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Police in Great Britain made 3,061 terrorism-related arrests in the year to March 31, 2026, a rise of 1,186 percent on the 238 recorded a year earlier, according to Home Office figures published this week. Almost all of the increase traces to one decision: the July 2025 ban on the protest group Palestine Action.
Of the 3,061 arrests, 2,819 (92 percent) were linked to supporting Palestine Action, which was proscribed under the Terrorism Act on July 5, 2025. Strip those out, and 242 arrests remain, a 1.7 percent rise on the previous year. Arrests unconnected to the group, in other words, held roughly steady.
The ban reshaped who is being detained. Arrests tied to the group carried an average age of 59, against 31 for all others, and 2,561 of them (91 percent) involved people aged 30 or over. The picture by sex shifted too. Of 3,055 arrests where sex was known, 1,467 (48 percent) were women, up from 16 percent a year earlier.
Charging is running well behind arrests. So far 551 people (18 percent) have been charged, most under Section 12 or Section 13 of the Terrorism Act, which cover expressing support for a banned organization. As of March 31, 273 people were in custody for terrorism or terrorism-connected offences, a record high. In the same year, 72 people were tried and 67 were convicted.
Officers also made greater use of border powers. Examinations under Schedule 7 of the Terrorism Act, which let police question travelers at UK ports and airports, rose 14 percent to 2,614 people over the year. As The Guardian noted, the surge coincides with the Palestine Action ban rather than a rise in other terrorism cases.
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