Police log 'hate incident' against mother who failed to call her trans child by their new name

By KRISTINA WEMYSS, GENERAL NEWS REPORTER Published: 16:47, 15 June 2026 | Updated: 16:49, 15 June 2026 A mother has been hit with a ‘hate incident’ report after failing to call her transgender child by their new name, records show. The case was reported to police after the youngster complained to teachers, and officers decided that no crime had been committed. Despite this, they logged it as a non-crime hate incident (NCHI). It is unclear whether officers visited the family or just took down details in case the row escalated. The spat was revealed as part of a wider probe into NCHIs, which were axed in March amid calls for the police to focus on crime. More than 500 were recorded in England and Wales in a month last September, and the true number is expected to be far higher. The Sun reported that 15 of 44 forces, including London’s Met Police refused to reveal details or said the costs of doing so would be too high. Dyfed-Powys Police - which handled the trans row in Wales - logged six NCHIs, including one about Welsh flags on street furniture. There were also several complaints over St George’s flags, including one filed to West Yorkshire Police, which branded them ‘distasteful’. The abolition of non-crime hate incidents came amid mounting criticism that officers were devoting too many resources to petty matters In Wiltshire, a child called police after a stranger told them off for saying ‘sidewalk’ rather than ‘path’. The adult allegedly told them: ‘You're not in America. Speak your language.’ Meanwhile, a shop customer in Bournemouth complained to police after he was labelled crazy for shouting ‘hallelujah’. He said he felt ‘discriminated against for his religious beliefs’. Logging the incident, police wrote: ‘The hate box local qualifier has been ticked.’   Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp told the Daily Mail: 'While burglaries, shop theft and phone snatching do not get investigated, police time is being wasted on hurty words that aren't criminal.  'This madness has to end and non-crime hate incidents should be completely scrapped. The police should investigate real crimes and catch real criminals.'  The abolition of NCHIs came amid mounting criticism that officers were devoting too many resources to petty matters, rather than larger-scale offences. Free Speech Union chief Lord Young and former Met Commissioner Lord Hogan-Howe put forward an amendment to the Crime and Policing Bill, calling for officers to police ‘streets not tweets’. It was voted in by the House of Lords, by 227 votes to 221. Police forces are now barred from recording, retaining or processing data related to NCHIs. The incidents are still allowed to be recorded if required to prevent or detect a crime. Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood insisted the NCHI overhaul means police ‘have more time to patrol streets and catch criminals’.  No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy.