A NEW film is aiming to deter people from travelling abroad to conflict zones.

The six-minute video – Left Behind – is part of the Prevent Tragedies strategy which is designed to identify and tackle homegrown extremism.

It features interviews with North West Regional Terrorism Unit contact officers who explain the consequences of loved ones being sucked into journeying into warzones and putting their lives at risk.

Detective Chief Superintendent Tony Mole, head of the North West Counter Terrorism Unit, said: "It's about encouraging people to think about the people they leave behind and what they leave behind when they make these decisions. It's devastating for communities and families.

"The other message we're trying to get out is early intervention."

Around 850 people have left Britain for combat zones including Syria. Some have returned – and they are potentially subject to a criminal investigation. Many end up joining a terrorist organisation such as Islamic State, also known as Daesh, and die fighting, leaving their family without a funeral or closure.

Det Chf Supt Mole said: "It's quite a draw for some people and the North West is no different from any other big metropolitan area around the UK.

"It's not a huge problem, proportional to the population, but when they go it's life-changing."

The film aims to appeal to viewers' feelings and demonstrates the far reaching consequences of radicalisation and fleeing overseas — showing them the likely bleak 'future' against the 'here and now'.

Examples given range from the deep despair and disbelief of relatives, the dangerous influence of impressionable siblings, family members being ostracised by the community and the media attention.

Families are further encouraged to report their concerns about others to the police so officers can challenge the views of individuals being seduced by a radical ideology and dissuade them from departing Britain.

In this way several people have been successfully persuaded to turn back en route to conflict zones.

Det Chf Supt Mole added: "It's brave of people to come forward but it's necessary. It's the right thing to do. It's a very sensitive issue and I understand people's nervousness around it. I have never seen a family who hasn't wanted their loved one to return. I have just seen devastation."

The film will be shared online and through certain channels in a bid to spread the messages to Bolton and Bury.

See the full film at www.preventtragedies.co.uk