In a move hailed by many as a rare win for common sense, the Metropolitan Police have announced they will no longer investigate so-called “non-crime hate incidents.”
The force said the policy change is intended to ensure officers “focus on matters that meet the threshold for criminal investigation.”
The decision follows public outcry over the arrest of Father Ted creator Graham Linehan, who was detained at Heathrow Airport in September over three posts on X.
Linehan, 57, was arrested by five officers after arriving on a flight from the United States, prompting widespread criticism from free speech advocates and politicians.
The Crown Prosecution Service has since dropped the case, and Linehan has announced his intention to sue the Met for wrongful arrest and breach of human rights.
In a post on X, he wrote: “The police have informed my lawyers that I face no further action in respect of the arrest at Heathrow in September. After a successful hearing to get my bail conditions lifted (one which the police officer in charge of the case didn’t even bother to attend) the Crown Prosecution Service has dropped the case.
“With the aid of the Free Speech Union, I still aim to hold the police accountable for what is only the latest attempt to silence and suppress gender critical voices on behalf of dangerous and disturbed men.”
The Met acknowledged public concern over the case, confirming that it had prompted a review of its approach to “non-crime hate incidents”—reports of behaviour perceived by someone to be motivated by hostility toward a protected characteristic, such as transgender identity, race, or religion.
Although not criminal offences, these incidents have been logged and investigated by police forces across the UK for years, often appearing on personal records and affecting employment checks.
Authorities have previously encouraged the public to report anything and everything “you think might have been motivated by hostility or prejudice, even if you were not the victim.”
The shift comes amid growing concern that police resources are stretched thin. A report earlier this year by think tank Policy Exchange found that soaring crime levels are costing the UK economy up to £250 billion annually, with an “epidemic” of shoplifting and other offences burdening businesses and individuals.
The report concluded that years of cuts outside policing, prisons, and courts have contributed to the rise, estimating the direct cost of crime at £170 billion a year—around 6.5% of GDP.
