Raising flags is 'disturbing, intimidating and does NOT reflect British values' claims top policing boss

She claimed the movement to raise the St George's Cross and Union Jack was "sowing fear" and "fuelling division".

Ms Spurrell also said Shabana Mahmood is "demonising communities" through her new asylum plans, adding that reforms "must not come at the cost of compassion".

Speaking at the summit of police chiefs and Police and Crime Commissioners, Ms Spurrell said: "Flags are an expression of our identity and proudly fly outside our police buildings.

"But when they are used to provoke fear and assert dominance, they become tools of division. That is not free expression, that is intimidation.

"These actions are sowing fear, fuelling division and leaving - our neighbours, our colleagues and our friends - feeling unsafe in their homes and afraid to walk down the street.

"These actions do not reflect the values of our country - compassion, fairness and respect are the values that bind us together."

However, Joseph Moulton, an organiser with Flag Force UK, told GB News those raising the flags wanted to make a "positive impact" rather than just "complaining on social media".

He added: "For us, raising the flag and tidying the local area is about mobilising the community, rekindling social responsibility, and restoring pride in where we live."

In October, father-of-one Shaun Remmer lost his job as a teaching assistant at Welburn Hall School in York after he raised flags.

Not only was he reported to the school and sacked, but he was also contacted by the North Yorkshire Council who told him the flags were making residents "uncomfortable".

When asked about the Home Secretary's migration plans, Ms Spurrell said: "We need to deal with our borders, we need to have a system that works for our communities, but it needs to be rooted in compassion, it needs to be one that isn't focused on demonising communities."

The chairwoman also said most of the perpetrators of violence against women and girls were white, British men, not asylum seekers.

She continued: "Let's be clear, to couch anti-immigration rhetoric in the language protecting women and girls is not only misleading - it is offensive.

"The threat to woman and girls is a national emergency - but it is not one that has been imported.

"It comes from within our communities, our homes and, too often, from those who should be there to love and protect us."

Gavin Stephens, Head of the National Police Chiefs Council, said that although he was also worried about division in society, flags remained an issue for local communities.

"It is not for us to police flags," he confirmed.