Non-crime Hate Incidents

Baroness Fox of Buckley Excerpts

Monday 27th October 2025 Lords Chamber

[Lord Hanson of Flint (Lab)]

The noble Baroness makes a very sensible point. Ultimately, the bottom line is that the Government believe that we should focus on real crime as a priority. That is why we are putting in 13,000 new police officers, police community support officers and special constables over the next few years, and it is why we have asked for the review of non-crime hate incidents. But in reviewing those issues, we should not lose sight of the importance of intelligence-led information-gathering, as the Metropolitan Police has said.

[Baroness Fox of Buckley (Non-Afl)]

My Lords, the noble Minister talks about—

[Noble Lords]

No!

[Baroness Fox of Buckley (Non-Afl)]

The noble Lord the Minister—

[Noble Lords]

Hear, hear!

[Baroness Fox of Buckley (Non-Afl)]

I feel as though I am about to be issued with a non-crime hate incident.

The noble Lord the Minister talked about the importance of not speaking out ahead of the review yet stated that the police were collecting and recording valuable information. Can I challenge that? How does the Minister know that the information is valuable, as it is based on perceived, subjective versions of what is hateful, not illegal? That information could well be used to the detriment of people receiving references for jobs later on. Will the Minister clarify that, regardless, that information should not be used to stop anybody gaining employment, because it is based on subjective rather than objective criteria?

[Lord Hanson of Flint (Lab)]

I am grateful to the noble Baroness for her question. Again, I fall back on the central point, which is that we have commissioned a review, the results of which we are expecting shortly. It will explore a range of issues, including how non-crime hate incidents impact on police resources, responsibilities, intelligence gathering and the issues she mentioned about individual responsibility or records. Having commissioned a review as a Minister, it is best that I wait for that review’s outcomes. We will report back to the House on what measures we need to take as a result.