Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to page 9 of her Department's White Paper, entitled From Local to National: A New Model for Policing, published on 26 January 2026, CP1489, what steps she is planning to take to remove bureaucratic barriers linked to crime and incident recording standards.

The Government is committed to a proportionate approach to the recording of crime and incidents that ensures the police focus on the crimes that matter to local communities.

The College of Policing and the National Police Chiefs’ Council have been commissioned to undertake a comprehensive review of the recording of Non-Crime Hate Incidents (NCHIs).

This will examine and make recommendations about when such incidents should be recorded and how best to balance public safety with freedom of expression. The findings of this review will also inform consideration of standards, especially around the recording of online crime.

The Government has committed to update Parliament once the findings are published and will consider any changes required to the statutory Code of Practice on NCHIs introduced in 2023.