Today felt like a good day in the fight for #freespeech and #freedomofexpression.
Police forces are “not the thought police” said the new Chief Inspector of Constabulary, Andy Cooke.
“Thoughts, unless they become actions, aren’t an offence”, he added.
dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1…
Police forces are “not the thought police” said the new Chief Inspector of Constabulary, Andy Cooke.
“Thoughts, unless they become actions, aren’t an offence”, he added.
dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1…
As @Tom_Slater_ pointed out for the @spectator, however, the fact that Cooke felt he had to make that intervention reminds us just how bad things have become in English #policing in recent years.
spectator.co.uk/article/is-thi…
spectator.co.uk/article/is-thi…
Cooke is clearly keen to push back – or at least be seen to be pushing back – against the rise of thought policing in our country...
express.co.uk/news/uk/140669…
express.co.uk/news/uk/140669…
… a good example of which would be non-crime hate incidents (or NCHIs).
According to College of Policing guidelines drawn up in 2014, NCHIs were any non-criminal action that was perceived to be motivated by hatred.
telegraph.co.uk/news/2020/02/1…
According to College of Policing guidelines drawn up in 2014, NCHIs were any non-criminal action that was perceived to be motivated by hatred.
telegraph.co.uk/news/2020/02/1…
NCHIs could be:
👉 Reported by the victim or by any other person.
👉 Recorded "irrespective of whether there was any evidence to identify the hate element."
They also:
👉 Show up on advanced DBS checks.
college.police.uk/app/major-inve…
👉 Reported by the victim or by any other person.
👉 Recorded "irrespective of whether there was any evidence to identify the hate element."
They also:
👉 Show up on advanced DBS checks.
college.police.uk/app/major-inve…
Thankfully, in December last year, the former police officer, Harry Miller, won a landmark legal battle against the police recording NCHIs and the then current guidelines were ruled unlawful.
mailplus.co.uk/edition/commen…
mailplus.co.uk/edition/commen…
The FSU was proud to back Harry in that case.
Had he lost and had to pay the other side’s costs, we’d pledged to help with that bill.
freespeechunion.org/weekly-news-ro…
Had he lost and had to pay the other side’s costs, we’d pledged to help with that bill.
freespeechunion.org/weekly-news-ro…
More recently, we helped Kevin Mills.
Two years ago, Kevin was handed an #NCHI by the police after he refused to work with a customer who he feared wouldn't pay the bill.
The FSU intervened and Kent Police have now deleted his record.
The @Telegraph had the story.
Two years ago, Kevin was handed an #NCHI by the police after he refused to work with a customer who he feared wouldn't pay the bill.
The FSU intervened and Kent Police have now deleted his record.
The @Telegraph had the story.
But there’s still plenty of work for the FSU to do.
That’s because police forces in England and Wales aren’t required to notify someone if an NCHI was recorded against their name…
bbc.co.uk/news/uk-englan…
That’s because police forces in England and Wales aren’t required to notify someone if an NCHI was recorded against their name…
bbc.co.uk/news/uk-englan…
… and because well over 120,000 NCHIs have been recorded since 2014, it’s likely that tens of thousands of people still unwittingly carry one around on their records.
dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1…
dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1…
If you want to know more, the Free Speech Union has produced a briefing on NCHIs…
freespeechunion.org/an-orwellian-s…
freespeechunion.org/an-orwellian-s…
… and if you want to know how to find out if you have one against your record, or how you might go about getting one deleted, the FSU has produced this short FAQ on NCHIs...
freespeechunion.org/faqs-on-how-to…
freespeechunion.org/faqs-on-how-to…
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