UK scraps police probes of legal social media posts after review says response went too far

By Fox News · Fox News

The United Kingdom Home Office announced that police officers will no longer waste time investigating legal but offensive social media posts. The decision by the UK government to scrap police investigations into non-crime hate incidents (NCHI) follows a review of guidelines by the College of Policing and the National Police Chiefs' Council. The report recognized the importance for police to monitor hate, but found the public believes "the police response to hate or hostility has been disproportionate." "Over recent years, guidance has failed to keep pace with the digital age and has led to officers being called out to people’s homes over insults and routine arguments," the United Kingdom Home Office wrote on X . Officers have been collecting reports of non-crime hate incidents for nearly 30 years to track posts that are legal but could be perceived as hostile or prejudiced toward certain groups based on characteristics such as religion, sexual orientation, gender identity or national origin. RETIRED PASTOR FACES CRIMINAL CHARGES FOR PREACHING GOSPEL SERMON NEAR NORTHERN IRELAND HOSPITAL "In today’s polarised and highly connected world, police have increasingly found themselves drawn into policing the online space and social media debates," the report stated. "The boundaries between what is legitimate free speech, even where it is offensive, and what requires police intervention are not always clear or absolute." For instance, there were 9,305 reports of non-crime hate incidents under investigation across 34 police forces from 2024 to 2025. The Home Office will now implement a narrower definition of what constitutes police involvement, preventing officers from recording lawful free speech. BRITISH MAN SAYS HE WAS ARRESTED AFTER POSTING PHOTOS HOLDING GUNS DURING JULY 4 TRIP TO FLORIDA "Under these reforms, forces will no longer be policing perfectly legal tweets," Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood said in a statement. "Instead, they will be doing what they do best: pat…