Police forces across the country have been accused of "losing their minds" after it emerged that officers had logged tens of thousands of "ridiculous" so-called "non-crime hate incidents".
The NCHIs - which were at the centre of the now-dropped Allison Pearson probe over the last few weeks - have seen Britons investigated for calling a barber "rough" or comparing a woman to a Rottweiler.
In Wiltshire, police investigated a person mocking the length of someone else's hair - while in Cambridgeshire, officers intervened over "racial abuse" after a neighbour row saw a woman labelled a "Rottweiler" over a parking dispute.
In South Yorkshire, one person claimed they were the victim of homophobic abuse when a neighbour called him a "Leonard" in an argument over a hedge.
In Bedfordshire, a man was investigated in 2021 for "racial hatred" after whistling the Bob the Builder theme song at another member of the public - which was then recorded as a NCHI.
In the capital, a City of London Police log unearthed by The Sun saw a Lithuanian man who received a haircut claim he was targeted because he spoke Russian.
"Barber asked him about the present situation in Ukraine, victim stated that all conversations with the barber were fine, but he stated that the barber was aggressive and rough whilst he was cutting his hair.
"The victim believes this was because he spoke Russian and is a hate incident," the police log says - though the force said the report was later withdrawn.
MORE POLICE OUTRAGE:
The NCHIs row has drawn the ire of senior politicians and police figures.
Reacting to the City of London case, Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp said: "The police should not waste any valuable time on incidents like this. There is plenty of real crime they should be preventing and solving.
"An aggressively-administered haircut is not a police matter."
"The police should only spend time investigating or recording actual criminal allegations or incidents where there is a real and imminent risk of criminality subsequently occurring.
"The Government needs to urgently update the guidance to ensure this is the case. This nonsense undermines confidence in policing."
While Reform UK's chief whip Lee Anderson fumed: "Our police have lost control of our streets, and now their bosses have lost control of their minds.
"Police should be investigating proper crimes - not people who have hurt someone's feelings. I long for the days when we had respect for our boys in blue!"
Former Metropolitan Police detective Peter Bleksley said: "This is ridiculous, and shows how disconnected police are from what the public want.
"No wonder there is a crimewave in this country. The guidelines suggest you should only intervene in cases like this where there is fear of escalation - who ever had a fear of escalation after a bad haircut?!"
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The NCHIs - which were at the centre of the now-dropped Allison Pearson probe over the last few weeks - have seen Britons investigated for calling a barber "rough" or comparing a woman to a Rottweiler.
In Wiltshire, police investigated a person mocking the length of someone else's hair - while in Cambridgeshire, officers intervened over "racial abuse" after a neighbour row saw a woman labelled a "Rottweiler" over a parking dispute.
In South Yorkshire, one person claimed they were the victim of homophobic abuse when a neighbour called him a "Leonard" in an argument over a hedge.
In Bedfordshire, a man was investigated in 2021 for "racial hatred" after whistling the Bob the Builder theme song at another member of the public - which was then recorded as a NCHI.
In the capital, a City of London Police log unearthed by The Sun saw a Lithuanian man who received a haircut claim he was targeted because he spoke Russian.
"Barber asked him about the present situation in Ukraine, victim stated that all conversations with the barber were fine, but he stated that the barber was aggressive and rough whilst he was cutting his hair.
"The victim believes this was because he spoke Russian and is a hate incident," the police log says - though the force said the report was later withdrawn.
MORE POLICE OUTRAGE:
- Essex Police forced out 'hate crime ambassador' after Black Lives Matter row
- Essex Police records hundreds of non-crime hate incidents but failed to answer non-emergency calls in same two year period
- ‘Use common sense!’ Labour MP weighs in on Pearson police probe but defends ‘widening of rules’ for antisemitism and Islamophobia
The NCHIs row has drawn the ire of senior politicians and police figures.
Reacting to the City of London case, Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp said: "The police should not waste any valuable time on incidents like this. There is plenty of real crime they should be preventing and solving.
"An aggressively-administered haircut is not a police matter."
"The police should only spend time investigating or recording actual criminal allegations or incidents where there is a real and imminent risk of criminality subsequently occurring.
"The Government needs to urgently update the guidance to ensure this is the case. This nonsense undermines confidence in policing."
While Reform UK's chief whip Lee Anderson fumed: "Our police have lost control of our streets, and now their bosses have lost control of their minds.
"Police should be investigating proper crimes - not people who have hurt someone's feelings. I long for the days when we had respect for our boys in blue!"
Former Metropolitan Police detective Peter Bleksley said: "This is ridiculous, and shows how disconnected police are from what the public want.
"No wonder there is a crimewave in this country. The guidelines suggest you should only intervene in cases like this where there is fear of escalation - who ever had a fear of escalation after a bad haircut?!"
Find Out More...