Met Police halts ‘policing free speech’ in new hate rule shift

 

The Metropolitan Police will no longer investigate or record non-crime hate incidents (NCHIs), saying officers must “focus on matters that meet the threshold for criminal investigations.” The move follows public outrage over the arrest of Father Ted creator Graham Linehan, who was detained at Heathrow Airport on September 1 for alleged incitement to violence in online posts about gender issues.

 

Linehan was later cleared after the Crown Prosecution Service reviewed the evidence and decided no further action was necessary. His case sparked a national debate over policing free speech, with critics accusing the Met of wasting resources on “culture war policing.”

 

In a statement, the Met acknowledged widespread concern and said Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley “doesn’t believe officers should be policing toxic culture war debates.” The policy shift aims to reduce ambiguity for officers and refocus attention on genuine criminal cases.

 

NCHIs — introduced after the Stephen Lawrence inquiry in 2005 — record incidents perceived as motivated by hostility toward protected groups, even if no law was broken. Critics, including civil liberties advocates, say they chill free speech and unfairly label people as bigots without due process.

 

Linehan and the Free Speech Union plan to sue the Met for wrongful arrest and breach of free expression rights. The writer said his Heathrow arrest was over three posts on X, including one interpreted as encouraging violence but which he insists was “a serious point made with a joke.”

 

The decision marks a major policing shift, aligning with government pressure to rein in overreach and focus resources on violent and organized crime instead of online speech disputes.

 

Key Takeaways:

• Met Police will stop logging and investigating non-crime hate incidents.

• Decision follows Graham Linehan’s controversial Heathrow arrest.

• Policy shift aims to refocus policing on genuine criminal offences.

 

Source: [BBC]

 

 

 

There is a lot of violent crime - real physical crime, not online incitement or opinion. Perhaps catch the rapists and murderers first, eh?