Cops say sorry for treating MSP Fraser differently

POLICE Scotland has been forced into a humiliating climbdown after logging a “non-crime hate incident” (NCHI) against a Scottish Conservative MSP.

- BY DOUGLAS DICKIE

Murdo Fraser was targeted after making comments about the trans debate in 2023. He posted on X that “choosing to identify as ‘non-binary’ is as valid as choosing to identify as a cat”.

Harsh

The comment caused outrage among the trans lobby and was reported to the national police force. Officers said it was not criminal, but logged it as an NCHI without informing the MSP.

Mr Fraser complained, saying he had been treated more harshly than other public figures, such as JK Rowling and Humza Yousaf, who had also been reported over alleged hate incidents.

Police Scotland has now admitted the guidelines were “not applied consistently” and has apologised “unreservedly” after admitting it had treated the case differently from other incidents.

However, it continued to support logging the NCHI in relation to the post.