Auto Amazon Links: No products found. Blocked by captcha.
Police leaders are preparing to propose the elimination of non-crime hate incidents (NCHIs) in an upcoming review scheduled for release next month. Lord Herbert, chair of the College of Policing, described a new, more focused approach that targets only the most serious incidents as “sensible,” suggesting that it would better align policing practices with the realities of the social media era. NCHIs refer to actions believed to be driven by hostility or prejudice based on characteristics such as race or gender, but which do not qualify as criminal offenses.
Although these incidents are not classified as crimes, they remain on police records and can appear during background checks. The initial guidance for recording NCHIs was introduced in 2005 in response to recommendations following the murder of Stephen Lawrence, a London teenager killed in a racially motivated attack in 1993. However, Lord Herbert noted that the surge of social media has complicated policing by drawing officers into monitoring “mere disputes” online, something they are reluctant to do. He expressed concern over how recent media coverage of NCHIs has been “awkward and very damaging” for the police.
The review being conducted by the College of Policing and the National Police Chiefs’ Council will be submitted to the home secretary, who will make the final decision on whether to implement the suggested changes. The Home Office has emphasized the need for a consistent and sensible approach that safeguards the “fundamental right to free speech,” while refraining from pre-empting the review’s outcome. Rachel Swann, vice-chair of the National Police Chiefs’ Council, reinforced the importance of focusing on actual threats and risks to the community rather than policing cultural debates online. She also highlighted the need to keep communities safe by identifying risks to vulnerable individuals and potential precursors to violence.
Media reports indicate that the proposed recommendations include recording only the most serious categories of anti-social behavior previously treated as NCHIs. In recent years, over 133,000 non-crime hate incidents have been recorded by 43 police forces across England and Wales since 2014. Notably, the Metropolitan Police announced last October that it would cease investigating NCHIs to redirect resources toward incidents meeting the threshold for criminal investigation. This move followed advice from the policing watchdog that forces should stop recording such incidents. Earlier this year, Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch advocated scrapping most NCHIs, stating that they waste police resources by diverting attention from justice toward “ideology and grievance.
Read the full article from The BBC here: Read More
Auto Amazon Links: No products found. Blocked by captcha.