Law enforcement in Scotland, governed by the Glasgow-born Pakistani separatist Humza Yousaf, will stop investigating certain crimes to free up resources at the same time as Scottish police will begin investigating any and all “hate” incidents under new anti-free speech laws.
The scheme follows a pilot program in the city of Aberdeen and is expected to see tens of thousands fewer crimes allocated to front-line officers, with investigations never going past call center workers in some cases.
Police Scotland has not confirmed exactly which crimes it will not bother investigating, as this would give criminals a “tactical advantage,” but has previously admitted some forms of criminal damage and theft will be included.
Meanwhile, the Hate Crime Act set to come into force on April 1 will see police required to action all alleged “hate” incidents, including offensive online comments and even comedy shows.
The ill-defined legislation makes merely “stirring up hatred” a crime, with police training guidance suggesting people can be arrested for offensive statements “for example on a sign, on the internet through websites, blogs, podcasts, social media etc, either directly, or by forwarding or repeating material that originates from a third party, through printed media such as magazine publications or leaflets.”
Yousaf‘s left-separatist Scottish National Party (SNP) has admitted the Hate Crime Act will impose “additional demand” on police, resulting in a “resource implication.”
show less