House of Lords votes to abolish Non-Crime Hate Incidents

The House of Lords has voted to abolish the usage of “non-crime hate incidents” (NCHIs).

NCHIs have been heavily criticised for his or her misuse and for being a waste of police time.

People to have found themselves on the receiving end of a NCHI include Christian street preachers quoting the Bible or questioning Islam, children issuing playground insults, and friends bantering with one another.

One such case was John Steele, a 60-year-old street preacher, who last 12 months publicly compared Islamic and Christian teachings on how husbands should treat their wives, quoting Quran 4:34 and Ephesians 5:25, which states, “Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her.” Police subsequently threatened Steele with arrest and said they’d be recording an NCHI nevertheless it was dropped after an intervention by The Christian Institute. 

The House of Lords voted in favour of Amendment 387B to the Crime and Policing Bill, which was tabled by Lord Young, founding father of the Free Speech Union, and former Metropolitan Police Commissioner Lord Hogan-Howe. 

While the vote is not going to force the federal government to desert the usage of NCHIs, the Free Speech Union said it “put increasing pressure on the Government to finish their use” and it represented a “major victory”.

Lord Young, citing a number of the more ridiculous uses of NCHIs said, “It’s hard to not laugh, but for the individuals who’ve had NCHIs recorded against them, it’s no laughing matter. If you apply for a position or a voluntary role that requires you to perform an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service check, an NCHI can show up in your record.

“That’s why I say NCHIs have a chilling effect on free speech. People are rightly concerned that in the event that they say something that one other person takes offence at, it could actually permanently blot their copybook and should prevent them getting a job as a teacher or a carer, or volunteering at a charity just like the Samaritans.

“There’s also the broader concern that the period of time the police are spending on investigating and recording ‘non-crimes’ is undermining public confidence within the police.”

The Christian Institute has expressed its support for NCHIs to be abolished. 

Simon Calvert, Deputy Director for Public Affairs at The Christian Institute, speaking ahead of Monday’s debate, said, “It’s shocking to think that for years we’ve had a system where Police have been in a position to record unproven, politically motivated complaints against Christians and others.

“These malicious allegations of being ‘hateful’ could seriously impact an individual‘s profession prospects.

“It’s Orwellian and it’s well past time not just for that system to be abolished but for all the erroneous information held against innocent people to be deleted.”