A DOG was accused of a racist hate crime after pooping outside a London home in one of 2,500 cases investigated by the Metropolitan Police over two years.

Other hate incidents included a suspect’s dog barking at a victim and a resident in a block of flats who claimed a neighbour was racially abusing him by “smoking heavily”.

3 A case of dog fouling was logged by police as a racist hate crime Credit: Getty - Contributor

The Metropolitan Police investigated 2,507 hate incidents in 2015 and 2016.

A description of the dog fouling incident read: "An unknown dog has fouled outside of victim address and victim perceived this to be a racial incident."

Several of the claims were over parking disputes or car crashes. One entry said: “Unknown suspect has reversed into victim’s car causing extensive damage. Victim perceives to be a hate crime as she had a poppy in front of her car.”

One man claimed his neighbours were parking outside his house and “targeting him due to him being black”.

Meanwhile an angry dad claimed his daughter had lost a tennis match because the umpire was “racist”.

3 Senior officer Sara Thornton says investigating misogyny instead of violent crimes 'cannot be a priority' when cops are overstretched Credit: Handout

A hate crime is defined as any criminal offence in which the victim, or another person, believes they were targeted because of their disability, race, religion, sexual orientation or transgender identity.

Every police force is expected to record and follow up reports of hate crime, even when no criminal offence has taken place.

And control room staff must take down the details even if the informant doesn’t want any action to be taken.

Critics have argued this is a drain on already stretched police resources and means they have less time to focus on crimes such as burglaries.

3 Last year crime has soared - and critics have argued for a 'refocus on core policing'

David Davies, Tory MP and former special constable, said the recording of such “non-crimes” was a waste of police time.

He told the Mail on Sunday: “This is part of the reason that police struggle to investigate serious offences such as home burglaries. People need to start thinking more carefully before they call the police”.

Last month Sara Thornton, head of the National Police Chiefs’ Council, called for a “refocus on core policing” and for cops to be able to prioritise “today’s crime” such as burglary and violence rather than hate crimes such as “misogyny”, and historical sex abuse.

Cressida Dick, the Met Police commissioner, said she agreed with Ms Thornton.

She said: “We should be focusing on the things that the public tell me they care about most.”

It comes as the Home Secretary, Sajid Javid, announced that he had asked the Law Commission to consider whether misogyny and ageism should be added to the list of categories that constitute a hate crime.

Misogyny is the hatred, dislike or prejudice against women.

​Sajid​ ​​Javid ​tells Andrew Marr ​that the Home Secretary​ ​will ​be ​announc​ing a strategy ​on street violence

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Shadow Home Secretary Diane Abbott said she supported making misogyny a hate crime but called for the government to fund police so they are not forced to “pick and choose” what they respond to.

John Apter, the chairman of the Police Federation of England and Wales, said that the police could not be “society’s social workers”.

He added: “It is right that victims should be heard and their experiences acknowledged. But at a time when we are struggling to answer 999 calls and deal with immediate risk to the public these matters cannot realistically be a priority for the service.”

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