To ensure the long term success, there is a need to fuse together deradicalisation efforts that are primarily focused on terrorists and violent radicals with robust programmes aimed at countering violent extremism at the communal and societal levels. These measures may include for example, inter-religious or theological dialogues, ‘community policing’, public discussions on local issues of concern, and (where appropriate) regulation of religious curricula to ensure that the content of religious teachings in (public and private) schools or colleges does not transgress or overlook legally defined national security requirements. The determination of such legal limits or the enactment of the said preventive laws (on textbook content, for example) would benefit from discussions and interactions between government agencies and representatives of the various religious and cultural communities concerned in order to enhance the legitimacy of the said laws at the societal level.

An important aspect of “social interaction” between law enforcement and members of society is community policing. ‘Community Policing’ (CP) is a “new philosophy of policing, based on the concept that police officers and private citizens working together in partnership can help solve contemporary community problems related to crime, fear of crime, social and physical disorder, and neighbourhood decay”. In community policing, police are expected to engage with members of the community regardless of gender, age, race or religion. CP emphasises the development of “effective working partnerships through a restructuring of police organisations and operational policing roles in accordance with the realities of community structures”.One benefit of CP in addition to bringing the two entities (police and community members) closer and building better working relations between the two, is the enhancement of the capabilities for pre-emptive policing. Through such interaction and trust building, it is expected that problems can be identified at a much earlier stage and steps taken to prevent them before they become complicated and affect many members of the community.  In the case of counter-terrorism, this grassroots engagement by members of the police force offers an invaluable opportunity for effective and timely intelligence gathering.