A NEW officer has been appointed in Bradford to look out for and raise awareness around radicalisation.

Mohamad Shokat has been appointed as the Prevent Officer for Bradford, as part of the government’s Prevent Strategy to tackle young people potentially becoming radicalised.

Mr Shokat will work in the community and with young people, identifying concerns and liaising with departments, local government, and other bodies involved with de-radicalisation.

Mr Shokat has been able to take up his role after the Karmand Community Centre in Barkerend Road securing funding from the government in partnership with the West Bowling Centre.

Rashid Ahmed, centre manager at Karmand, said he is proud to have Mr Shokat on his team.

He said: “Mr Shokat is a long standing worker who has a great number of years of service in community work and links in the local community.

“This is an exciting time for the centre and the local community and we are sure Mr Shokat’s dedication and hard work will help tackle challenging situations from being developed.

“He will be working with young people, making sure they are not being taught things they should not be being taught, and educating them on the dangers of radicalisation.

“He will be working with the community, raising the issues they have, while working with young people to detect if any views are extreme.

“Personally, as a centre we have not come across any cases of extreme views or people being radicalised in Bradford, but that does not mean there no problems or people who could be radicalised, and that’s what Mr Shokat will be looking out for in his role.

“His job is more about prevention than trying to rescue people who have been radicalised.”

Following the Westminster terror attack in March, a refresh of the Prevent Strategy is expected in the coming months.

It is expected to include a major expansion of the anti-radicalisation programme, and an effort to improve its reputation among Muslim communities.

It was released in 2011 as part of UK’s over-arching Contest counter-terrorism strategy, and has three distinct themes.

They are to challenge the ideologies that support terrorism and those who promote it, protecting vulnerable people from the process of radicalisation and intervene if people are being drawn in to extremist behaviour or beliefs, and to

support sectors and institutions where there are risks of radicalisation, including in schools, charities, and places of worship.

To discuss the Prevent strategy’s aims in Bradford or to seek the assistance of Mr Shokat, contact him at the Karmand Community Centre on 01274 669593.