North Flintshire Police clarify stance on hate-related social media arrests

News and Info from Deeside, Flintshire, North Wales

Police officers in Flintshire have addressed a common misconception circulating online, stating they do not arrest people simply for “nasty comments” made on social media.

In a daily update from North Flintshire neighbourhood police teams, the force clarified that arrests are only made for offences such as threats to kill, incitement to violence, or hate-related incidents that meet the threshold of criminal behaviour.

“We do not arrest people for calling each other names,” an officer stated.

“If we did, we likely wouldn’t have the capacity to do anything else.”

The post explained that while such incidents are frequently reported to the police, individuals are usually directed to raise the matter with the relevant social media platforms.

Hate crime remains a policing priority in North Wales, but the force acknowledged there is “some misinformation” about what constitutes a hate incident.

Examples were provided to help clarify the distinction.

Abuse directed at someone simply because they are disliked does not qualify as hate-related.

However, abuse based on race, religion, sexual orientation, or transgender identity does meet the criteria.

The post added that “being a registered sex offender is not a protected characteristic”, and comments targeting someone for that reason would not count as hate-related.

Some actions, while not crimes, may still be recorded as “hate incidents” if they show hostility based on a protected characteristic such as race or disability.

In a lighter note, the update also included a brief incident log, highlighting recent operational work, including an arrest made with the help of police dog Logan, and an individual reported for urinating next to a marked police vehicle in broad daylight.