12-02-2025
Basic failings and missed chances to stop killer of Sir David Amess becoming a terrorist
Two notorious killers, two missed opportunities to stop them on their paths to murder.
Ali Harbi Ali's teachers recognised the potential danger he posed 10 years before he stabbed to death Sir David Amess.
So, too, did the initial assessors on the government's anti-radicalisation Prevent programme because they escalated him to the second stage.
Unlike the Southport killer Axel Rudakubana, who was referred to Prevent three times but never got beyond first base, Ali did get enhanced monitoring, aimed at stopping him becoming a terrorist.
But for reasons the review does not explain in any detail, Ali was still dismissed from the programme too early.
There are several damning assessments of what went wrong, including the revelation that there was little documentation of the various interactions with Ali.
Even when an engagement was noted down, it demonstrated a real lack of exploration of his problems: "AA is a Ribblesdown school pupil whose school performance has rapidly declined. This has given rise to fears of radicalisation. However, the main problem seems to be home life [due to family issues]."
And this: "The failure to keep in contact with the regional referrer meant that the opportunities to assess whether or not any progress had been made was missed."
Such basic stuff.
No wonder Sir David's relatives, like the families of the Southport victims, are so desperate for a fuller investigation of the Prevent mistakes.
At least in both cases the reviews, as far as they go, have been published.
But not to publish would have fuelled more accusations of a government cover-up of its programme's failings.
The review chronicles events from Ali's inadequate Prevent engagements from 10 years ago and there have been many criticisms and changes to the programme since then.
But the review still points out some things that many will find hard to believe: "There is no single referral process across the country. Whilst a National Prevention Referral Form exists, the take-up is not consistent.
