Non-Crime Hate Incidents Spark Debate Over Police Priorities and Free Speech

[Social Media]

 

Doctors, vicars, and other professionals across Britain have been implicated in investigations into non-crime hate incidents (NCHIs), raising questions about the boundaries of free expression and the role of law enforcement in addressing societal tensions. NCHIs, designed to address behavior motivated by hostility toward protected characteristics, have been recorded in cases ranging from personal grievances to professional disputes.  

 

Police forces responding to freedom of information requests revealed that incidents have been logged against individuals performing their professional duties. For instance, a doctor faced accusations of hate after allegedly misdiagnosing a patient, while a vicar was labeled a suspect for declaring that being gay was sinful. A notable incident involved a person reporting a hate complaint after being called a “sheep shagger,” a derogatory term for a Welsh individual, and another where someone asked if a Chinese meal came “with bats.”  

 

According to guidance, NCHIs should address actions with a clear intent of hostility and the potential to escalate into significant harm or criminal behavior. However, concerns have arisen about the apparent misuse of such measures. Jake Hurfurt, from the privacy advocacy group Big Brother Watch, commented, “Time and time again we are seeing evidence of questionable non-crime hate incidents being recorded by police. Interpersonal squabbles have no place in police records, and forces devalue the concept of real hate crime when they spend time on thousands of these unnecessary reports.”  

 

The issue has been compounded by reports that children and journalists have also been subjects of NCHIs. For example, a nine-year-old girl was investigated for calling a classmate a derogatory term, and a journalist was reported for referring to an interview subject as “deaf and dumb.”  

Some police forces, such as West Yorkshire Police, have defended their approach, emphasizing a commitment to record every incident of alleged hate, regardless of whether it meets the threshold of criminality. In one case, a person claimed their bisexuality led to a misdiagnosis, and another individual alleged discrimination after being denied a spot on a course due to autism. A spokesperson for West Yorkshire Police stated that officers apply their judgment to determine hostility toward protected groups.  

 

Humberside Police also recorded an NCHI involving a vicar who allegedly caused distress by stating that being gay was sinful. The force stated it carefully assesses each case, considering vulnerabilities and risks while maintaining a "common-sense and proportionate approach."  

Other examples revealed by The Times include reports of a social worker accused of racially discriminating against a parent and failing to deliver gifts to children, and a pub incident where a transgender individual alleged they were targeted when asked to leave after being accused of inappropriate behavior.  

 

Critics argue that some incidents stretch the purpose of NCHIs. In Norfolk, a man’s comment about “sheep shagger” was logged, while Humberside recorded a hate incident involving a remark about bats and Chinese food. In South Wales, a lesbian couple believed a dead rat on their doorstep was a targeted act, despite the commonality of rats in the area.  

 

Surrey Police defended an NCHI where a couple was asked to leave a pub after allegations of inappropriate behavior, asserting that it was justified due to the transgender identity of one individual. In another case, a West Yorkshire woman reported an NCHI after finding a dead pigeon outside her home, linking it to prior harassment.  

 

The growing prevalence of NCHIs—13,200 recorded across 45 police forces in the year ending June 2023—has prompted calls for reform. Updated guidance from former Home Secretary Suella Braverman aims to raise the threshold for such reports. As the debate continues, balancing the protection of free expression and addressing genuine hate remains a contentious challenge for law enforcement.

 

Based on a report by The Times & Sunday Times 2024-11-18

 

 

 

[thaibeachlovers]

Western civilization rotates at an accelerating pace into the dustbin of history.

 

I thought the end would come in a military defeat, but seems more likely that in the end the barbarians will just walk in and take over.

[JonnyF]

If it is not a crime then the police should not get involved.

 

There are enough real crimes for them to investigate.

 

This is simply intimidation. The thin end of the wedge as the UK moves towards being a Kafkaesque police state.  

[jippytum]

knife crime, muggings and shopliffting abound and the police recources are used to arrest people because some woke idiot makes a trivial complaint about a comment made years ago. 

 

[Thingamabob]

The UK government's policy of curtailing of free speech may be put on hold as allegations circulate regarding the relationship between PM Starmer and the father of the  Southport killings suspect.

[brewsterbudgen]

4 minutes ago, Thingamabob said:

The UK government's policy of curtailing of free speech may be put on hold as allegations circulate regarding the relationship between PM Starmer and the father of the  Southport killings suspect.

 

They might be circulating on fringe websites and by conspiracy theorists, but true or not, they could well be prejudicial to the forthcoming trial of the person accused of the Southport murders.  

[James105]

1 minute ago, Thingamabob said:

The UK government's policy of curtailing of free speech may be put on hold as allegations circulate regarding the relationship between PM Starmer and the father of the  Southport killings suspect.

 

Those rumours are non-stop at the moment.   He is too weak and cowardly to come out and be transparent with the truth so those rumours are going to continue.  The media are continuing to pretend there is nothing to see here and for once are not using social media as a news source.  People are starting all their comments with "Imagine if..." or "in a hypothetical scenario..." so as to avoid the storm troopers at their doorsteps for spreading what no doubt have more than a bit of truth to them.  

 

He obviously had a different upbringing to me where he was taught to cower away and hide from a problem rather than stand up and face it.  Maybe thats just how toolmakers bring up their children.  

[James105]

2 minutes ago, brewsterbudgen said:

 

They might be circulating on fringe websites and by conspiracy theorists, but true or not, they could well be prejudicial to the forthcoming trial of the person accused of the Southport murders.  

 

I doubt they are being any more prejudicial to a trial than someone of influence claiming people are "far right thugs" or "criminals" before they had even stepped into a court room.   Even more reason to release all the information that can be released I would think, which is a sure fire way of stopping rumours.

[Thingamabob]

10 minutes ago, brewsterbudgen said:

 

They might be circulating on fringe websites and by conspiracy theorists, but true or not, they could well be prejudicial to the forthcoming trial of the person accused of the Southport murders.  

'Prejudicial to the forthcoming trial of the person accused of the Southport murders' ? Not in my opinion.

[Chomper Higgot]

The police have made the following statement it’s a little problematic for Ms Pearson, doubly so since the police have also filed lodged a complaint with the Independent Press Standards Organisation (Ipso) regulator over the Telegraph's reporting of the incident.

 

 

“At no stage during the short interaction between the woman and our officers was she informed that the report being investigated was being treated as a non-crime hate incident. To suggest otherwise is wholly inaccurate and misleading.

“As the public would expect, we have body worn video of this interaction which entirely supports our position in this respect.”

 

 

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cev9nxnygzpo.amp

 

 

 

Edited 2 hours ago by Chomper Higgot

[James105]

2 hours ago, Chomper Higgot said:

The police have made the following statement it’s a little problematic for Ms Pearson, doubly so since the police have also filed lodged a complaint with the Independent Press Standards Organisation (Ipso) regulator over the Telegraph's reporting of the incident.

 

 

“At no stage during the short interaction between the woman and our officers was she informed that the report being investigated was being treated as a non-crime hate incident. To suggest otherwise is wholly inaccurate and misleading.

“As the public would expect, we have body worn video of this interaction which entirely supports our position in this respect.”

 

 

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cev9nxnygzpo.amp

 

 

Weird how the Essex police are claiming some kind of moral victory here.  They went to a woman's house on a Sunday morning to interview her about a "crime" about a tweet and arguing about semantics of why they were there, rather than what the real issue is that they are turning up to peoples houses as they are policing social media rather than investigating real crimes.   They have certainly got enough actual crime to be getting on with according to their performance over the last few years:

 

https://www.essex.police.uk/SysSiteAssets/media/downloads/essex/stats-and-data/recorded-crime-figures/2024/2024-05-district-data.pdf

 

 

So it seems they managed to solve just 9.7% of victim based crimes in 2023, and just 10.5% in 2024, which means over 12000 victim based crimes from 2024 alone are currently unsolved.  Once this number is closer to 100% and they have nothing better to do with their time then perhaps they can justify spending some time policing tweets and claiming some kind of moral high ground here.  If I was them I would not want this story to drag on and let it die before others start noticing how badly they are performing.