Why has it taken so long to admit that Tate's 'teachings' are a form of radicalisation?

The National Policing Statement 2024 on violence against women and girls, a collaborative report from the College of Policing and the National Police Chiefs’ Council, makes for sobering reading.

- KATIE EDWARDS

For many women, the contents will be shocking – but certainly not surprising.

Take a look at some of the statistics and you’ll see what I mean. The report shows 3,000 crimes of violence against women and girls are recorded every day, and that more than one million related crimes were recorded in 2022-23 – accounting for 20 per cent of all police-recorded crime.

It found there had been a 37 per cent rise in the number of violent crimes against women and girls between 2018 and 2023, and the report predicts that at least one in every 12 women will be a victim every year – although the exact number is expected to be much higher.

Deputy Chief Constable Maggie Blyth, the national lead for policing violence against women and girls, made the unusual step of calling out the influence of one individual – selfproclaimed misogynist Andrew Tate – as a key driver behind the radicalisation of boys and young men.

“We know that some of this is also linked to radicalisation of young people online, we know the influencers, Andrew Tate, the element of influencing particularly boys, is quite terrifying and that’s something that both the leads for counterterrorism in the country and ourselves from a violence against women and girls perspective are discussing,” she said.