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Forthcoming release: Home Office statistics release calendar

Home Office responsible statistician: Jodie Hargreaves

Press enquiries telephone: 0300 123 3535

Public enquiries: HSAI_Statistics@homeoffice.gov.uk

Privacy information notice

This release covers the use of police powers under terrorism and subsequent legislation in Great Britain on a quarterly basis up to the year ending March 2025. It also covers arrests for terrorist-related activity under other legislation such as the Police and Criminal Evidence Act (PACE).

The Accredited Official and Official statistics in this release use a range of data sources. More information is available in Section 1.1.

Main results

For arrests and outcome:

• there were 232 arrests for terrorism-related activity in the year ending 31 March 2025, 11 more than in the year ending 31 March 2024 (a rise of 5%); this represents an increase of 18% over the latest 5-year median (196) but falls below the historical 10-year median number of arrests (249)
• there were 36 arrests for terrorism-related activity in the latest quarter January to March 2025, the lowest quarterly value seen of the last nine reporting periods
• the majority of the 232 arrests for terrorism-related activity by age groups are represented by those aged 30 and over (47%)
• arrests for those aged 17 and under increased from 42 individuals to 43 and the proportion of those arrested aged 17 and under remained the same at 19% compared to the previous year

Figure 1: Arrests for terrorist-related activity, by legislation, years ending 31 March 2002 to 31 March 2025, Great Britain^1,2,3,4

Source: CTPHQ Coordination Centre (see annual data table A.01)

Notes:

1. Figures for the year ending 31 December 2002 include data from 11 September 2001 onwards.
2. ‘Other legislation’ includes arrests under non-terrorism legislation, such as the Police and Criminal Evidence Act (PACE) 1984.
3. Includes arrests that are considered by the CTPHQ Coordination Centre to be terrorism-related, either at the time of arrest or at a subsequent point in the investigation.
4. Average line represents the median number (249) of annual arrests over the last 10 years.

At the time of data provision, of the 232 arrests for terrorist-related activity:

• 71 (31%) resulted in a charge, of which 46 were for terrorism-related offences
• 109 (47%) persons were bailed to return and released under investigation
• 45 (19%) persons were released without charge
• 5 (2%) faced alternative action, for example, receiving a caution or recalled to prison

For the remaining sections:

• in the year ending 31 March 2025, 79 persons were tried for terrorism-related offences, 5 more than in the year ending 31 March 2024
• as of 31 March 2025, there were 266 persons in custody for terrorism and terrorism-connected offences in Great Britain, 20 more than in the year ending 31 March 2024
• in the year ending 31 March 2025, 72 persons were stopped and searched by the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) under section 43 of TACT 2000; this was a decrease of 58% compared to the year ending 31 March 2024 (170)
• there were 9 arrests resulting from a section 43 stop and search, in the year ending 31 March 2025

For more information on court proceedings, see Section 3.

For more information on terrorist prisoners, see Section 4.

For more information on other police powers under the Terrorism Act 2000, see Section 5.

1. Introduction

1.1 Data sources

The ‘Arrests and outcomes’ section contains data provided by the Counter Terrorism Policing Headquarters (CTPHQ) Coordination Centre and includes statistics for Great Britain on the:

• number of arrests for terrorist-related activity and outcomes (such as charges and convictions) following such arrest
• number of charges and convictions broken down by legislation used
• sex, age, ethnicity, and nationality of those arrested, charged and convicted

The ‘Court proceedings’ section uses data from the Crown Prosecution Service Counter Terrorism Division (CPS CTD) and includes statistics for England and Wales on the:

• number of persons proceeded against by CPS CTD for terrorism-related offences
• number of persons that have been prosecuted and convicted, broken down by the legislation used

The ‘Terrorist prisoners’ section uses data from His Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) and the Scottish Prison Service (SPS) and includes statistics for Great Britain on the:

• number and ideology of persons in custody for terrorism and terrorism-connected offences
• ethnicity, nationality and religion of those in custody
• number of persons released from custody by sentence length

The ‘Other police powers under TACT 2000’ section uses data provided by the MPS and CTPHQ, and includes statistics on the:

• number of stops and searches carried out by MPS under section 43 of TACT 2000
• number of stops and searches carried out by British Transport Police, Police Scotland, and all Police Force Areas under section 47a of TACT 2000
• number of examinations and subsequent detentions made in Great Britain under Schedule 7 to TACT 2000
• data on goods examinations, strip searches and on refusals of requests to postpone questioning (usually to enable an individual to consult a solicitor) under Schedule 7 to TACT 2000

The user guide provides further details on this release, including the strengths and limitations of the datasets, and the quality assurance processes involved in the production of this release. It also includes a summary of the criminal justice process, a glossary of terms used, the legislation and the categories referred to in this release.

1.2 Main changes and additions to this release

There have been changes to the data presented within this publication:

• due to an ongoing issue with the system that records information relating to the period of detention following an arrest under section 41 of the Terrorism Act 2000, Table A.02 - number of persons arrested under section 41 of the Terrorism Act 2000, by period of detention and outcome - has been updated to include several ‘unknown’ records; in the previous release, Operation of police powers under TACT 2000, to December 2024, Table A.02 was not updated owing to these data recording issues
• users should note that updates to the breakdowns of data for terrorism-related offences by sentence lengths for defendants tried and convicted by the Crown Prosecution Service (annual data table C.04) are not included within this release as this data is currently not available to the Home Office; the last update for terrorism offences by sentence lengths was the year ending March 2024

The main changes and additions to the Bulletin are presented in detail in Section 6 (About these statistics) under ‘Section 6.3’ ‘Main changes and additions to the bulletin’.

2. Arrests and outcomes

This section presents statistics on the number of persons arrested by the police in Great Britain where there was suspicion of involvement in terrorist-related activity, either at the time of arrest or at a subsequent point in the investigation. In some cases, evidence may emerge after an arrest for a terrorism-related offence that suggests a suspect does not have links to terrorist activity but has committed a non-terrorism-related offence. These cases are included in the data as non-terrorism-related charges and/or convictions.

Outcomes following arrests for terrorist-related activity are also included in the statistics, which show the number of arrests that led to a charge or prosecution as well as other outcomes. Demographic information about those arrested, charged and convicted is also provided in this section. All data in this section is based on the date of arrest. This allows users to see the outcomes of all the arrests in a specific period (such as how many led to a charge and conviction).

As cases progress over time, figures published in this release are likely to be revised. This is particularly relevant for more recent time periods where a larger number of cases will not have been finalised (‘released on bail’ or ‘awaiting prosecution’). The effect on the arrests total will be minimal but the number of charges and convictions currently reported will likely increase in future releases, especially for cases from the more recent quarters where a greater number have not yet reached the point of charge or conviction.

Due to recently discovered challenges around the submission and recording of information relating to the period of detention following an arrest under section 41 of the Terrorist Act 2000, Table A_02 includes a row to record ‘unknown’ periods of detention. CTPHQ is aware of the issue and is looking to resolve this as soon as possible. The breakdown of data for arrests under section 41 of the Terrorism Act 2000 by period of detention and outcome is not included within this release as there are issues with the system where this data is stored. CTPHQ Coordination Centre are working to resolve these issues.

A flow chart summarising this section is included in Figure 2.1. The flow chart is designed to show how individuals who are arrested for terrorism-related activity are dealt with in the criminal justice system. It follows the process from the point of arrest, through to charge (or other outcome) and prosecution. The annual data tables from A.01 to A.13b include data on arrests and outcomes and are provided alongside this release. The data is broken down by rolling years to March.

Figure 2.1: Arrests and outcomes¹ in Great Britain in the year ending 31 March 2025²

Source: CTPHQ Coordination Centre (see annual data tables from A.01 to A.07)

Notes:

1. Based on time of arrest, between 01 April 2024 and 31 March 2025.
2. Data presented is based on the latest position with each case as at the date of data provision from CTPHQ Coordination Centre (18 April 2025).
3. ‘Alternative action’ includes a number of outcomes, such as cautions, detentions under international arrest warrant, transfer to immigration authorities. See annual data table A.03 for a complete list.
4. Terrorism-related charges and convictions include some charges and convictions under non-terrorism legislation, where the offence is considered to be terrorism-related.
5. The ‘other’ category includes other cases/outcomes such as cautions, transfers to Immigration Enforcement Agencies, the offender being circulated as wanted, and extraditions.
6. Cases that are ‘awaiting prosecution’ are not yet complete. As time passes, these cases will eventually lead to a prosecution, ‘other’ outcome, or it may be decided that the individual will not be proceeded against.
7. Excludes convictions that were later quashed on appeal.

In the year ending 31 March 2025, there were 232 arrests for terrorist-related activity in Great Britain, 11 more than the year ending 31 March (a rise of 5%). Of the 232 arrests:

• 71 were charged, 45 were released without charge, 5 had alternative action, 109 were released on bail to return and released under investigation
• of the 71 charged, 46 were charged with terrorism-related offences, and 25 were charged with non-terrorism related offences
• of the 46 charged with terrorism-related offences, 4 were prosecuted, 37 are awaiting prosecution, 4 had other outcomes, and one was not proceeded against
• of the 4 charged with terrorism-related offences and prosecuted, 3 were convicted of terrorism-related offences, and one was convicted of a non-terrorism related offence
• of the 25 charged with non-terrorism related offences, 3 were prosecuted, and 22 are awaiting prosecution
• of the 3 charged with a non-terrorism related offence and prosecuted, all were convicted of a non-terrorism related offence

2.1 Arrests by legislation

In the year ending 31 March 2025, there were 232 arrests for terrorist-related activity in Great Britain, 41 of which were under Section 41 of Terrorism Act 2000 (18%). The remaining 191 arrests (82%) were made under other legislation which includes arrests under non-terrorism legislation, such as the Police and Criminal Evidence Act (PACE) 1984.

Figure 2.2: Arrests for terrorist-related activity, by legislation, years ending 31 March 2002 to 31 March 2025, Great Britain^1,2,3,4

Source: CTPHQ Coordination Centre (see annual data table A.01)

Notes:

1. Figures for the year ending 31 March 2002 include data from 11 September 2001 onwards.
2. ‘Other legislation’ includes arrests under non-terrorism legislation, such as the Police and Criminal Evidence Act (PACE) 1984.
3. Includes arrests that are considered by the CTPHQ Coordination Centre to be terrorism-related, either at the time of arrest or at a subsequent point in the investigation.
4. Average line represents the median number (249) of annual arrests over the last 10 years.

In the latest reported quarter, January to March 2025, there were 36 arrests. This is a decrease of 54% compared to October to December 2024 where there were 78 arrests. The figure for this quarter is the lowest seen of the last 9 reporting periods.

Figure 2.3: Arrests for terrorist-related activity, by legislation, 9 quarters to 31 March 2025, Great Britain^1,2

Source: CTPHQ Coordination Centre (see quarterly data table A.01)

Notes:

1. ‘Other legislation’ includes arrests under non-terrorism legislation, such as the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984.
2. Includes arrests that are considered by the CTPHQ to be terrorism-related, either at the time of arrest or at a subsequent point in the investigation.
3. Average line represents the median number (55) of quarterly arrests over the last 9 quarters.

2.2 Pre-charge detention under Section 41 of the Terrorism Act 2000

Once a suspect has been arrested by the police, they may be detained for a specified period of time before being charged, giving the police time to investigate and gather evidence related to potential terrorism offences. The current maximum period of detention under section 41 of TACT 2000 is 14 days (which was reduced from the previous limit of 28 days on 25 January 2011). This compares with a maximum of 4 days under standard arrest powers. Further details of the legislation can be found in the user guide.

The breakdown of data for arrests under section 41 of the Terrorism Act 2000 by period of detention and outcome is not included within this release as there are issues with the system where this data is stored. CTPHQ Coordination Centre are working to resolve these issues.

Further details on the length and outcomes of detentions under section 41 of TACT 2000 can be found in annual data table A.02.

2.3 Other powers under Schedule 8 to TACT 2000

From the year ending September 2021 publication onwards, data has been collected and published on the number of persons detained and applications for extension of detention in Great Britain under Schedule 8 of the Terrorism Act 2000. Data has also been collected and published on the number of requests for access to a solicitor by persons detained in Great Britain under Schedule 8 of the Terrorism Act 2000. The user guide provides further details on these statistics.

These statistics are classed as official statistics in development to acknowledge the relative early stages of development of this dataset. More information about official statistics in development can be found on the website. Home Office statisticians aim to improve the quality of the data in future releases by working with data providers to improve quality assurance procedures.

Under Section 41 of TACT 2000, police officers have the power to arrest persons suspected of terrorism-related offences without a warrant. These arrest powers also allow the extended detention of persons beyond the maximum 4 days available under standard arrest powers, to a maximum of 14 days. Multiple applications for warrants of further detention may be made for one individual.

In the year ending 31 March 2025, of the 41 individuals arrested under section 41 of TACT 2000 in Great Britain, there were 42 warrants of further detention under Schedule 8 of TACT 2000, which include multiple warrants for the same individual.

Under Section 41 of TACT 2000, a person detained in police custody under the terrorism provisions is entitled to consult a solicitor privately. A police officer of at least the rank of superintendent can authorise a delay in permitting a detained person to consult a solicitor if they believe that exercising this right will result in any of the consequences listed in . Please see the user guide for further information. In the year ending 31 March 2025, of the 41 individuals arrested under section 41 of TACT 2000 in Great Britain, there was one instance where a request for access to a solicitor was delayed.

2.4 Charges

In line with the general convention for Home Office criminal justice statistics, when a person is charged or prosecuted for multiple offences at the same time, only the most serious offence is counted – usually the one that carries the highest penalty. This ‘principal offence rule’ means the statistics provide a count of individuals charged rather than the total number of charges. More detailed information on the principal offence rule can be found in the accompanying user guide. Further details of the legislation under which persons have been charged following an arrest for a terrorism-related activity can be found in annual data tables A.05a to A.05c.

At the time of data provision, of the 232 arrests for terrorist-related activity in the year ending 31 March 2025, 71 (31%) resulted in a charge, of which 46 were for terrorism-related offences.

Given the number of cases still to be finalised in the year ending 31 March 2025, the current charge rate may change over time. Until all cases in a given period are finalised, care should be taken when comparing charge rates over time.

Figure 2.4: Charging outcomes following an arrest for terrorist-related activity, 9 quarters to 31 March 2025, Great Britain^1,2

Source: CTPHQ Coordination (see annual data table A.03)

Notes:

1. ‘Alternative action’ includes for instance, cautions for non-TACT 2000 offences, detentions under the Mental Health Act 1983, recall to prison.
2. ‘Bailed to Return’ includes those released on bail pending further investigation, and those who have absconded from bail. Those who were released under investigation (RUI) were previously unable to be recorded separately and were recorded as ‘released without charge’.

Charge rates have remained consistent since the year to 31 March 2018 (39%, 175 out of 447 arrests) with a mean rate of 44% between year to 31 March 2018 and year to 31 March 2024. In the most recent reporting period, year to 31 March 2025, the charge rate is 31% (71 out of 232 arrests). However, as cases progress over time, figures published in this release are likely to be revised. The effect on the total number of arrests will be minimal but the number of charges and convictions currently reported will likely increase in future releases, especially for cases from the more recent quarters where a greater number have not yet reached the point of charge or conviction.

Figure 2.5: Charging outcomes following an arrest for terrorist-related activity, year ending March 2002 to March 2025, Great Britain^1,2

Source: CTPHQ Coordination Centre (see annual data table A.03)

Notes:

1. ‘Alternative action’ includes cautions for non-TACT offences, detentions under the Mental Health Act, recall to prison, and transfers to immigration authorities.
2. ‘Bailed to Return’ includes those released on bail pending further investigations, and those who have absconded from bail. Those who were released under investigation were previously unable to be recorded separately and were recorded as ‘released without charge’.

2.5 Prosecutions

As with charges, statistics on prosecutions are based on the principal offence rule, (see Section 2.3). Where an individual is prosecuted for more than one offence at a time, they are classified in terms of a single offence – usually the most serious.

Figure 2.6 shows the outcomes following a charge for a terrorism-related offence.

Further details of the specific legislation under which persons have been convicted following a charge for a terrorism-related offence can be found in annual data tables A.08a to A.08c.

Figure 2.6: Outcomes following a charge for a terrorism-related offence, year ending 31 March 2025^1,2,3,4, Great Britain

Source: CTPHQ Coordination Centre (see annual data table A.06c)

Notes:

1. Based on the time of arrest.
2. A more detailed flow chart can be found in Section 2, ‘Arrests and outcomes’.
3. Data presented is based on the latest position with each case as at the date of data provision from CTPHQ Coordination Centre (18 April 2025).
4. The chart does not include outcomes following non-terrorism-related charges.
5. Terrorism-related charges and convictions include some charges and convictions under non-terrorism legislation, where the offence is considered to be terrorism-related.
6. Cases that are ‘awaiting prosecution’ are not yet complete. As time passes, these cases will eventually lead to a prosecution, ‘other’ outcome, or it may be decided that the individual will not be proceeded against.
7. Excludes convictions that were later quashed on appeal.
8. Includes other cases/outcomes such as cautions, transfers to UK Border Agencies, the offender being circulated as wanted and extraditions.

2.6 Demographics of persons arrested for terrorism-related activities

This section provides more detail on the demographic and other characteristics of persons arrested. It includes data on:

• sex
• age
• ethnic appearance
• nationality

Sex

As in previous years, and similar to other types of crime, the vast majority of those arrested for terrorism-related activity were males (194, 84%). Of the 231 arrests where the sex was known, there were 37 females (16%), an increase of 8 (3%) compared to the year ending 31 March 2024 (29, 13%). In comparison, there were 194 males (84%), an increase of 2 compared to the year ending 31 March 2024 (192, 87% of persons arrested).

Age

As in previous years, those aged 30 and above accounted for the most arrests (108, 47%). Those aged 30 and over went from 96 to 108 compared to the year ending 31 March 2024 (43% to 47% of persons arrested). The number of arrests also increased for those aged 17 and under and 25 to 29 compared to the previous year, increasing by one and 2 respectively. Those aged 21 to 24 decreased compared to the year ending 31 March 2024, from 31 to 27, and a 2 percentage point decrease to 12%.

Arrests for those aged 17 and under increased from 42 individuals to 43. The proportion of those arrested aged 17 and under was the same compared to the previous year (19%).

Ethnic appearance as recorded by the arresting officer

Figures in this section are based on the ethnic appearance of the person being arrested as recorded by the arresting officer.

Since June 2022, the data on those arrested for terrorism-related offences by ethnic appearance use the , in line with the Census 2011 categories, plus a ‘not stated’ category.

In cases where ethnicity is known, arrests for those of White ethnic appearance accounted for 51% of arrests (113 out of 220). Arrests for those of Asian ethnic appearance accounted for 28% of arrests (61 out of 220).

Figure 2.7: Proportion of persons arrested for terrorist-related activity by ethnic appearance^1,2, 31 March 2025

Source: CTPHQ Coordination Centre (see annual data table A.11b)

Notes:

1. As recorded by the police at time of arrest.
2. Excludes those whose ethnicity is not known (for instance, ‘not stated’).

Nationality

Of those arrested in the year ending 31 March 2025, 73% considered themselves to be of British or British dual nationality, up from 67% compared to the year ending 31 March 2024.

Overall, the proportion of those arrested who consider themselves British or British dual nationality has remained stable over the last 13 years. The proportion increased from 30% in the year ending March 2002 to 74% in the year ending March 2020 and has not fallen below 67% over the last 13 years. Overall, since 11 September 2001 (when the data collection began), 63% of those arrested considered themselves to be of British or British dual nationality.

Table 2.1: Number of persons arrested for terrorist-related activity, since 11 September 2001, by self-defined nationality^1,2

Numbers and percentages, Great Britain

Self-defined nationality	Total since Sep 11 2001	Proportion of all arrests (%)
Great Britain3	3,626	63.2
Algeria	198	3.5
Iraq	190	3.3
Pakistan	179	3.1
Iran	106	1.8
Afghanistan	98	1.7
Turkey	96	1.7
Somalia	84	1.5
Sri Lanka	71	1.2
India	64	1.1

Source: CTPHQ Coordination Centre (see annual data table A.12a)

Notes:

1. The nationalities presented here are those declared by persons at the time of arrest and may differ from their country of origin.
2. Only the first 10 countries, by number of persons arrested for terrorist-related activity, are included in the table.
3. Figures for Great Britain include those with ‘British dual’ nationality.

3. Court proceedings

This section presents statistics on prosecutions for terrorism-related offences in England and Wales. It provides data on the number of persons prosecuted and convicted, including information on the legislation under which they were prosecuted. It also provides information on the length and type of sentence that each convicted person received. Data in this section is based on the trial completion date and is not directly comparable to the prosecutions data in Section 2, ‘Arrests and outcomes’, which is based on the date of arrest.

Data is provided to the Home Office by the CPS CTD. The data covers terrorism-related court cases that were completed in the 16 years from the year ending March 2010, up to the year ending March 2025.

The breakdown of data for terrorism-related offences by sentence lengths for defendants tried and convicted by the Crown Prosecution Service after March 2024 is excluded within this release as this data is currently not available to the Home Office.

3.1 Court proceedings

In the year ending 31 March 2025, 79 persons were tried for terrorism-related offences, 5 more than in the year ending 31 March 2024. Conviction rates remained consistent in recent years, with 92% (49 out of 53) of trials leading to a conviction in the year ending 31 March 2023, and 93% (69 out of 74) of trials in the year ending 31 March 2024.

The latest year had the highest conviction rate recorded in a year ending March since comparable records began, with 97% (77 out of 79) of trials in the year ending 31 March 2025 leading to a conviction. Figure 3.1 shows the outcomes for the 79 persons proceeded against.

Figure 3.1: Outcome of terrorism-related trials under TACT and non-TACT legislation, year ending 31 March 2025, England and Wales^1,2,3,4

Source: CPS CTD (see annual data tables C.01 to C.03)

Notes:

1. Based on the principal offence for which the defendant was prosecuted against.
2. TACT offences include offences specifically under terrorism legislation.
3. Non-TACT offences include offences under other legislation.
4. Can include trials ending in a hung jury, or where the prosecution offered no evidence.

Of the 77 persons convicted of terrorism-related offences, 41 (53%) pleaded guilty and 36 (47%) entered a not-guilty plea. This was a similar proportion compared with the year ending 31 March 2024, where 36 of the 69 persons convicted (52%) entered a guilty plea. Data on this can be found in Table C.03 within the quarterly and annual data tables.

Data in this release is presented on the principal offence basis. This means that, when a person is tried for multiple offences in the same trial, the most serious offence with the largest sentence is shown in the data tables.

In the year ending 31 March 2025, the principal offences with the most convictions are Section 2 of TACT 2006 (dissemination of terrorist publications) with 16 convictions, the Counter-Terrorism Act 2008 with 10 convictions, and Section 58 of TACT 2000 (collection of information useful for an act of terrorism) with 8 convictions.

Of the 2 individuals acquitted in the year ending March 2025, one was proceeded against for fundraising offences (ss 15-19 of TACT 2000) and one was proceeded against for a Section 2 of TACT 2006 offence.

4. Terrorist prisoners

Statistics presented in this section give information on the number of persons in custody for terrorism and terrorism-connected offences in Great Britain, including the jurisdictions of England and Wales, and Scotland. This includes both those that had been convicted and those being held on remand (that is, held in custody until a later date when a trial or sentencing hearing will take place). This section includes breakdowns of their ideology, self-defined ethnicity, self-defined nationality and self-defined religion.

Data on the number of prisoners released covers the 9 quarters to 31 December 2024. Prisoner release figures up to 31 March 2025 are not yet available as these will form a subset of the prison releases statistics which will be published by the Minister of Justice in their Offender management statistics quarterly release, scheduled for July 2025.

4.1 Persons in custody

As at 31 March 2025, there were 266 persons in custody for terrorism and terrorism-connected offences in Great Britain. This compares to 246 persons in custody as at 31 March 2024.

Of those in custody, 163 (61%) were categorised as holding Islamist-extremist views, 9 more compared to the year ending 31 March 2024. A further 79 (30%) were categorised as holding Extreme Right-Wing ideologies, 10 more than the year ending 31 March 2024. The remaining 24 prisoners (9%) were categorised as holding beliefs related to other ideologies.

Figure 4.1: Number of persons in custody for terrorism and terrorism-connected offences, by ideology, year ending March 2015 to year ending March 2025, Great Britain^1,2

Source: HMPPS and SPS (see annual data table P.01)

Notes:

1. The ‘other’ category includes any prisoners holding ideologies including Dissident Irish Extremist, Domestic Extremist, Left Wing Extremist, no specific ideology, and not known.
2. Following changes agreed with the prison service, for figures at 30 September 2020 onwards, we have adopted the definition ‘terrorism-connected offender’ to replace the previously used definition ‘terrorism-related offender’ for this time-series.

As at 31 March 2025, the majority of persons in custody for terrorism and terrorism-connected offences in Great Britain have the United Kingdom as their self-declared nationality (218 out of 266, 82%). The next highest self-declared nationalities include Iraq, Iran, and Italy, where 9 (3%) persons declared themselves Iraqi, 5 (2%) as Iranian, and 4 (2%) as Italian.

Of the 266 persons in custody for terrorism and terrorism-connected offences in Great Britain with a self-declared religion, 166 were Muslim (62%), 53 (20%) were Christian and 33 (12%) declared themselves as having no religion. One individual’s religion was not recorded.

4.2 Persons released from custody

HMPPS, CT Policing and the Security Service work jointly to manage the risk of terrorism-related releases, including by forecasting releases and prioritising resource at a national level towards the greatest threat. Upon release, terrorists are subject to strict licence conditions which severely limit their activity.

A total of 50 terrorist prisoners were released from custody in Great Britain in the year ending 31 December 2024. This figure includes 11 offenders released between October 2024 and December 2024. There were 3 more releases in the latest quarter (11) compared to the previous quarter (8). However, the majority (31, 62%) of release in the year ending December 2024 were in the first 6 months, between January 2024 and June 2024.

Of the 50 released from custody, 19 had received sentences of less than 4 years, and 25 had sentences of 4 years or more. No one was released following an indeterminate sentence for public protection. One person was released who was serving a life sentence, while 5 persons had been convicted but not yet been sentenced.

5. Other police powers under the Terrorism Act 2000

5.1 Stop and search under Section 43 of the Terrorism Act 2000

Section 43 of TACT 2000 allows a constable to stop and search a person whom he/she reasonably suspects to be involved in terrorist activity. This section includes data from MPS only and excludes ‘vehicle only’ stops and searches.

In the year ending 31 March 2025, 72 persons were stopped and searched by MPS under section 43 of TACT 2000, a decrease of 58% when compared with the 170 in the year ending 31 March 2024. The number of persons stopped and searched has decreased by 94% since data collection began in the year ending 31 March 2011.

Since June 2024, the data on stops and searches of persons made by the Metropolitan Police under section 43 of the Terrorism Act 2000 by self-defined ethnicity are published using the .

In the year ending 31 March 2025, there were 9 arrests resulting from a section 43 stop and search (down by 9), and a 50% decrease from a total of 18 in the year ending 31 March 2024.

Figure 5.1: Stop and searches under section 43 of TACT 2000, year ending March 2011 to year ending March 2025, MPS

Source: MPS (see annual data table S.01)

Notes:

1. Excludes ‘vehicle only’ searches.

In the year ending 31 March 2025, 13% of stops (9 arrests out of 72 stops) resulted in arrests, 2 percentage points higher than the year ending 31 March 2024. This is the highest arrest rate since comparable records began (year ending 31 March 2011).

Figure 5.2: Arrest rate following stop and searches under section 43 of TACT 2000, year ending March 2011 to year ending March 2025, MPS

Source: MPS (see annual data table S.01)

Notes:

1. Excludes ‘vehicle only’ searches.

Details on the overall use of stop and search in England and Wales can be found in the Home Office ‘Police powers and procedures, England and Wales’ annual statistical release. MPS also publishes on the use of stop and search within its force area.

Ethnicity was stated in only 58% of stops (42 of 72) in the year ending 31 March 2025, a slightly lower proportion compared to the year ending 31 March 2024. The number of cases where ethnicity was known was at its highest at 93% in the year ending March 2011 and has declined since. This information relies on the person stopped being willing to define their ethnicity and the officer recording it accurately.

In cases where the ethnicity was known:

• 33% identified as ‘White’
• 33% identified as ‘Asian or Asian British’
• 24% identified as ‘Arab or Other’
• 7% identified as ‘Black or Black British’
• 2% identified as ‘Mixed’

5.2 Schedule 7 to TACT 2000

Under Schedule 7 to TACT 2000, an examining officer has a number of powers, the uses of which are covered in this section. These include:

• examinations of persons and resultant detentions
• strip-searches
• refusals to postpone questioning (usually to enable an individual to consult a solicitor)
• examinations of goods

Data has also been provided on how frequently other powers have been used in Great Britain under Schedule 7 to restrict or qualify a person’s access to a solicitor. As well as ‘refusal to postpone questioning’, which has been published since 2016, this release now also covers use of powers where a person is:

• required to consult a solicitor by phone
• delayed access to a solicitor
• required to consult in sight and hearing of a qualified officer

From the year ending June 2019 publication onwards, data on the number of examinations made under Schedule 7 of TACT 2000 in the United Kingdom and the number of intra-UK examinations has also been collected. An intra-UK examination is when a person has been examined at a UK port either before or after a journey between one UK port and another UK port. This includes journeys between or within England, Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland.

Moreover, as of the June 2021 publication of this release, data on the number of persons where one or more biometric identifier was taken during an examination made under Schedule 7 of TACT 2000 in the United Kingdom has also been provided. For the purposes of this statistical publication, a biometric identifier (taken during an examination under Schedule 7) includes photographs, fingerprints, and DNA samples.

Examinations and resultant detentions

An examining officer may stop and question individuals entering and leaving the country through ports, airports, international rail stations and the border area. When necessary they may also detain and search individuals. The aim is to determine whether or not that person is or has been concerned with the commission, preparation or instigation of acts of terrorism.

In the year ending 31 March 2025, a total of 2,290 persons were subject to the use of this power in Great Britain. This was a decrease of 11% compared with the year ending 31 March 2024 (where there were 2,563 examinations), and a 96% decrease since the data was first collected in the year ending 31 March 2012 (when 63,902 persons were examined under Schedule 7). From 1 January 2012 to 31 March 2025, there has been a mean 19% decrease in examinations each year.

Figure 5.3 below shows the number of Schedule 7 to TACT 2000 examinations and result detentions in Great Britain for the 5 years to 31 March 2025.

Figure 5.3: Number of Schedule 7 to TACT 2000 examinations¹ and resultant detentions, year ending March 2021 to March 2025, Great Britain

Source: CTPHQ (see quarterly data table S.04a)

Notes:

1. Excludes examinations of unaccompanied freight.

There was a large reduction in examinations under Schedule 7 of TACT 2000 between 2019 and 2021 due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on international travel. Passenger numbers at air and sea ports in particular were at unprecedented low levels. There has also been increased public scrutiny of this power in recent years, which may have driven a more targeted approach in its use. This is reflected in the increased rate of detention, with 62% of examinations in Great Britain in the year ending 31 March 2025 resulting in a detention (see Figure 5.3).

Since June 2022, data on examinations and resultant detentions made under Schedule 7 of the Terrorism Act 2000 by self-defined ethnicity are published using the self-defined ethnicity codes based upon the ONS 16+1 self-defined ethnicity codes with the addition of the ‘O2-Arab’ category, which comes under the ‘Other’ group.

Ethnicity was stated in 94% of cases. In cases where the ethnicity was known:

• 40% identified as ‘Chinese or Other’
• 26% identified as ‘Asian or Asian British’
• 23% identified as ‘White’
• 7% identified as ‘Black or Black British’
• 3% identified as ‘Mixed’

Figure 5.4 below shows the number of Schedule 7 to TACT 2000 examinations and result detentions in Great Britain for the 9 quarters to 31 March 2025.

Figure 5.4: Number of Schedule 7 to TACT 2000 examinations¹ and resultant detentions, 9 quarters to 31 March 2025, Great Britain

Source: CTPHQ (see quarterly data table S.04a)

Notes:

1. Excludes examinations of unaccompanied freight.

In the year ending 31 March 2025, 2,394 examinations were made under Schedule 7 of TACT 2000 in the United Kingdom, a decrease of 11% compared to the year ending 31 March 2024 when 2,689 examinations were made. Of the 2,394 examinations made in the year ending 31 March 2025, 313 (13%) were intra-UK examinations, compared to 391 of 2,689 (15%) in the year ending 31 March 2024.

In the year ending 31 March 2025, 56% of examinations made under Schedule 7 of TACT 2000 resulted in at least one biometric identifier being taken from an individual (1,337 persons out of 2,394 examinations).

5.3 Other powers under Schedule 7 to TACT 2000

The following section includes information on several additional powers under Schedule 7 to TACT 2000. This includes:

• strip-searches
• postponement of questioning refusals
• examinations of goods (sea and air freight)

Data on these powers has been collected by the Home Office since April 2015.

In the year ending 31 March 2025:

• 3 strip-searches were carried out under the power
• a total of 961 air freight examinations were carried out (an increase of 31% compared with the year ending 31 March 2024); the volume of air freight examinations remains 40% below pre-COVID-19 levels
• 157 sea freight examinations (an increase of 60% compared with the year ending 31 March 2024) were conducted in Great Britain which remains 96% below pre-COVID-19 levels
• there were no occasions where postponement of questioning (usually to enable an individual to consult a solicitor) was refused

Furthermore, data has been provided on how frequently powers have been used to restrict or qualify a person’s access to a solicitor by: requiring the person to consult a solicitor by phone, delaying access to a solicitor, and requiring the person to consult in sight and hearing of a qualified officer. This data has been collected since April 2019.

In the year ending 31 March 2025, there were 4 instances where an individual was delayed access to a solicitor.

Details on each power can be found in the user guide.

6. About these statistics

This data, formerly known as ‘National statistics’, is ‘Accredited official statistics’. Accredited official statistics are called National statistics in the Statistics and Registration Service Act 2007. These statistics have been independently reviewed by the regulator and found to comply with the standards of trustworthiness, quality and value in the Code of Practice for Statistics. Further information about Accredited official statistics can be found on the . These statistics meet the highest standards of trustworthiness, impartiality, quality and public value, and are fully compliant with the Code of Practice for Statistics. As part of the assessment process, the Home Office reviewed and improved the user guide that accompanies this release, which contains more information about the strengths and limitations of the various datasets within the publication, as well as the steps taken to engage with users. Further details on the assessment process can be found on the website.

6.1 Accountability statement

Our statistical practice is regulated by the OSR which sets the standards of trustworthiness, quality and value in the Code of Practice for Statistics that all producers of official statistics should adhere to. You are welcome to contact us directly via HSAI_Statistics@homeoffice.gov.uk with any comments about how we meet these standards. Alternatively, you can contact OSR by emailing regulation@statistics.gov.uk or via the .

6.2 Accompanying user guide and tables

The user guide provides further details on this release, including the strengths and limitations of the datasets, and the quality assurance processes involved in the production of this release. It also includes a summary of the criminal justice process, a glossary of terms used, and detail about the legislation and categories mentioned in this release.

6.3 Main changes and additions to the bulletin

Due to an ongoing issue with the system that records information relating to the period of detention following an arrest under section 41 of the Terrorist Act 2000, Table A.02 – Number of persons arrested under section 41 of the Terrorism Act 2000, by period of detention and outcome – has been updated to include the number of ‘Unknown’ records. In the previous release, Operation of police powers under TACT 2000, to December 2024, Table A.02 was not updated. CTPHQ is aware of the issue and is looking to resolve this as soon as possible.

6.4 Previous changes and definitions

Prior to June 2018, the Home Office published figures on both terrorist prisoners and domestic extremist/separatist prisoners. However, following feedback from data providers at HMPPS and SPS, it was decided that prisoners categorised as ‘domestic extremist/separatist’ prisoners would be counted within the ‘TACT/TACT-related’ cohort, where the threshold for this is met, such as for offences which the court has determined have a terrorist connection. This was to remove the previous subjectivity around the categorisation of domestic extremist prisoners.

From September 2020 onwards, the Ministry of Justice and Home Office formally adopted the definition ‘terrorism-connected offender’. ‘Terrorist connection’ is a statutory sentencing aggravating factor which permits courts to impose a terrorism connection ‘label’ to offenders who committed certain non-terrorist offences that had a terrorist connection. The terrorism connection label was introduced by the Counter Terrorism Act 2008 (CTA), and so is applicable for all relevant cases that ended after the date of its commencement (18 June 2009). Users should also note that this term applies to the statistics captured within the statistical publication for terrorism-connected offenders in custody with a terrorist connection. This definition replaced the previously used definition ‘terrorism-related offender’ which will no longer be used for the purposes of publishing official statistics for terrorist prisoners.

The change in definition between the publication of statistics as at 30 June 2020 and 30 September 2020 caused approximately 10% of prisoners to be removed from the classification at that point. For this reason, figures for September 2020 onwards are not directly comparable with previous years or quarters.

‘Terrorism-related offender’ previously referred to prisoners who had been convicted or charged for offences which the court had determined to have a terrorism or extremism connection. This also included prisoners who may have been linked to, or co-defendants of, prisoners who were charged with a terrorist offence but they themselves were charged with another criminal offence. Users should also note that previous data concerning ‘terrorism-related offenders’, does not include prisoners listed in the ‘domestic extremist or separatist’ group as they did not meet the threshold for TACT or TACT-related offences (for example, those in custody for violent disorder).

This change in definition is in alignment with (as inserted by the Terrorist Offenders (Restriction of Early Release) Act 2020), which concerns those offenders who have not committed terrorist offences (that is, those listed in Part 1 of the Schedule) but who have committed other specified offences which the court has determined have a ‘terrorist connection’. That determination may only be made by the sentencing court in accordance with Part 3 of the Counter-Terrorism Act 2008 and only after consideration of the requirements specified in that Act. If the court determines that the offence has a terrorist connection it must treat that fact as a statutory aggravating factor and state in open court that the offence was so aggravated.

From June 2024 onwards, the Home Office published figures for the first time on the number of persons in custody for terrorism and terrorism-connected offences in the jurisdictions of England and Wales, and Scotland within Great Britain by terrorist prisoners’ ideology and self-defined ethnicity, following feedback from partners within the counter terrorism community to provide a more transparent breakdown.

Section 5 presents statistics on the use of stop and search powers available to the police under the Terrorism Act 2000 (TACT 2000). It includes data on the number of stop and searches, and resultant arrests, carried out under section 43 of TACT 2000 (by the MPS only) and section 47A of TACT 2000 (by all police forces). It also contains data on the use of powers under Schedule 7 to TACT 2000 in Great Britain. This includes the number of examinations, resultant detentions, strip-searches, the number of times postponement of questioning (usually to enable an individual to consult a solicitor) was refused, and the number of sea and air freight examinations. It also contains data on the number of persons where one or more biometric identifier was taken during an examination or a detention made under Schedule 7 of TACT 2000. For the purposes of this statistical publication, a biometric identifier (taken during an examination under Schedule 7) includes photographs, fingerprints and DNA samples.

Data on Schedule 7 is provided to the Home Office by the Counter Terrorism Policing Headquarters (CTPHQ). This section includes annual breakdowns for the last 14 years up to the year ending March 2025.

Data on section 47a stop and search is provided to the Home Office by police forces, and data on section 43 stop and search is currently provided on a quarterly basis for this release by MPS only. Data on section 43 stop and search is available for all police forces in the annual ‘Police powers and procedures’ stop and search report.

For data on section 43 stop and search numbers, users should note that there may be some variation in the figures reported for the same financial year and quarter between this statistical release and those in the Police powers and procedures England and Wales statistics due to the live nature of the data, where we expect small differences for different dates of data extraction and any updates made to records after each publication.

Following the Parsons Green attack, on 15 September 2017, the police used the power of stop and search under section 47a of TACT 2000 (previously section 44) for the first time. This power allows the police to exercise stop and searches when there is reasonable suspicion an act of terrorism will take place, and only when such powers are considered necessary to prevent such an act taking place. This was the first time they had been used in Great Britain since the legislation was formally amended in 2011. Following the attack on Parsons Green, 4 forces authorised the use of these powers: British Transport Police, City of London Police, North Yorkshire Police and West Yorkshire Police. There was a total of 128 stops (126 of which were conducted by BTP) resulting in 4 arrests (all BTP). There have since been no stop and searches under section 47a of TACT 2000.

Further details on the use of section 47a can be found in the code of practice for the exercise of stop and search powers.

6.5 Future releases

The information published in the ‘Operation of police powers under the Terrorism Act 2000’ statistics is kept under review, taking into account the needs of users, and burdens on suppliers and producers, in line with the . If you have any comments, suggestions or non-data enquiries, please contact the team via email using: HSAI_Statistics@homeoffice.gov.uk. For freedom of information requests please contact: FOIRequests@homeoffice.gov.uk.

6.6 Other related publications

The annual ‘Stop and search and arrests’ publication provides information on use of various powers by police in England and Wales including: arrests for notifiable offences, stop and searches under section 1 PACE and associated legislation and searches under section 60 of the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994, police custody, pre-charge bail, breath tests, motoring offences, and detentions under the Mental Health Act 1983.

The annual ‘Individuals referred to and supported through the Prevent programme’ publication contains official statistics in development on the number of individuals recorded as having been referred to and supported through the Prevent programme due to concerns they were vulnerable to a risk of radicalisation.

Northern Ireland Security statistics are published by the Northern Ireland Office at Northern Ireland Terrorism Legislation - Annual Security Statistics 2023.

6.7 Feedback and enquiries

We welcome feedback on the statistics release. If you have any feedback or enquiries about this publication, please contact HSAI_Statistics@homeoffice.gov.uk.