Police investigated an incident where a man was heard singing Flower of Scotland at an English railway station, a damning report has revealed.
The incident is just one of numerous bizarre hate crime probes logged by police.
Forces across England and Wales recorded at least 6,300 non-crime hate incidents in 2024, The Sun has revealed.
However, the true figure is likely higher as 15 of 44 forces did not disclose their data.
A man singing the Flower of Scotland anthem at an English railway station was investigated as a hate crime
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These incidents, which involve no criminal offence but are logged when someone feels an act was motivated by hate or prejudice, have drawn fierce criticism from MPs and former officers.
They argue that police are neglecting genuine crimes whilst investigating trivial complaints about hurt feelings.
Reform UK's Lee Anderson said: "The majority of these incidents are reported by total snowflakes. These are the people who should be charged with wasting police time. Officers should be investigating proper crimes not hurt feelings."
Former Metropolitan Police detective Peter Bleksley called the examples "ludicrous and a total waste of police time".
He said: "It is not a policing matter if someone is singing Flower of Scotland."
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Protesters demonstrated outside the Scottish Parliament when Scotland’s Hate Crime Law came into force
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The Sun revealed that a person who adopted an Indian accent whilst ordering a chicken tikka masala from a takeaway was also logged by Humberside Police.
In Bedfordshire, someone complained after their supervisor called their designer clothes "fake" and mentioned their intimate Where's Wally tattoo.
Another incident involved a pub landlord who prevented a transgender woman from using the ladies' toilet, handled by South Wales Police.
The force recorded 40 such incidents last year, including cases involving children as young as nine and eleven.
Hate crimes involve no criminal offence, but are logged when someone feels an act was motivated by hate or prejudice
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West Yorkshire Police dealt with 175 complaints, including one from a man who believed his bins were being moved because of his sexuality.
In Dunstable, Bedfordshire, a resident reported overhearing a neighbour making insulting remarks via their Ring doorbell.
Responding to the incidents, Shadow Justice Secretary Robert Jenrick told The Sun: "We have lost the plot. Practically everyone in the country will have at some point said something that would get them reported. This is crackers. We need to scrap NCHIs altogether."
Greater Manchester Chief Constable Sir Stephen Watson also said the NCHI policy had "passed its sell-by date".
Sir Andy Marsh, head of the College of Policing, added: "We need to fix it. I don't want to be policing freedom of speech."
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