Orwellian Policing: Are Non-Crime Hate Incidents Killing Free Speech in the UK?
From playground insults to social media posts, your words could land you a police record. Find out how Non-Crime Hate Incidents are eroding free speech and wasting precious police resources.
Freedom of speech is under threat in the UK, and the latest battleground is the growing controversy surrounding Non-Crime Hate Incidents (NCHIs). These incidents, while not criminal, can have serious consequences for individuals, including appearing on enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) checks—potentially damaging careers and reputations for behaviour that many, both inside and outside of law enforcement, argue should never have involved the police in the first place. A petition from the Free Speech Union, now with 21,000 signatures, calls for the abolition of what they explicitly referred to as this "Orwellian" practice, arguing that already strained police resources would be far better spent addressing actual crimes.
What Are Non-Crime Hate Incidents?
NCHIs were born from the Stephen Lawrence Inquiry in 1999. In the wake of Lawrence's racially motivated murder, the inquiry recommended recording "racist incidents" even when they fell short of criminal activity. The goal was to identify patterns of discriminatory behaviour that might escalate into hate crimes. Over the years, this concept expanded. By 2014, the College of Policing's Hate Crime Operational Guidance included all protected characteristics—race, religion, disability, sexual orientation, and transgender identity—and encouraged reporting based on perceived hostility.
This perception-based standard is at the heart of the problem. The definition of "hostility" has been stretched to include "ill-will," "dislike," and even "ill-feeling," making it alarmingly easy to report someone for an incident that's entirely subjective. Worse still, the College of Policing operates outside democratic accountability, creating a policy that critics argue stifles free speech while burdening police forces with investigations of dubious merit.
Despite what you hear in many sections of the mainstream media, you would be hard-pressed to find a police officer who will say that they joined 'the job' to investigate people who show "ill-feeling" towards another. As one officer anonymously put it, "I became a police officer to protect people from harm and to hunt down serious criminals, not to referee personal disputes over words and feelings." Adding voices like these highlights just how misaligned NCHIs are with the fundamental mission of policing.
The Real-World Consequences
Examples of NCHIs provided by the Free Speech Union on their X account reveal the absurdity of the system:
An 11-year-old boy in Wiltshire was reported for calling another boy "shorty" and "leprechaun." Police opened an NCHI file on him.
Cathy Kirby, a teacher in Norfolk, was investigated after expressing concerns on social media about the threats posed by trans ideology to women's rights. Her comments were deemed "transphobic."
A man of Asian heritage found himself reported for jokingly saying a doodle of his friend looked like a terrorist. His friend wasn't offended, but an unrelated third party who was not a part of the conversation reported it, and an NCHI was filed.
An elderly woman had an NCHI lodged against her for beeping her horn at another driver who was taking too long on a petrol forecourt. The other driver, an Afro-Caribbean woman, accused her of racism.
These cases showcase how NCHIs can punish individuals for behaviour that's not only non-criminal but often trivial or misinterpreted. They demonstrate the dangers of a system where perception alone determines culpability, and they highlight the chilling effect such policies have on free speech and open debate.
A Waste of Precious Police Resources
Data from 45 of the UK's 48 police forces shows that 13,200 NCHIs were recorded in the year leading up to June 2024. Policy Exchange estimates that more than 60,000 police hours annually are spent on NCHIs, assuming each incident takes about five hours of police time. This time includes the efforts of officers, staff, and supervisors—resources that could be far better spent investigating violent crimes, thefts or recalling offenders released early from prison who reoffend.
In a country grappling with rising crime rates and police shortages, this misallocation of resources is indefensible. Police forces across the country are experiencing record numbers of resignations, with new joiners barely able to keep up with the number of officers leaving the service. Prisons are overcrowded, leading to early releases of offenders who often commit further crimes. Shouldn't police prioritise protecting the public from these known threats rather than chasing down perceived slights?
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Does Recording NCHIs Even Work?
Perhaps the most damning indictment of NCHIs is that there's no evidence that they actually prevent hate crimes. A Freedom of Information request in 2020 revealed that none of the 43 police forces questioned could provide an example of a crime prevented by recording NCHIs. Without demonstrable benefits, how can the powers that be justify this practice?
Critics argue that NCHIs do more harm than good, creating a culture of fear where people are hesitant to speak their minds on sensitive issues. This stifling of open debate is not only detrimental to society but fundamentally at odds with the principles of free speech that underpin a democratic nation.
Time for Change?
The Free Speech Union's petition is a rallying cry for common sense. "This Orwellian nonsense has got to stop," they wrote on X. And they're right. Police resources should focus on actual crimes—protecting communities and upholding the law, not policing perceptions and hurt feelings.
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The petition's introduction gets to the heart of the issue: "We believe that finding common agreement of what can be considered 'hateful' is difficult. We think that it is entirely subjective and therefore constitutes an existential threat to the freedom of speech/expression of the general public."
As violent crime rises and prisons overflow, it's time to question whether we want our police investigating childhood name-calling or prioritising public safety. If you believe in the importance of free speech and sensible policing, add your name to the petition and help end the wasteful, damaging practice of recording Non-Crime Hate Incidents.
OPINION Common Sense Policing: The Absurdity of Non-Crime Hate Incidents in the UK
In a country where the fabric of society feels like it's fraying at the edges, where crime rates are climbing, and public faith in institutions is waning at an alarming rate, one would think our police forces would be laser-focused on the most pressing issues of law and order. Be under no illusion; 99% of front-line police officers I have spoken to feel the exact same. Yet, here we are, witnessing an absurdity that defies common sense: the recording of Non-Crime Hate Incidents (NCHIs).
Let's talk about (not so) common sense for a moment…
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