The Metropolitan Police have announced they will no longer investigate non-crime hate incidents, following controversy over the arrest of Father Ted co-creator Graham Linehan. The decision comes as Linehan was informed that no further action would be taken after his arrest over social media posts concerning transgender issues.
Linehan, 57, was detained by five armed officers at Heathrow Airport in September on suspicion of inciting violence relating to three posts. The Crown Prosecution Service has now dropped the case, but Linehan intends to sue the Met for wrongful arrest and breach of his human rights, with support from the Free Speech Union.
A Met spokesperson said: "The commissioner has been clear he doesn’t believe officers should be policing toxic culture war debates. As a result, the Met will no longer investigate non-crime hate incidents." They added that such incidents will still be recorded as intelligence but officers will focus on criminal investigations.
Linehan had been questioned over a public order offence after posting comments including a call to "punch him in the balls" regarding trans-identified males in female-only spaces. The case sparked a free-speech row, with Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer previously stating that police should focus on the most serious issues.
