They used to say that sticks and stones might break your bones but words would never hurt you.
But not any more, if the number of bizarre hate incidents recorded by police is anything to go by.
In one example, officers were called about a man heard singing the patriotic folk song Flower Of Scotland at an English railway station.
The tune, often sung at rugby matches, was written in the 1960s by the late Scottish songwriter Roy Williamson to mark Robert The Bruce’s victory over Edward II at Bannockburn in 1314.
One householder complained after overhearing a neighbour insult her through her Ring video doorbell, while officers also recorded the incident of a caller adopting an Indian accent to order a takeaway curry.
Police say the laborious recording of so-called Non-Crime Hate Incidents (NCHIs) continues despite a recent spike in crime.
At least 6,300 NCHIs were logged last year, according to a survey. The real total is likely to be far higher because 15 of the 44 forces in England and Wales failed to respond.
However, while police tackle NCHI red tape, ‘headline’ crimes such as theft, robbery, criminal damage, fraud, computer misuse and violence rose by 14 per cent in 2023 to 9.6million in 2024, according to the Office for National Statistics.
Officers were called about a man heard singing the patriotic folk song Flower Of Scotland at an English railway station – the tune was written in the 1960s to mark Robert The Bruce’s (statue above) victory over Edward II at Bannockburn in 1314
One householder complained after overhearing a neighbour insult her through her Ring video doorbell, while officers also recorded the incident of a caller adopting an Indian accent to order a takeaway curry (File Image)
Shadow justice minister Robert Jenrick labelled the Non-Crime Hate Incidents as ‘crackers’ and said they need to be scrapped ‘altogether’
Other hate incidents include a pub landlord who stopped a transgender woman using the ladies’ toilet and a worker accusing a supervisor of discussing his intimate Where’s Wally tattoo and commenting on the complainant’s shoes and hair covering.
Bedfordshire Police recorded the conversations as ‘sex-based and hate-motivated’, adding: ‘The victim felt irritated for the rest of the shift as it was mean and uncalled for.’ It said it followed national guidance.
No details were provided about the customer using an Indian accent to order a takeaway, except that the curry was a chicken tikka masala.
South Wales Police, which dealt with the trans toilet row, recorded 40 NCHIs last year. Two alleged ‘perpetrators’ were aged nine and eleven.
The Home Office defines an NCHI as an act perceived by a complainant to be motivated ‘by hostility or prejudice towards persons with a particular characteristic’.
Shadow justice minister Robert Jenrick told The Sun, which carried out the survey: ‘This is crackers. We need to scrap NCHIs altogether.’
Former Metropolitan Police detective Peter Bleksley said: ‘It is not a policing matter if someone is singing Flower Of Scotland. If it were, the whole of the Met would have to be deployed when Scotland play rugby at Twickenham.’
