Update relating to ongoing investigation

Officers attended an address in Essex and invited a woman to come to a voluntary interview. 

They said it related to an investigation into an alleged offence of inciting racial hatred, linked to a post on social media.

We police without fear or favour and that’s why we respond to alleged offences which are reported to us by members of the public.

For clarity: a complaint of a possible criminal offence was made to the police and this is why we called; to arrange an interview.

Everyone was polite and professional throughout the brief conversation.

As this was a call to set up an interview, no extra details were given. That’s because we have to follow the law and make sure that everyone’s rights and entitlements, in particular to seek legal advice, were respected.

This is the right way to do things – it’s the correct procedure as set out by the Police And Criminal Evidence Act 1984 (PACE).

Fuller details of an alleged offence are always provided prior to the commencement of a voluntary interview, under caution. That allows those present to seek appropriate legal advice and representation if they wish to.

As part of our investigation, we’re liaising with the Crown Prosecution Service regarding an alleged offence which was reported to us by a member of the public. This is an investigative stage review – nothing more.

Essex Police cuts crime. There were over 9,000 fewer reported offences in the last year and 20,000 fewer than five years ago.

Our officers and staff, some of which are military veterans, work 24 hours a day, seven days a week to keep the public safe and investigate crime.

We police without fear or favour and when a crime is reported, we investigate.

That’s what we do and that’s what the people of Essex expect.

There has been a large amount of false reporting about an ongoing investigation and the force has registered complaints with the Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO).

Essex Police complained to Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO) on a matter of factual accuracy.

The force has been asked to provide further factual information.

This morning, the following verbatim lines were passed to IPSO.

These lines are as spoken by an officer who attended an address in Essex on Sunday 10 November and were clearly captured on Body Worn Video.

Officer: "It’s gone down as an incident or offence of potentially inciting racial hatred online. That would be the offence."

Officer: "Because of what’s been alleged and the evidence that we’ve got, I need to just ask you some questions."

Officer: "It’s what’s been alleged and if there’s an offence we need to ask questions about then we need to do that."

Essex Police supports free speech.

It does not support inaccuracy. If an alleged crime is reported it is investigated. There is no public interest in falsehood.

Further note: (The verbatim statements above have been provided in this format as opposed to the Body Worn Video footage as it would be wrong to give any information in relation to any addresses visited).

Essex Police has reviewed this case, having sought advice from the Crown Prosecution Service. They have advised that no charges should be brought. We have concluded therefore that there will be no further action. Everyone has been updated and the investigation is closed.

The Chief Constable of Essex Police, BJ Harrington, has asked the NPCC Hate Crime Lead Chief Constable Mark Hobrough, to conduct an independent review of the force’s handling of this matter and he has agreed.

An Essex Police spokesperson said:

"We investigate crimes reported to us without fear or favour.
“We’re sometimes faced with allegations of crime where people have strong opposing views.
“That’s why we work so hard to remain impartial and to investigate allegations, regardless of where they might lead."

We're offering more ways for our communities to stay up to date with our work across Essex.

Our e-newsletter, Dispatch, delivers news, information, and advice from Essex Police.

Dispatch is a ‘one stop shop’ for local police news – direct from the source. 

Sign up is completely free and you can unsubscribe at any time.