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UK Police to Scrap Non-Crime Hate Incident System

UK Police to Scrap Non-Crime Hate Incident System

Are non-crime hate incident records an Orwellian waste of resources, or a vital tool to prevent tragedy?
UK Police to Scrap Non-Crime Hate Incident System
Above: Police officers on patrol in the town center of Poole, on June 7. Image credit: Finnbarr Webster/Getty Images

The Spin

Recording non-crime hate incidents wastes police resources and criminalizes free speech, pulling officers away from real crime. It logs trivial disputes, harms innocent people's job prospects, and diverts officers from addressing real crime. Abolishing this Orwellian practice restores common sense and would allow police to focus on actual criminal behavior.

The non-crime hate incident system, established after the Stephen Lawrence inquiry, is crucial for tracking incidents of antisemitism and racism before they escalate to violence. Abandoning this framework risks leaving police unaware of dangerous community patterns and weakens protections that identify when hostility becomes criminal. Proper reform should refine, not dismantle, this important preventive tool.


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© 2025 Improve the News Foundation. All rights reserved.Version 6.18.0

© 2025 Improve the News Foundation.

All rights reserved.

Version 6.18.0