The article reveals that police forces across Britain are investigating professionals like doctors, vicars, and social workers for non-crime hate incidents (NCHIs), based on freedom of information requests. Examples include a doctor accused of misdiagnosis, a vicar deemed a "suspect" for stating that homosexuality is a sin, and individuals targeted for comments about Welsh people or Chinese food.
Concerns are raised regarding the recording of NCHIs against children and professionals for seemingly minor offenses. Rachel Reeves, among others, criticized the practice as a waste of police time, emphasizing the need for police to focus on ensuring public safety. The privacy campaign group Big Brother Watch also expressed concerns about questionable NCHIs recorded by police.
These examples highlight a wide range of incidents reported as NCHIs, suggesting potential overreach in the application of the regulations.
Police forces, including West Yorkshire, Humberside, Lancashire, Norfolk, and South Wales, offered responses. While acknowledging challenges in interpreting new NCHI rules and emphasizing the need to assess each case, their explanations don't fully address the concerns regarding the breadth of incidents recorded as NCHIs.
The article concludes by showing that NCHIs have been recorded even for incidents like begging, street sex work, and the finding of a dead pigeon, raising concerns about the definition and application of NCHIs and the need for clearer guidelines and training for police officers.