It is quite extraordinary that until recently the police were recording large numbers of “non-crime hate incidents”.

In short, a non-crime hate incident means anything said or done by anyone which the victim or anybody else perceives as being motivated by hostility or prejudice based on a protected characteristic, even if this did not pass the criminal threshold.

Of course, in 2022, in a society increasingly dominated by a cancel culture, it seems that some people will be offended by almost anything.

So, it comes as no surprise that over the past five years the police have been busy recording 120,000 non-crime hate incidents, even though the behaviour recorded was not considered criminal.

Having a non-crime hate incident against your name can be a serious problem for some people. They show up on enhanced criminal record checks of the type that teachers and some healthcare workers are required to undertake before they can teach pupils or treat patients.

This year has seen a spike in violent crimes, but the number of convictions remains relatively low.

There is plenty for the police to be getting on with without the need to monitor what people are writing on social media.

So, it is welcome news that the College of Policing, the national standards body for the Police has recently said that officers need to focus on cutting crime, taking a common sense approach, and ‘not getting involved in debates on twitter” or other social media.

However, all this comes too late for Harry Miller, a retired policeman. Back in 2019, someone complained that his tweets on gender recognition went too far. He was visited by the police, who told him that although he had committed no offence, they had to check his thinking.

Mr Miller was rightly outraged, sued and the Courts agreed. As a result, the College of Policing guidance has now been changed.

But, the very fact that the College of Policing needed to change its guidance presents a problem in itself.

A society that values freedom of speech does not feel the need to seek out the hate that supposedly exists everywhere. So, whoever the incoming Home Secretary may be in September, we need a basic rule, that speech on its own, in public, in private or online should be excluded from any kind of non-crime hate incident regime.

I vehemently disagree with the views of a number of far right political parties. I would not share a platform with their representatives. However, provided they act within the law, I believe they have a right to express their views.

I regularly spend time with our local police officers here in Suffolk. I know that our police officers want to spend their time dealing with serious crime, not policing social media.

Let’s hope this change to the College of Policing guidance will allow them to get on with the job they were trained to do. But ultimately, we need to see the new Prime Minister and their new Home Secretary do more to back them up and to better protect our freedom of speech.