The Conservative Party has proposed banning police in England and Wales from recording non-crime hate incidents (NCHIs) except in exceptional cases, arguing the practice wastes resources on “ideological policing” rather than fighting crime.
Party leader Kemi Badenoch announced plans to amend the government’s Crime and Policing Bill, stating NCHIs divert officers from “pursuing justice to chasing grievances.” The move follows reports that police recorded over 133,000 such incidents since 2014.
defined as acts perceived as prejudicial but not criminal were introduced in 2005 after the Stephen Lawrence inquiry to monitor potential escalations in hate-related harm. The Tories emphasized their proposal’s timing on the 33rd anniversary of Lawrence’s murder was coincidental.
Policing Minister Diana Johnson dismissed the plan as “unworkable,” warning it would hinder monitoring of antisemitism and racist threats. Revised 2023 guidance already requires officers to assess whether reports are “trivial” or show “intentional hostility.”
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