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Neo-Nazis and right wing fascists are more likely to be referred to a Home Office counter extremism programme than would-be jihadists in North Wales.

Most referrals to Prevent were of “extreme right wing” individuals, it has been revealed.

Since April last year 46 people have been referred to the programme, with two-thirds of those of that total espousing right wing views.

Of the rest, a fifth were described as anarchists, with just one in 10 holding extreme religious views, which includes Islamic fundamentalists.

Five per cent (one in 20) of those referred had mental health issues.

(Image: North Wales Police)

The figures were revealed by Superintendent Jane Banham to a meeting of the North Wales Police and Crime Panel in Conwy.

Last year the Daily Post heard claims that Mold Tesco machete attacker Zack Davies had been contacted by the government’s Prevent team.

The allegations were made by well-placed sources within National Action, UK-based far-right group of which Davies had been linked to and whose literature was found in his house.

Davies was jailed for life in 2015 after he launched a brutal machete attack on an Asian dentist, Dr Sarandev Bhambra.

(Image: Julian Hamilton/Daily Mirror)

When Davies, of Chester Street Mold, was jailed, his victim said he believed that if it had been a case of an Asian man attacking a white victim, the charge would have been one of terrorism, not “racially motivated attempted murder”.

The Home Office - which runs the Prevent strategy - said at the time that could not comment on an individual case.

Supt Banham told the crime panel that between eight to 10 people were known to Prevent officials at any one time in North Wales.

But 90 per cent of those cases “were resolved very early on”.

This year there were four referrals in July; two from Anglesey, one in Denbighshire and one in Wrexham.

All those referred were young men aged between 14 and the late 20s.

The Denbighshire example was a man with extreme right wing views who had made threats to blow up a local mosque.

Supt Banham defended the anti-radicalisation programme against critics who describe it as intrusive.

She said: “It’s not about spying, this is about safeguarding vulnerable people who can be easily influenced and could be potentially dangerous.”

There was involvement from the health service, teachers, probation, local authorities and other agencies.