UK terror police to monitor nurseries for Islamic radicalization

Nursery-age children should be monitored for signs of brainwashing by Islamist extremists, according to a leaked police memo obtained by The Times. In an e-mail to community groups, an officer in the West Midlands counter-terrorism unit wrote: "I do hope that you will tell me about persons, of whatever age, you think may have been radicalized or be vulnerable to radicalization... Evidence suggests that radicalization can take place from the age of 4." The police unit confirmed that counter-terrorist officers specially trained in identifying children and young people vulnerable to radicalization had visited nursery schools. The policy was condemned last night. Chris Grayling, the Shadow Home Secretary, said that it ran the risk of "alienating even more people". Chris Huhne, the Liberal Democrat home affairs spokesman, said that it was an "absurd waste of police time".