'Welsh-English racism' claims recorded as non-hate-crime incidents

A number of claims of racism between English and Welsh people have been recorded as non-hate crime incident by UK police, it has emerged. 

It comes as police have been accused of wasting 'valuable time' on investigating jokes and playground insults as possible hate speech amid a rise in serious offences.

The Telegraph reported one woman contacted police after she was called a 'Welsh witch', with officers logging the comment as a 'racial' non-hate crime incident. 

One man also filed a complaint with North Wales Police after being told he was a 'sheep sh*****',  while officers became involved in another incident after a series of 'anti-Welsh' slurs were shouted in the street. 

Non-crime hate incidents (NCHIs) are meant to be reserved for cases that are 'clearly motivated by intentional hostility' and where there is a genuine risk of significant escalation, according to government guidance.

However, UK police forces have received backlash from senior officials, for wasting their time on trivial complaints, with 13,000 non-crime hate incidents recorded in the year to June. 

Rachel Reeves was among those to hit out last week after it emerged that police had been probing children for insulting each other.

Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp also said: 'This nonsense undermines confidence in policing'.

Details obtained under freedom of information rules by The Times showed a nine-year-old child was among the youngsters who have been looked at by police.

Officers recorded incidents against the child, who called a fellow primary school pupil a 'retard', and against two schoolgirls who said another student smelled 'like fish'.

According to The Telegraph, North Wales Police recorded 274 non-crime hate incidents in the two years to June. Data was obtained through a Freedom of Information request. 

Incidents are being investigated and recorded by the force despite a large proportion of crimes going unsolved. 

Data shows 97 per cent of bike and personal thefts go without charges in the year ending this June. Around 95 per cent of burglaries, 93 per cent of car thefts and 77 per cent of shoplifting offences also went uncharged.

Another incident recorded by North Wales Police included a pub-goer who claimed he was refused service because he was English, however bar staff told police he was turned away because he was too drunk.

The force logged: 'Was spoken to the day after when he was sober and he did not want to provide any other information or make a complaint.'

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In another incident, a shopper claimed he was racially profiled when unscanned items were found in his basket. 

Police also dealt with a 'racial' social media post where someone had written: 'If you cannot speak Welsh, you shouldn't be here.'

Just last week, Essex Police dropped its investigation into Telegraph journalist Allison Pearson over a tweet that was posted, and then quickly deleted, in November last year.

Pearson revealed officers from the force knocked on her door on Remembrance Day earlier this month to inform her of the probe, but could not give her any details about what post was being investigated or who made the complaint against her.

She insisted in a ten-point post on 'X', formerly known as Twitter, that she was not 'racist' and that she 'did not post a racist tweet'.

Essex Police have now confirmed 'no further action' will be taken against Pearson, and the 'investigation is closed'.

Chief Constable Mark Hobrough, the National Police Chiefs' Council hate crime lead, will conduct an independent review of the force's handling of the case.

An Essex Police spokesperson said: 'We investigate crimes reported to us without fear or favour.

'We're sometimes faced with allegations of crime where people have strong opposing views.

'That's why we work so hard to remain impartial and to investigate allegations, regardless of where they might lead.'