2 godzin temu
Police chiefs will propose scrapping the controversial Non-Crime Hate Incident system next month, replacing it with a new "common sense" approach that focuses only on serious antisocial behaviour. The plan is set to be presented to Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood and is expected to receive her backing.
Lord Herbert, chairman of the College of Policing, confirmed the complete overhaul. He said: «NCHIs will go as a concept. That system will be scrapped and replaced with a completely different system. There will be no recording of anything like it on crime databases. Instead, only the most serious category of what will be treated as anti-social behaviour will be recorded. It's a sea change.»
What changes under the new system
The proposed system would treat hate incidents as intelligence reports rather than logging them on crime databases. Officers would receive a "common sense" checklist before taking action. Only the most serious cases of antisocial behaviour would be recorded.
Non-crime hate incidents are currently defined as incidents perceived to be motivated by hostility or prejudice based on characteristics like race or gender, but which do not meet the threshold of a criminal offence. The system was introduced following the Macpherson Inquiry into Stephen Lawrence's murder.
Controversial arrests sparked reform push
The review comes after high-profile cases generated widespread criticism. Graham Linehan, the Father Ted creator, was arrested in September at Heathrow Airport over social media posts about transgender issues. He was suspected of inciting violence over three posts made on X. The case was later downgraded to a non-crime hate incident investigation before being dropped entirely.
The arrest sparked outrage from Conservative politicians and JK Rowling. Sir Mark Rowley, the Metropolitan Police Commissioner, acknowledged officers faced «an impossible position» dealing with such online statements.
Police welcome the shift
Lord Herbert said: «It's drawn police into an area that I don't believe they wanted to be in.» He added: «Police have been caricatured that they wanted to be involved in this, but I haven't met a copper who does.»
Speaking on BBC Radio 4's Today programme, he explained: «The home secretary has already indicated that she wants to ensure that the police are focused on the right things and not on the trivial. It was quite clear that the whole regime needed looking at, that there was a perception that the police were being drawn into matters that they shouldn't have been. I don't think the police service wanted to be drawn into them. They don't want to be policing tweets.»
Andy Cooke, who leads HM Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services, said earlier this year: «I'm a firm believer that non-crime hate incidents are no longer required and that intelligence can be gathered in a different way, which would cause less concern to the public and would make recording of such issues much easier for policing.»
The Metropolitan Police already ceased investigating non-crime hate incidents in October. The review by the National Police Chiefs' Council and the College of Policing reflects growing recognition that the current system is no longer fit for purpose in the age of social media.
Note: This article was created with Artificial Intelligence (AI).
