Police Plans to Scrap Non-Crime Hate Incident Recording Sparks Disability Rights Warning
Campaigners and researchers have issued a stark warning that proposed police reforms in England and Wales would be "a disaster for disabled people" if implemented. The concern follows Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood's confirmation this week that the controversial category of non-crime hate incidents will be scrapped in its current form.
Understanding Non-Crime Hate Incidents
Non-crime hate incidents refer to behaviours perceived to be motivated by hostility or prejudice towards individuals due to protected characteristics such as race, religion, or disability. Crucially, these incidents do not meet the threshold of a criminal offence but are recorded by police forces to monitor community tensions and patterns of abuse.
The category has faced criticism following several high-profile cases involving social media posts about race and gender, prompting concerns about freedom of speech. Police chiefs declared the system "not fit for purpose" last year, leading to Mahmood's announcement that officers should focus on their "day job" rather than policing "perfectly legal tweets."
Disability Community Concerns
Professor Stephen Macdonald, Professor of Criminology and Disability Studies at Durham University, expressed grave concerns about the proposed changes. "Stopping the recording of non-crime hate incidents would be a disaster for disabled people," he stated. "Hate crime is the tip of the iceberg, but repeat hate incidents are the hidden day-to-day reality for many disabled people."
Professor Macdonald's extensive research into disability hate crime reveals patterns of behaviour that often escalate into more serious offences:
- Neighbours banging on doors or blocking access routes
- Aggressive behaviour towards disabled individuals
- Throwing dog faeces at properties
- Systematic campaigns of intimidation
"It may not meet the threshold for a serious crime," he explained, "but it's the kind of behaviour that can often escalate into stalking and harassment, incitement of violence, or serious assaults."
The Intelligence Gap
Campaigners argue that removing this recording mechanism would create a dangerous intelligence gap. Mark Brookes, Campaigns Advisor at Dimensions (the UK's largest specialist support provider for adults with learning disabilities and autistic people), emphasised the cumulative impact of lower-level incidents.
"It's really important to record these lower level incidents because they add up," said Brookes, who has a learning disability himself. He described a personal experience where he was followed by a car while walking home, with occupants shouting abusive terms and throwing an egg at him.
Brookes, who has trained over 3,000 police officers in supporting people with learning disabilities to report hate crimes, highlighted another case where a man with learning disabilities faced sustained name-calling and intimidation from neighbours angry about parking arrangements.
Systemic Challenges in Disability Hate Crime
Professor Macdonald identified significant systemic issues in how disability hate crime is addressed:
- Hate crime against disabled people is frequently overlooked in both government data and academic research
- Current legislation was developed around stranger assaults rather than the incremental abuse often experienced by disabled people
- Whole families have been documented as targets of ongoing abuse, sometimes forcing them to relocate
Louise Holden, Senior Policy Officer for Inclusion London, reinforced these concerns, noting that "only 1 in 10 hate crimes against disabled people are thought to be reported" with low investigation and conviction rates meaning "disabled victims rarely see justice."
"We know that recording and investigating non-hate crime incidents is a vital evidence base for proving patterns of abuse and securing a conviction," Holden stated. "At a time when disabled people's confidence in police handling of reports is low, we mustn't take away vital evidence."
Alternative Approaches and Regional Differences
Inclusion London supports the Law Commission's recommendation to make disability hate crime an aggravated offence, alongside other protected characteristics. Meanwhile, Police Scotland has indicated it will continue recording non-crime hate incidents, stating they "can be used for monitoring of community tensions and forward planning."
The proposed changes in England and Wales have sparked a crucial debate about balancing freedom of speech concerns with the need to protect vulnerable communities from escalating patterns of abuse. As the Home Office develops its revised approach, disability rights organisations emphasise that any new system must maintain mechanisms to identify and address the "hidden day-to-day reality" of hate incidents experienced by disabled people across the country.
