Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what guidance her Department issues to police forces on the (a) recording and (b) retention of personal information on police data bases for hate incidents that are not deemed to be a crime.

This Government has already committed to reversing the previous Government’s decision to downgrade the monitoring of antisemitic and Islamophobic hate.

It is vital that the police can capture data relating to non-crime hate incidents when it is proportionate and necessary to help prevent serious crimes which may later occur.

We are carefully considering how best to protect individuals and communities from hate whilst balancing the need to protect the fundamental right to free speech. We are also ensuring the police can spend their time dealing with issues that matter most to communities. We will set out next steps in due course.