UK to Scrap Non-Crime Hate Incidents Logging, Adopt New Approach to Hate Speech
The UK government plans to scrap the recording of Non-crime hate incidents (NCHIs) and replace it with a new system that will not log such incidents on crime databases. Under this new approach, hate speech incidents will be treated as intelligence reports instead of crimes, with the police employing a common-sense checklist to decide on appropriate intervention.
Lord Herbert, a former Tory policing minister and current chair of the College of Policing, has confirmed this plan, describing it as a significant change driven by developments such as the proliferation of social media and smartphones. He stated that the proposed system would only record the most serious anti-social behavior and avoid embedding NCHIs within crime databases.
This change comes in the context of longstanding recommendations dating back to Macpherson's 1999 call for comprehensive reporting of racist incidents. There have been ongoing debates about the police's focus on online conduct versus prioritizing public safety.
Politically, figures including Labour leader Keir Starmer and Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood have emphasized that police resources should focus on issues that matter most to the public. Mahmood has distinguished between offensive content and material that incites violence or hatred, underscoring the rationale for the new approach.
