Met Police says it will no longer investigate non-crime hate incidents

The Metropolitan Police said it would no longer investigate hate incidents other than crime to allow officers to “focus on matters that meet the threshold for a criminal investigation”.

The announcement comes after the Met confirmed it was investigating Father Ted creator Graham Linehan after he was arrested at Heathrow Airport on suspicion of inciting violence in relation to his posts on X.

“This decision means that no charges will be brought against Graham Linehan regarding this allegation,” a detective wrote in an email to the comic on Monday.

Mr Linehan’s arrest by five police officers on September 1 after arriving by plane from the US sparked outrage from some public figures and politicians.

In an email to his lawyers, a Metropolitan Police detective wrote: “I am writing to inform you that following the Crown Prosecution Service’s review of the evidence it has been determined that no further action will be taken in this matter.

“Please note that this decision may be reconsidered if further evidence or information emerges.”

Mr Linehan and the Free Speech Union (FSU), an advocacy group, have vowed to sue the Metropolitan Police for wrongful arrest and interference with free speech rights.

The writer added that Westminster Magistrates’ Court decided to drop all bail conditions following an application from FSU lawyers. District Judge Snow ruled that the conditions were too vague and ordered them removed immediately.

In a statement on Monday addressing non-criminal hate incidents, a Metropolitan Police spokesman said it “understands the concern” about Mr Linehan’s case.

“The commissioner made clear that he did not believe officers should be policing toxic culture war debates, as existing laws and rules on inciting online violence leave them in an impossible position,” the spokesman said.

The spokesman added that the policy change would “provide clearer guidance for officers, reduce uncertainty and enable them to focus on matters that meet the threshold for criminal investigation.”

Non-criminal hate incidents are acts that are alleged to be motivated by hostility or prejudice towards people with certain characteristics, such as race or transgender identity.

In an online Substack article published in September, Mr. Linehan said following his arrest at the airport: Authorities became concerned about his health after measuring his blood pressure. He said he was later taken to the hospital.

The Metropolitan Police said a man in his 50s was arrested at Heathrow Airport on September 1 and taken to hospital, his condition was “neither life-threatening nor life-altering” and the man was released on bail “pending further investigation”.

Linehan said in the Substack post that her arrest was related to three posts from April about X’s views on challenging a “trans-identified man” in a “women-only space.”

He shared screenshots of posts he said were arrested on the subscription-based online platform Substack.

The first post on feed

He later wrote on Substack that during an interview with police after the arrest, “I explained that the ‘punch’ tweet was a serious point made in jest” and that it was “about the height difference between men and women… and was certainly not a call for violence.”

X’s second post appeared to be an aerial shot of a group of protesters downtown, describing it as “a photo you can smell.”

A third referred to “misogynists and homophobes” and added an expletive: “I hate them.”

On 3 September, Metropolitan Police chief Sir Mark Rowley said Defends officers involved in Heathrow arrestsbut said he acknowledged the “concern caused by such incidents, given differing perspectives on the balance between freedom of expression and the risks of inciting real-world violence.”

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said police should “focus on the most serious issues” when asked about the arrest, while calling on the government to “change or clarify” the law following Linehan’s arrest.

At the time, Green Party leader Zack Polanski described the posts as “completely unacceptable”, saying the arrest appeared “disproportionate”, while Shami Chakrabarti, a Labor member and former director of civil liberties group Liberty, said “the public order statute book and speech crimes in particular need a comprehensive review”.

“But inciting violence should always be a criminal offence,” he added.

Mr Linehan pleaded not guilty to charges of harassment and criminal damage in a separate case which was adjourned until October 29 when the comedian was granted bail.