In this policy note we outline the origins of Non-Crime Hate Incidents (NCHIs), the approach by police forces to recording them and their impact: (1) distracting police officers from focusing on what should be the core mission of policing to fight crime, (2) curtailing the employment prospects of individual members of the public through inappropriate disclosures of NCHIs, and (3) having a broader chilling effect on freedom of expression in our society.

Of the case files examined by the police Inspectorate there was an error rate of 25%. Police forces are opaque and variable in their recording. Essex Police recorded NCHIs at a rate of 21.5 NCHIs per 100 officers per annum in 2023 – a rate three times that of the Met, four times that of Greater Manchester and ten times that of West Yorkshire. Given there are estimated to be 13,200 NCHIs completed per annum nationally, it is reasonable to conclude that over 60,000 police hours per annum are being spent on NCHIs.

The report – endorsed by former Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police Lord Hogan-Howe and Lord Jackson, member of the British Transport Police Authority – makes nine recommendations for change.

The launch of this report has been covered by:

• The Telegraph
• The Times
• The Sun
• The Daily Mail
• Sky News
• Bloomberg
• Star Radio
• The Daily Mail
• POLITICO’s London Playbook