51 hate-filled extremists freed back into society in just a year

DOZENS of terrorists were released back on to Britain’s streets in the past year.

Home Office figures have revealed that 51 extremists were released from prison in the 12 months up to March.

The report stated: “Of the 51 released from custody, 16 had received sentences of less than four years and 29 had sentences of four years or more.

“One was released following an indeterminate sentence for public protection and a further five had not been sentenced.”

It also revealed the scale of the problem.

As of June 30 this year, there were 218 people in custody for terrorism-related offences in the UK.

Of those, 78 per cent were classified as having Islamic

extremist views. But the Government has previously admitted there are too many Jihadis “of interest” to the security services in the UK for the authorities to consistently monitor them all.

Ex-security Minister Ben Wallace confirmed in 2017 the figure was around 23,000 and that counter-terror teams had to prioritise targets.

Nazir Afzal, a former chief crown prosecutor, said he raised the issue in a private conversation with Boris Johnson three years before he became Prime Minister - but was told there was no money.

He said: “Mr Johnson asked me what keeps me awake at night and I told him it was this issue.

“When he wanted to know what to do about it, I told him it was more resources for one-to-one deradicalisation.

“Back then, he hadn’t found the ‘money tree’ so he frustratingly said there was no money.”

In the year up to June 2019 there were 266 people arrested on suspicion of terrorism but less than ten per cent (25) were convicted.