According to a report of leaked documents published today by the Telegraph, the Home Office is thinking of increasing the use of the much-criticised Non Crime Hate Incidents (NCHI). The College of Policing states that a NCHI is any incident where a crime has not been committed, but where it is perceived by the reporting person or any other person that the incident was motivated by hostility or prejudice.
Many Christians have been on the receiving end of the police issuing NCHIs. They are a favourite tool of the police against street preachers. Some Christians have been visited by the police for the opinions they have shared on social media. But it’s not just Christians. Last year, Telegraph journalist AllisonPearson was investigated by police for the crime of allegedly stirring up hatred in a tweet about two-tier policing. Politicians have also received NCHIs for their comments.
Alarmingly, in the documents seen by the Telegraph, any suggestion of ‘two-tier policing’ is to be treated as ‘right-wing extremist narrative’.
