2026/29579 Definition of anti-Muslim hostility

REQUEST

Background

On 9 March 2026 the UK Government published a non-statutory definition of anti-Muslim hostility ("the Definition"), alongside accompanying guidance published by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government.

Information Requested

I request the following information in respect of your force:

1. Confirmation of whether your force has adopted the Definition, in whole or in part. And if it has:

1. The date of adoption
2. Minutes of any and all meetings at which adoption was discussed
3. Email and/or other correspondence in which adoption was discussed
4. Whether the Definition, or any equivalent formulation of anti-Muslim hostility, has been incorporated or is proposed to be incorporated into any force document which could reasonably be considered to constitute policy, strategy, operational guidance, training material, hate crime recording framework, or community engagement document. For each such document, please provide:

1. its title and date of publication or adoption; and
2. a copy of the document, or, where it is publicly available, a link to its location.

1. Whether any guidance, circular, or recommendation has been received from the Home Office, the National Police Chiefs' Council (NPCC), the College of Policing, or any other body concerning adoption of the Definition. If so, please provide copies of that correspondence or guidance, or indicate where it is published.

1. Whether your force is actively considering adoption of the Definition. If so, please provide details of any review, consultation, or decision-making process currently under way, including anticipated timelines.

1. Whether your force has received any complaints, reports, or recorded incidents since 9 March 2026 in which the Definition has been referenced or applied. I do not request details of individual incidents; I ask only for the aggregate number of such instances, if any.

1. Please provide copies of all documents produced internally by your force since 9 March 2026 not already captured above that relate to the Definition, including but not limited to: implementation plans, briefing notes, equality impact assessments, minutes of meetings at which adoption of the Definition was discussed, and any correspondence between your force and the Home Office, NPCC, College of Policing, or any other body on this subject — to the extent not already captured by your response to question 2.

Please provide all documents in electronic form where possible.

Exemptions

I note that this request does not concern operational policing intelligence or personal data, and I am not aware of any exemption under the Act that would apply to the categories of information sought. Should you intend to rely on any exemption, I ask that you:

• specify the statutory provision relied upon;
• confirm whether the public interest test has been applied; and
• provide a schedule of withheld material sufficient to allow me to assess whether to request an internal review.

RESPONSE: