As the former Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) for an area on the front line of Britain’s battle against extremism, I have seen the implications this has for policing and public safety.
From the thuggish provocations of the English Defence League to the insidious, extremist venom of Hizb ut-Tahrir, this threat remains present and real.
Chairing the Eastern Region Special Operations Unit during my tenure as PCC (2021 -2024), I got to see some of the extraordinary behind-the-scenes work being done to protect us from the serious threats we face from extremist groups. My respect for these men and women is unending, given the risks they put themselves in.
Yet, for too long, we have allowed the growth of self-isolated, self-perpetuating, and anti-British enclaves in spaces such as our academic institutions, communities, and increasingly, our political arenas, thus compounding some of the known drivers of extremism in our country.
Anyone who cares about Britain must care about this growing, man-made phenomenon.
The Government’s new social cohesion plan, promising a “patriotic renewal”, arrives at a critical juncture. We are told there will be a crackdown on extremist influence in our universities and charities. About time.
A new whistleblowing route for campus staff and tougher powers for the Charity Commission are necessary tools, but they are only as effective as the spine of the politicians driving these.
I've been on the frontline of Britain's battle against extremism. The hatred is by design - Festus Akinbusoye | Getty Images
We cannot afford to be a collection of disconnected tribes. We must be a nation with a sense of shared values, identity, and belonging; otherwise, we have nothing worth passing on to future generations.
As a first generation immigrant from Nigeria to Britain, I want to see our future generations inherit a stronger, more prosperous, and greater Britain than the one I found in the East End of London aged 13 years old.
My full integration into British society does not deny my Nigerian heritage, and my Nigerian heritage does not make me lessBritish.
Being a modern liberal society does not mean one gets to import the grievances of the worldand set them alight on our streets.
The implications of failing to integrate are written in the history of every plot our intelligence services have had to foil. I suspect this is highly unlikelyto change anytime soon.
When we allow communities to become silos, we create breeding grounds for hatred of‘’others’. Consequently, this idea of a "patriotic renewal" cannot just be a slogan found in a Whitehall press release. It requires the courage to confront the difficult causes of separatism.
The time for pandering to extremes is over. We need to stop managing the symptoms of division and start curing the disease of segregation. If we do not demand integration, we are simply subsidising our own decline.
It is not too late to reverse this man-made social malaise in Britain. I know we can, but only ifwe have the bold, political will and leadership to do so.
More From GB News