Dal Babu , who left Metropolitan Police in 2013 , said there was a 'lack of knowledge ' among officers around race and faith issues . A Muslim former police chief yesterday condemned the government ’ s flagship anti-radicalisation strategy as a ‘ toxic brand ’ . Dal Babu said most Muslims are suspicious of the Prevent scheme and think it is used for spying on them . The former chief superintendent , who retired from the Metropolitan Police in 2013 , said the force 's counter-terrorism command was ‘ virtually all white ’ and insisted there was a ‘ lack of knowledge ’ among officers around race and faith issues . The Prevent programme , which has an annual budget of £40million , is designed to identify people at risk of being radicalised and potentially turning to terrorism . They are then encouraged to speak to moderate Islamic preachers and turned away from extremism . But the programme has come under scrutiny because of the 600 Britons who are believed to have travelled to Syria to join Islamic State ( IS ) , including the three London schoolgirls who fled the UK last month . Mr Babu , who was chairman of the Association of Muslim Officers within the Met , said : ‘ There 's been a lot of concern about the Prevent strategy in the Muslim community over the last few years . ‘ Prevent was bought in with good intentions but over the years it has alienated the Muslim community who see it as spying . ‘ It 's a toxic brand in the same way the Big Society idea was brought in but we do n't about hear about it much any more. ’ Mr Babu called for ‘ greater diversity ’ in safeguarding boards aimed at protecting children and among senior police figures . ‘ It 's virtually all white in the counter-terrorism command , ’ he said . ‘ There 's a lack of diversity in the police and , equally important , a lack of diversity in children 's services . I 'm not aware of a single ethnic minority director of children 's services or independent chair of a safeguarding board. ’ Anyone who comes under scrutiny as part of Prevent can also see their details shared with counter terrorism officers . Last year it emerged some 77 such reports were passed to the police . Chief Constable Sir Peter Fahy defended the scheme and said parents must take responsibility for ensuring their children do not become radicalised . The programme has come under scrutiny because of the 600 Britons who are believed to have travelled to Syria to join Islamic State ( IS ) , including the three London schoolgirls who fled the UK last month ( above ) Sir Peter said it would ‘ obviously help ’ to have more Muslims working in the police but defended the programme . ‘ Over the past year a number of Muslim leaders have recognised that they need to give a stronger message against extremism and against travel to Syria , ’ he said . ‘ The prime responsibility for stopping young people thinking of travelling to Syria or other warzones must be with their families and carers , who know them and are able to spot the early signs of radicalisation . ‘ I understand it is a difficult challenge for parents between allowing freedom and protecting young people from harmful material on the internet but the responsibility can not be transferred to schools and the police. ’ Sir Peter said it would ‘ obviously help ’ to have more Muslims working in the police but officers on the Prevent programme had developed an ‘ extensive knowledge of minority groups and the different facets of the Muslim religion ’ , he said . He added : ‘ It is difficult to measure success because , in counter-terrorism , success is ultimately that attacks do n't take place . Nevertheless thousands of people have received help from projects supported by Prevent following concerns being raised about their behaviour and attitudes. ’ A Home Office spokesman said : ‘ As a country , we must consistently challenge the twisted narrative of extremism. ’ ‘ This Government fundamentally revised the Prevent strategy in 2011 to ensure it challenges terrorist ideology , supports people who are vulnerable to being drawn into terrorism and works with sectors and institutions where there are risks of radicalisation. ’ ‘ Most importantly , we changed Prevent 's objectives so it also deals with non-violent extremism . ’
Dal Babu , a former chief superintendent , left Metropolitan Police in last month . He has blasted the 'virtually all white ' counter-terrorism command in place . Said officers had a 'lack of knowledge ' surrounding race and faith issues . The Prevent programme , designed to tackle terrorism , has a £40m budget .