Muslims are boycotting the country’s key anti-radicalisation programme, The Times can disclose, after it emerged that less than a tenth of extremism tip-offs were coming directly from the community or faith leaders. The revelation that there were fewer than 300 community tip-offs in six months to the government’s Prevent programme will raise concern that the police are being denied information that might prevent terrorist attacks. The vast majority of referrals to the scheme are instead being made by the police or public bodies such as schools and the NHS. Even though the figures relate to all kinds of extremism, including the far right, they illustrate the disillusionment within Muslim communities about Prevent, which has been described as racist or akin to a McCarthyite witch-hunt where community members are encouraged to shop their neighbours or even schoolfriends to the police. This month the Waltham Forest Council of Mosques, which represents tens of thousands of Muslims in east London, announced a boycott of Prevent. Muslim leaders in Newham, another east London borough, have also warned that it is “spying on our young people”. The two statements have led to a campaign for a national boycott of Prevent by mosques and community bodies, which could result in even fewer tip-offs from the public in future. Incidents that have increased community tensions include a 14-year-old boy being interrogated over whether he had sy

Parking companies face being banned from “clobbering” motorists with penalties of up to £250 after a Times investigation unearthed claims of widespread abuse by some operators. Ministers are expected to outline plans in the new year to cap the amount of money such companies can charge and restrict access to a government database of vehicle records that allows them to pursue motorists for cash. The disclosure will raise fresh concerns over the system operated by the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA), which gives parking companies access to a database containing the address of car owners. The service — which companies pay the DVLA £2.50 a time to access — enables them to pursue motorists with demands for unpaid parking tickets and to launch court proceedings if penalties remain unpaid. Access to records has rocketed particularly since 2012 when the government banned companies fro

Plans to evacuate thousands of rebels from the Yarmouk refugee camp in southern Damascus have been put on hold. It had been hoped that that militants and their families would be bussed out of the besieged area and into places where their respective parties have control, after a deal was struck between rebels and the government. Safety concerns and the killing of a top rebel have been blamed for the delay. About 18,000 civilians are thought to be trapped in Yarmouk, which has been under siege by the government since 2012, has been beset by fighting and was partly taken over by Islamic State (Isis) earlier this year. Militia and rebel fighters pushed Isis back in weeks of fierce fighting and the area has been divided into sections controlled by Isis, al-Nusra Front and pro and anti-government Palestinian militants. Government forces guard checkpoints aro