Question to the Home Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government, following Non-Crime Hate Incidents: Code of Practice on the Recording and Retention of Personal Data, published in June 2023, whether police forces in (1) England, and (2) Wales, have deleted historic non-crime hate incidents recorded in relation to the behaviour of under18-year-olds before the new Code of Practice was introduced in June 2023, given the higher standards for collection and retention with respect to children in the new guidance.

The Home Office does not currently collate data on the number of non-crime hate incidents (NCHIs). This data should be held at a force level.

The Non-Crime Hate Incidents Code of Practice already makes clear that where incidents are reported in schools or between school-aged children, an NCHI record “should not be made on policing systems, and the personal data of the subject should not be recorded”.

The Home Office has agreed that the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC), supported by the College of Policing, will conduct a review on the use and effectiveness of NCHIs, including looking at the relevant force-level data.