Description
In the wake of the introduction of counter-radicalisation initiatives such as the Prevent Duty, a new cadre of local-level national security actors emerged: the ‘local security entrepreneur’. These are figures who were made responsible for the delivery of counter-radicalisation initiatives within their local area, or their organisation, often without a formal background in security or law enforcement. These individuals were required to develop a range of expertise relating to the signs of extremist behaviour or attitudes, the ways in which to effectively feed local ‘intelligence’ into national security frameworks, and how to effectively instil security policies within their area or workforce. In some instances, they became responsible for delivering training to others placed in these roles, and served as a vital conduit of information about how and why counter-radicalisation measures work.
This paper examines the local security entrepreneurs through semi-structured interviews with a range of frontline actors who took leading roles in delivering the Prevent Duty in Scotland. This paper shows how these figures adopted an entrepreneurial spirit in the ways in which they created social networks, teaching resources and narrative frameworks as they wrestled with their new responsibilities. In doing so, it examines how Prevent (and other national-level counter-radicalisation strategies) adapt, and are adapted, to the local, and how this can disharmonise security strategy in small but important ways. It concludes by reflecting on whether these local adaptations are necessary, and to what extent they affect counter-radicalisation at a national level.
