The aim of the CONTEST, the United Kingdom’s Strategy for Countering Terrorism, is to reduce the risk from terrorism to the UK, its citizens and interests overseas, so that people can go about their lives freely and with confidence. It was most recently updated in 2023, to reflect the changing threat from terrorism, which is now less predictable and harder to detect and investigate. CONTEST (2023) maintains a flexible and adaptable framework, based on thematic areas:
- Prevent: stop people from becoming terrorists or supporting terrorism.
- Pursue: stop terrorist attacks happening in this country or against UK interests overseas.
- Protect: strengthen our protection against a terrorist attack.
- Prepare: minimise the impact of an attack and reduce the likelihood of further attacks.
