The Lone Actor challenge within P/CVE is not a new phenomenon, with tragic examples stretching back throughout history. Indeed, RAN practitioners will recall all too quickly the sudden onset of lone actor attacks ‘inspired’ by Daesh across Europe and the world following the group’s emergence and subsequent fall in Syria and Iraq, the range of violent right-wing extremist-inspired attacks across the globe since 2017, whilst the events at Utøya, Norway in 2011 subsequently led to the creation of the RAN itself. However, towards the end of 2021, lone actor attacks in Kongsberg, Norway and Leigh-On-Sea, United Kingdom, have brought the topic back into prominence for all practitioners working in P/CVE.

This month’s RAN Practitioners Update, the first of the new year, focuses on the emerging and evolving lone actor challenge, particularly in the wake of the accelerated digitalisation brought about by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The Update links to the latest RAN Practitioners Spotlight Magazine which focuses on the topic, with articles and interviews from practitioners and academics on the frontline of this challenge. The Update also links to a new thematic film which hears from academic experts, practitioners and Working Group Leads, as well as a newly released RAN Practitioners paper on Lone Actors in Digital Environments.