Watchdog Discovers 25 Percent of Police-Recorded ‘Hate Crimes’ Should Not Have Been Documented
Officers are frequently intervening in disagreements where no criminal activity has occurred, with 25 percent of cases mistakenly classified as ‘hate’ incidents.
The police are categorizing too many incidents as “hate crimes” and getting involved in disputes involving “hurt feelings,” as a result of differing perspectives and strong opinions, according to a new report by the police watchdog.
An examination of 120 sample cases of so-called “Non-Crime Hate Incidents” (NCHIs) and hate crimes revealed that a quarter should not have been recorded by the police at all.
For example, one incident involved a man reporting members of the public for giving him strange looks, which he attributed to his ethnic background. This led to the recording of an NCHI, with a police officer taking it seriously. Another case involved a man reporting a cashier for being “racist” for conducting money-laundering checks while the man tried to deposit a large sum of cash.
Officers are often taking actions that “may seem to defy common sense,” with the current culture within the force appearing to be “when in doubt, record a crime,” as highlighted by Andy Cooke, His Majesty’s chief inspector of constabulary, who authored the report.
Former Conservative Home Secretary Suella Braverman commissioned the report on “activism and impartiality” in policing in September 2023, in response to several media reports about potential police overreach in the aftermath of social media disputes on politically controversial topics.
‘Contentious, Emotive Issues’
The introduction to the report states: “This has been one of the most challenging inspections we have conducted. It deals with complex legislation and regulations. It deals with policing’s sometimes challenging role in maintaining peace, addressing the needs of individuals or groups with conflicting views, and simultaneously upholding everyone’s rights. And it involves contentious, emotive issues.”
The inspectors examined over 4,000 documents, conducted interviews and focus groups with more than 400 officers, staff, and members of other organizations. They reviewed the records of 120 “non-crime hate incidents,” where no crime was deemed to have been committed but a record was kept.
The team also surveyed both the police and the public, receiving over 4,000 responses, and analyzed more than 857,000 police social media posts.
The objective was to assess the police’s policies, processes, decision-making, and how officers are trained to handle NCHIs.
The inspection also aimed to identify how the police communicate with the public and whether there are any systemic issues that impact the force’s impartiality.
Despite this, the recording of NCHIs has increased over the past year, with current Home Secretary Yvette Cooper announcing plans to reinstate requirements for police to document such incidents, citing that the updated guidance is hindering police from monitoring threats to Jewish and Muslim communities after the conflict in Gaza.
