Tories push to abolish Non-Crime Hate Incidents and end policing of free speech

Tory leader Kemi Badenoch has demanded that Keir Starmer “stop hiding behind weasel words” and back her amendment to end the use of woke Non-Crime Hate Incidents. The Conservatives have announced they will table an amendment to the Government’s Crime & Policing Bill that would put an end to police forces in Britain investigating and or making arrests for incidents where someone could have caused offence but not broken the law.

The use of Non-Crime Hate Incidents by the police has surged in recent years, with forces averaging around 13,000 per year. NCHIs are used by the police to collect information on 'hate incidents' that do not cross the threshold into being a crime, but could suggest the individual may be likely to escalate into more serious offence in future. However there are widespread concerns they are being used to restrict legal free speech, with journalists and children as young as nine years old being subjected to them.

The Tories will seek to amend the government’s flagship crime bill to make it illegal in almost all cases for the police to collect or retain personal data relating to alleged hate incidents where no crime has been committed.

If the amendment passes, forces will be barred from keeping records on individuals who have not broken the law.

Kemi Badenoch, the Conservative leader, said: “The British public want police on the streets - fighting crime and protecting families - not trawling social media for things someone might find offensive.”

“Recording so-called 'non-crime hate incidents' hasn’t cut crime. It’s wasted police time chasing ideology and grievance instead of justice.

”No wonder public trust in the police is falling. People see officers distracted from real threats and politicians too scared to act.

“Keir Starmer needs to stop hiding behind weasel words. Stand up, show some courage, and back real policing over political correctness.

“If Labour were serious about the violence in our towns and cities, they’d back our amendment and fix this.”

The party insists that their amendment would not affect the ability of criminal justice authorities to record consistent criminal harassment, for example in the case of persistent antisemitism.

However it would put a stop to people being subjected to police intervention in individual cases of contentious but legal free speech.

According to the Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services, police forces are recording NCHIs improperly, and have a lack of sufficient oversight.

A 2024 inspection into their use warned: “A risk-averse approach and a lack of knowledge have led to incorrect recording of NCHIs and hate crimes. Some officers and staff were fearful of being criticised for failing to record a crime and would record a crime without considering if the incident amounted to an NCHI, or if in fact no record was needed.”

Scrutiny of NCHIs exploded last November when Telegraph journalist Allison Pearson revealed she had become the subject of a police investigation after a year-old tweet had been logged as such following a single complaint by a member of the public.

That same month it was revealed by The Times that children as young as 9 had also been recorded for the non-crime, with a primary school girl gaining a police record for calling a classmate a “retard”.

Chris Philp MP, Shadow Home Secretary, said: "The role of the police is to fight crime and protect our citizens - not to monitor and police thoughts or opinions.”

“So the growing numbers, and misuse, of Non Crime Hate Incidents represents a serious moral and legal crisis that must urgently be tackled. Innocent people have been targeted by the state simply for expressing lawful views - that must end.

"That is why the Conservatives are taking action. Our amendment will stop police forces from wasting time on this Orwellian nonsense and get them back to doing the job the public expects: fighting real crime. The Conservative Party will always stand up for free speech, common sense.”

The Home Office was approached for comment.