Today, the Home Secretary has announced the appointment of Tim Jacques as the government’s new Independent Prevent Commissioner, following a robust open competition.
In December 2024, the role was created by the former Home Secretary to provide consistent oversight, increase effectiveness and develop insight into the Prevent system over the longer term.
Tim brings a wealth of experience from his previous roles as Deputy Assistant Commissioner for Counter Terrorism Policing, as well as Senior National Coordinator for Prevent and Pursue. In June 2022 he became an executive advisory board member at The Leadership in Counter Terrorism Alumni Association too. Tim is also Chief Executive Officer of the Vault Youth Zone, Preston, a charity that provides young people access to facilities and activities in sports, arts, performance and enterprise.
Welcoming the appointment, the Security Minister, Dan Jarvis, said:
I am delighted to announce that Timothy Jacques has been appointed as the Independent Prevent Commissioner.
Protecting the public is this government’s first duty and Prevent remains a vital tool in keeping people safe by intervening early to stop individuals from being drawn into terrorism. I am confident that Mr Jacques’ experience and expertise will support continued improvements to the programme and help ensure Prevent continues to operate effectively and proportionately.
I’d like to thank Lord Anderson for his time as interim Independent Prevent Commissioner and for his report ‘Lessons for Prevent’, which has made a significant contribution to strengthening Prevent and will continue to shape the government’s work in this area. We are incredibly grateful for the knowledge, sense of purpose and duty he brought to the post.
Independent Prevent Commissioner, Tim Jacques, said:
I am delighted, honoured and humbled to be appointed to this important, independent public role. I am grateful to Lord Anderson and his team for the work already undertaken as the Interim Prevent Commissioner, and for his support to me in taking up this position.
Preventing terrorism matters. I believe the British public want a system that is understandable, accessible, coherent and consistently applied, in a fair and non-discriminatory way.
Most of all we need a system that works, as best as it possibly can, in preventing terrorist atrocities and terrorist motivated offending, with all the ensuing human cost, and wider societal impact.
This role was introduced to bring independent, objective oversight and scrutiny of Prevent and its effectiveness. In order meet this requirement I will work with and listen to anyone with a genuine interest in Prevent, be they policy makers, practitioners, proponents, informed observers or those with genuine concerns.
As part of his role, Mr Jacques will provide independent strategic oversight and a review function for Prevent to ensure that it can meet its objectives as effectively as possible. He will begin his tenure on Tuesday 14 April, the day after Lord Anderson’s tenure finishes.