Suella Braverman has hit out at a "politically correct" police campaign that suggests calling a trans person by their former name could be considered a hate crime.
Leicestershire constabulary has been accused of undermining public confidence by the Home Secretary, who has urged the force to focus on "actual crimes".
Ms Braverman has warned that she will continue to hold police forces to account after she responded to a force's comments on trans hate crimes for a second occasion.
Suella Braverman has criticised police forces over their 'politically correct' stances.
Aaron Chown
Leicestershire Police outlined their campaign in a tweet to the public, saying: “You can report hate crime via Stamp it Out,” above a picture of a transgender woman.
The trans woman is quoted as saying: “I get called by my previous male name on purpose but that’s not how I am. It can be really hurtful especially when it’s just seen as a joke.”
In a response to the tweet, Ms Braverman said: “This week I have seen confusion amongst police forces about what constitutes a ‘hate crime’.
“The police need to enforce actual laws and fight actual crimes. Freedom of speech must be protected and a proportionate approach must be taken.
“The public need to have confidence in their police forces. This sort of thing undermines it. Senior police officers who allow this to happen can expect to have to explain to me why they’re spending vital resources on politically correct campaigns.”
Her comments follow a letter sent to 43 police forces in the UK calling on them to stop focusing on "symbolic gestures" and instead concentrate on more "common sense policing".
She later criticised Sussex Police for "playing identity politics" after the force said it would not tolerate hateful comments about a child abuser's gender identity.
