Non-crime hate incidents ‘to be scrapped’ in favour of ‘common sense’
It is reported that police chiefs will try to eliminate hate incidents other than crime in the plans they will present to the Minister of Internal Affairs next month.
Police leaders have decided NCHIs are no longer “fit for purpose” after warnings that recording them undermines free speech and distracts officers from tackling crime.
A new “common sense” system is being proposed, as reported by . TelegramOnly a very small proportion of such incidents will be recorded under the most serious category of anti-social behaviour.
It comes after Father Ted co-creator Graham Linehan was arrested over a series of X-related posts as he stepped off a plane at Heathrow airport in September.
Plans to scrap the concept will be published by the Police College and National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) next month and are expected to be supported by Home Affairs Minister Shabana Mahmood, the newspaper reported.
Lord Herbert, president of the College of Police, told The Telegraph: “NCHIs will go as a concept. This system will be scrapped and replaced with a completely different system.”
“Nothing like this will be recorded in crime databases. Instead, only the most serious category of anti-social behavior will be recorded. This is a huge change.”
Their exclusion from crime databases means any incidents will no longer need to be declared as part of checks on job applications. Police forces will be instructed not to record “hate” incidents in crime databases, but instead treat them as “intelligence” reports.
Instead, officers will be given a “common sense” checklist to review before taking any action, to prevent police from intervening in online discussions or offensive comments.
The Metropolitan Police announced in October that it would stop investigating “non-criminal hate incidents” after deciding not to take further action against Mr Linehan, whose arrest sparked controversy.
Met Police commissioner Mark Rowley is expected to back the changes after stating officers were in an “impossible position” when dealing with statements made online following the Mr Linehan row.
A spokesman for the force said at the time: “We understand the concerns surrounding this case.
“The Commissioner has made clear that he does not believe police officers should police toxic culture war debates; the current law and rules on encouraging online violence leave them in an impossible situation.
“As a result, the Met will no longer investigate non-criminal hate incidents. We believe this will give officers clearer guidance, reduce uncertainty and allow them to focus on matters that meet the threshold for criminal investigation.”
The Independent has contacted the Home Office for comment.
