research project funded by the AHRC and ESRC Religion & Society programme, beginning in June 2009, entitled, Partnership between Police and Muslim Communities in the Prevention of Violent Extremism amongst Muslim Youth. Basia and her research team are currently writing a book which is to be published in 2010.
The AHRC/ESRC Religion and Society research programme supports a wide range of projects, including the one to be discussed on 13/05 entitled 'An Examination of Partnership Approaches to Challenging Religiously-Endorsed Violence involving Muslim Groups and Police.' This 12 month project was completed in October 2008, led by Dr Basia Spalek from Birmingham University at a cost of just under £80k.
AHRC and ESRC 'Religion and Society Research Programme': The Religion and Society Research Programme is a collaborative programme between the AHRC and the ESRC. It aims to stimulate work across the arts and humanities and social sciences communities, concerning questions of belief, human culture, society and religion. This is the first UK research programme to foster collaborative endeavours across this wide range of disciplines in order to understand the interrelationships between religion and society. It aims to support projects of the highest quality and international significance. The programme will operate for approximately five and a half years with an initial budget of £8.3m plus a further £4m for the Religion and Society Youth Call.
Arts & Humanities Research Council: Each year the AHRC provides approximately £102 million from the Government to support research and postgraduate study in the arts and humanities, from languages and law, archaeology and English literature to design and creative and performing arts. In any one year, the AHRC makes approximately 700 research awards and around 1,350 postgraduate awards. Awards are made after a rigorous peer review process, to ensure that only applications of the highest quality are funded. Arts and humanities researchers constitute over a quarter of all research-active staff in the higher education sector. The quality and range of research supported by this investment of public funds not only provides social and cultural benefits but also contributes to the economic success of the UK. www.ahrc.ac.uk