Editorial: The PSNI - which keeps telling us it has no resources - should not be spending time on non-crimes

Shabana Mahmood, the Home Secretary, confirmed this week what many had long anticipated: that she is getting rid of the requirement for police forces to log offensive-but-lawful behaviour. There are concerns that her reforms do not go far enough but it is a step forward for common sense, and comes after a campaign by, among others, the Free Speech Union. However, her policy change only applies to forces in England and Wales. In Northern Ireland, the status quo prevails.

As the News Letter has revealed, over 9,000 NCHIs have been logged over the past decade in Northern Ireland – meaning that potentially thousands of people have had accusations of 'hate incidents' filed on their criminal records, despite committing no crime.

The PSNI has said it is not bound to follow Ms Mahmood's line and that any change in policy needs to be consulted on, including with Stormont’s Department of Justice (DOJ).

The Department of Justice meanwhile says this is purely a matter for the PSNI.

So while Naomi Long’s DOJ and the chief constable point the finger of responsibility at one another, officers' time will continue to be wasted by people who expect the arm of the state to intervene on their behalf every time they are offended by something (which is a disgracefully low threshold in a democracy).

In Great Britain, examples of NCHIs include a primary school boy using a rude term about a fellow pupil, and secondary school girls claiming a schoolmate smells.

We are constantly told by PSNI leaders that they have neither money nor manpower to spare, so they should be outraged by this policy, rather than pretending it has little to do with them.