Reforms that free officer time and maintain services would be welcomed

9 January 2026

Dyfed Powys Police Federation chair Delme Rees says policing should do all it can to cut bureaucracy and free up officers' time without impacting the service it provides.

Delme said officers had greater workloads than ever, and anything that could be done to reduce the burden would be welcomed.

He said: “Policing should do what it can to reduce as much bureaucracy as possible, but without impacting on delivering the service to where it is needed.

“Anything that frees up officers’ time to focus on protecting the public and supporting victims should be carefully considered.”

Delme’s comments follow reports that non-crime hate incidents could be scrapped.

The recommendation is expected to be made following a review by the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) and the College of Policing.

Non-crime hate incidents are alleged acts motivated by hostility or prejudice towards certain characteristics, such as race or gender but which do not meet the threshold for a criminal offence.

The Home Office guidance is that non-crime hate incidents are recorded by the police to collect information on ‘hate incidents’ that could escalate into more serious harm or indicate heightened community tensions.

Witnesses

Delme said: “The investigation of hate crime is still very important, and if an incident has been reported that meets the threshold it will be fully investigated and witnesses will be supported.

“However, policing is incredibly stretched and we have rising demand.

“We would need to carefully look at any proposed reforms. We must ensure they are sensible and proportionate, free up officers' time to allow them to investigate crime, and ensure we can continue to keep communities safe.”

The review and its recommendations are due to be given to Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood and published early this year.

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