Reports indicate that, despite recent government directives, UK police forces continue to document instances such as neighborhood squabbles, inebriated tirades, and online disputes as incidences of hatred. This, unusually, includes business owners on the receiving end of negative internet reviews. Last year, authorities appealed to the police to halt documenting occurrences devoid of any clear evidence of deliberate bias. Nonetheless, the trend persists.
Worryingly, this diversion of attention appears to coincide with a substantial drop in the resolution rate for conventional crimes. Home Office data reveals that in 2023, a meager 3.9% of robbery incidents resulted in charges being laid.
In the spotlight of recent criticism is former Home Secretary Suella Braverman’s assertion to the police force that they need to “do better.” Furthermore, the College of Policing has had to reevaluate its guidelines concerning non-hate crime incidents, spurred by a notable verdict this past December.
Last year, the Home Office issued a protocol specifying that “The perception of hostility or prejudice by a complainant or any other person alone is not enough, in and of itself, to warrant an NCHI record being made.”
Despite these directives, a review by civil liberties group Big Brother Watch found that 32 out of the 46 scrutinized police forces had recorded more than 6,000 NCHI entries between June and November 2023.
Further disheartening is recent data indicating that close to 50% of all residential break-ins in England and Wales remain unsolved. With police struggling to resolve these crimes in 48% of neighborhoods, consisting of 1,000-3,000 residents, over the last three years, this high rate of impunity for burglars raises significant concerns.
