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The number of potential right-wing extremists in the North East is on the rise - and is the highest in the country.

There were 308 people in the region referred to the Government’s anti-extremism Prevent programme in 2018/19 because of concerns over right-wing radicalisation, accounting for almost a quarter of all right-wing referrals in England and Wales.

That number rose sharply from 249 the previous year, and a Safe Newcastle Board report this week warns that there is "growing concern of school-aged children becoming embroiled".

Home Office figures show that the total number of Prevent referrals nationally dropped by 22% to 5,738 in 2018/19, while the North East’s fell from 1,223 to 972.

But the largest proportion of those referrals for the North East, 320, were children aged under 15.

The Safe Newcastle Board was told on Thursday that a programme is being launched in which former members of far-right organisations will visit schools to discuss extremism with the region’s young people.

Prevent referrals for those at risk of Islamist extremism fell to their lowest level in the North East last year, 177, while a further 362 people were considered to be of mixed, unstable or unclear ideology.

A spokesperson for Counter Terrorism Policing North East said: "The North East region has demonstrated a consistently high level of Prevent referrals in recent years.

(Image: Newcastle Chronicle)

"These referrals reflect our commitment to safeguarding vulnerable individuals and the strength of regional partnership efforts to increase trust and confidence in the Prevent agenda.

"This investment is essential if we are to effectively protect those most at risk of radicalisation and prevent them from being drawn into terrorist activity.

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"Enforcement is not a stand-alone solution for disrupting terrorist attacks and protecting our communities from harm. Referrals to Prevent and Channel are vital if we are to get ahead of the threat and undermine the influence and reach of terrorist groups who prey on the vulnerable to further their objectives."

Newcastle City Council said that the rise in right-wing extremism here is "in line with the national picture" but that there are "several social factors that have led to the North East becoming the area with the highest proportion of right-wing referrals".

A spokesman added: "There is much work going on to prevent extremism and reform those who are entrapped by its ideologies, but radicalisation is as complex as any other form of exploitation and it is vital that all partners come together to address the rise in the number of people engaging in right-wing extremism that we are unfortunately seeing.

"We would advise members of the public to remain vigilant and if you have concerns somebody is being drawn into extremism, contact our Prevent Coordinator at prevent@newcastle.gov.uk."