Police forces across the UK responded to more than 14,000 non-crime hate incidents in the year to September, including trivial matters such as schoolgirls falling out on Snapchat and disputes over parking spaces.
Freedom of Information requests revealed that 44 police forces recorded a total of 14,344 non-crime hate incidents (NCHIs), ranging from a rude word spelt with alphabet cups in Tesco to complaints about “offensive” dog names.
The incidents, which are meant to be recorded only when there is clear intentional hostility and risk of escalation, have sparked concerns over the use of police resources.
Among the notable incidents, officers responded to a teddy bear picnic featuring a golliwog in Humberside, where someone took offence at the hand-painted scene.
In South Yorkshire, police investigated a case where a woman reported finding a dead cat next to her bins, believing it may have been left there intentionally as a hate incident.
South Yorkshire Police recorded the highest number of NCHIs with 712 incidents, including a case where a man with long hair was challenged for using the men’s toilets.
In Derbyshire, officers logged a dispute between schoolgirls on Snapchat where “one girl was called a Polish t***”, though the school had already addressed the matter.
City of London police recorded 30 NCHIs, including a case involving a cleaner who refused to clean a flat.
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In Nottinghamshire, officers dealt with 578 incidents, including a report of transphobia where a family member was accused of saying the person was “living out a sexual fantasy”.
Essex Police logged 598 cases, including an incident where someone confronted a dog owner about their pet’s name, making derogatory comments about “f*gs and transvestites on TV”.
In Bedfordshire, where 248 NCHIs were recorded, police logged a case where someone was reported for saying being “pansexual” was “not a thing”.
Hampshire’s police and crime commissioner Donna Jones strongly criticised the use of police resources for these incidents.
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“Hate crimes are an offence and there is adequate legislation to prosecute offenders and protect victims. However, NCHIs are not criminal offences. The clue is in the title: non-crime,” she said.
“As a police crime commissioner in one of the biggest police forces in this country, I am wholly against a single second of scarce police resource being spent on responding to anything that isn’t a crime.”
Jake Hurfurt, head of research and investigations at privacy campaign group Big Brother Watch, warned that many of these incidents have no place in police records.
“Anyone with a degree of common sense would see that many of these NCHIs have no place on police databases, and by recording them officers devalue the concept of genuine hate while wasting countless hours of their time,” he said.
He added that while some forces were making progress in reducing frivolous NCHI records, “there is still clearly work to be done”.
