“EXTREME right-wing concerns” topped referrals to Scotland’s anti-terror scheme last year, police figures have revealed.
On Thursday, Police Scotland published annual statistics on the number and demographic breakdown of people in Scotland referred to the Prevent programme who have been assessed as “susceptible to radicalisation”.
Overall, there were 162 referrals to Prevent in Scotland between April 1 2024 and March 31 2025. Of those, 94 people (58%) were identified as needing support and referred for Prevent Case Management (PCM).
A total of 63 people (39%) were found to be unsuitable for this, and of those, 50 (31%) were found to need “no further action”, while 13 people (8%) were referred onwards.
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Of initial referrals, 62 people (38%) were reported to the programme for “extreme right-wing concerns”.
Police Scotland said this concern “had not preceded other categories” since 2020/21, when the figure sat at 45%.
Of those who were referred for PCM, 45 people (48%) were for “extreme right-wing concerns”.
The force said that this was because the “Mixed, Unstable or Unclear (MUU) category” had been removed from the statistical analysis, and that it had previously topped the list above right-wing concerns.
The second most common referral type was “no ideology", which accounted for 26 people (16%).
The figures also revealed that men made up the majority of referrals, totalling 144 (89%), and that police and the education sector were the two authorities most likely to refer people to the anti-terror scheme.
Education officials in Scotland referred 61 people to Prevent – 46 from secondary schools, six from primary schools, five from colleges and further education establishments, and four from universities.
Local authorities referred 15 people (9%), including 11 from social work services and four from councils. The figures added that no referrals were submitted by a family member and that the last time this occurred was in 2023/24, when three people were reported to the programme.
It also revealed that young people are most likely to be referred.
“Of the 162 Prevent referrals, the largest proportion was for individuals aged 15-20 (65; 40%) based on their age at the time of referral,” the Police Scotland report read.
“This continues the trend that has been evidenced since 2021/22, where this age group continues to have the highest number of referrals to Prevent.”
Those in the 15-20 age group also accounted for “the largest proportion of referrals in six out of eight types of concern”.
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The report explained: “Individuals aged 15-20 accounted for 40% (25 out of 62) of extreme right-wing referrals; 60% (three out of five) Incel extremism; 39% (nine out of 23) Islamist extremism; 63% (five out of eight) multiple ideologies (with no dominant ideology); 100% (one) NIRT – Unionist/Loyalist extremism and 38% (10 out of 26) no ideology – other susceptibility to radicalisation identified.”
The report also broke the number of referrals down into quarters over the year 2024/25, with the volume "significantly increasing” in the last three months.
It suggested that this was due to the sentencing of Axel Muganwa Rudakubana, the perpetrator of the Southport attack where three young girls were killed, in July 2024.
“Media reporting that followed this incident may have led to an increased awareness of Prevent and therefore its potential as an early intervention and safeguarding tool,” it adds.
“Following the sentencing of Rudakubana, the volume of referrals to Prevent greatly increased in February 2025 (22 referrals) and March (29).”
Rudakubana was referred to Prevent three times, but his case was closed due to a lack of distinct ideology.
Bebe King, Elsie Dot Stancombe, and Alice da Silva Aguiar, were killed by Rudakubana at a children's dance class.
The report adds that all referrals are “confidential and do not result in a criminal record or any form of sanction”.
It comes after UK-wide figures showed there have been a record number of referrals to Prevent in a year since data began in 2015.
There were 8778 referrals of individuals to the anti-extremism scheme in 2024/25 – up 27% from 6922 in the previous year, according to Home Office data.
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