By GB News (World News) | Created at 2024-11-25 08:39:37 | Updated at 2024-11-25 10:46:35
2 hours ago
A former Metropolitan Police commissioner has called for ministers to review the use of non-crime hate incidents after a new report revealed they consume 60,000 hours of police time annually.
Lord Hogan-Howe urged the government to study findings from the Policy Exchange think tank, which recommends abolishing the recording of such incidents, reports The Telegraph.
The report found that officers spend tens of thousands of hours investigating approximately 13,000 non-crime hate incidents each year, diverting resources from fighting actual crime.
Lord Hogan-Howe, the most senior policing figure to criticise these incidents, said Parliament must decide whether police should be investigating them at all, adding officers were having to take action that "may appear to contradict common sense."
Lord Hogan-Howe said officers were having to take action that 'may appear to contradict common sense'
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The peer noted police had no powers to investigate or interview "suspects" in non-crime hate incidents, causing public concern when officers had done so.
"Whether something is a non-crime hate incident is a subjective test based on guidance, producing inconsistent outcomes," he said.
Analysis by Policy Exchange found Essex Police recorded non-crime hate incidents at more than twice the national rate, with 21.5 incidents per 100 officers annually. This was three times higher than the Metropolitan Police, four times that of Greater Manchester Police and 10 times West Yorkshire Police's rate.
The report highlighted examples of trivial cases being logged, including when someone refused to shake hands - which the recipient claimed was "hate-related due to gender identity".
Another case involved a "rough" haircut being recorded after a customer claimed their barber was "aggressive" following a discussion about the Ukraine war.
Greater Manchester Police had four times less hate crime cases logged compared to Essex Police
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HM Inspectorate of Constabulary found officers were taking a "if in doubt, record" approach, often logging incidents that amounted to little more than "hurt feelings".
David Spencer, a former Met Police detective chief inspector who authored the Policy Exchange report, warned non-crime hate incidents were having a "devastating" impact on public perception of policing.
