Slough Borough Council’s chief executive has called on local communities to stand together with the council and police to protect the town and residents from violent extremism.

The call came as part of a workshop on Tuesday, which was designed to give local groups the facts about travelling to Syria.

The topics included why people might wish to go, the national and local context, giving to the right charities safely and how everyone can support families at risk of radicalisation.

The workshop was part of an action plan, drawn up by the council’s community cohesion members’ group, to encourage awareness, debate and engagement around any issues which could potentially affect community cohesion in Slough.

Community groups, charities and voluntary organisations from across the borough attended the workshop where they heard presentations from local and national police organisations, the council, a teacher at the forefront of safeguarding young people and the Charity Commission.

There was also a question and answer session with a panel of experts including some of the speakers.

Chief Executive of Slough Borough Council, Ruth Bagley was one of the speakers. She said: “The radicalisation of members of our communities is not just a police responsibility it is something for the council, voluntary organisations, schools, community groups, communities themselves; it is not something any of us can do on our own.

“We not only need to bring our safeguarding expertise to tackle the immediate threat which radicalisation brings, but also come together to tackle the context within which people of all ages feel so disillusioned, discounted and disengaged they travel on the wrong path.

“We need to focus on what brings us together, what makes us citizens of Slough, identify any sources of tension and deal with it, openly and honestly.

“We are reaching out to you all to say this is not a single responsibility, there is no one reason for why someone might want to travel to Syria, no one symptom of radicalisation so to protect our residents let’s work together.”

Thames Valley Police were represented at the event by LPA Commander Simon Bowden who said many of the estimated 30 people from Slough, who had travelled to Syria since the troubles began, had done so to provide aid but added: “Whether people go there to fight, to live or to provide aid, there is a huge misunderstanding or underestimation of the dangers they will face, the atrocity they will witness, and the tragedies that are likely to ensue.

“We need to raise awareness and talk about the issues; don’t hide them as it can cause fissures in our community cohesion and the tolerance Slough is famous for.”

Chief Inspector Simon Smith from the Prevent National Counter Terrorism Policing HQ who was the first speaker of the afternoon, agreed.

He said: “You will have seen it on the television, in the news, all over the media and it isn’t hype; there are 100s of people who have gone out there and more will follow.

“There isn’t one type of person who has gone for one reason; it is all ages, men and women, the elderly and the young.

“The weapon of the extremists in Syria, promoting the so-called Islamic State is social media and policing that is like trying to nail jelly to a wall; it is impossible.

“This is not about policing; it is about making sure our young people, our adults, your residents are supported by the community, by their families, by their neighbours before something tragic happens.”

Other speakers included Peter Blewett, vice principal at Langley Academy and Tullulah Perez-Sphar from the Charity Commission.

In addition to the speakers and also on the panel for questions and answers was Councillor Mohammed Sharif, chair of the council’s community cohesion members’ group, Krutika Pau, interim director of children’s services in Slough and Councillor Rayman Bains.

Questions ranged from what would happen if someone reported a person at risk of travelling to Syria, to how official agencies and local groups could engage more with residents.

The event followed the successful community cohesion conference hosted by the council in February and was created following specific questions raised at the time.