In Europe, extremism —both right-and left-wing —is in a state of flux. While perceptions of immigration, Islam and terrorism are shaping the far right, a new dynamic in the right-wing extremism landscape is influencing the far left, albeit partly as an autonomous development.

The police need to be aware of such developments, and the Radicalisation Awareness Network's Police and Law Enforcement working group (RAN POL) held a timely meeting on the role of police in preventing and countering violent extremism (PCVE) of the far left and far right, exploring options to help reduce the size and threat of such extremist milieus. They concluded that more up-to-date knowledge on both left-and right-wing extremism is required, if we are to keep pace with related changes in strategy and capacity. The good news is that a number of existing and tested interventions and methods seem to work well. This paper considers approaches for police engagement and dialogue as part of the PCVE effort