Norfolk's crime commissioner has vowed that his force will not waste time on so-called 'woke' policing.
Giles Orpen-Smellie has pledged to ensure officers remain focused on investigating crimes like burglary and domestic violence and resist being drawn into policing arguments on social media.
It comes as several UK forces have faced accusations they are spending too much time pursuing people engaged in controversial online political debates, such as on the issue of trans rights.
In some cases, home secretary Suella Braverman has got involved, urging forces to concentrate on their core priorities.
Mr Orpen-Smellie has sought to reassure locals that Norfolk officers “don’t spend their time sitting on Facebook looking for people being rude”.
It comes as the commissioner seeks public approval for his proposals for the maximum allowed increase in the part of council tax bills that pay for policing.
He acknowledged there was a perception among some members of the public that officers had become too involved in addressing so-called ‘woke’ issues and that confidence in the police could be undermined as a result.
“I have great sympathy with that view but let’s be careful here,” he said.
“The police investigate when someone comes to them and reports abusive behaviour on social media.
"If a member of the public reports a potential hate crime then the police have a duty to investigate.
“Now of course you do get into a really difficult area of what is free speech and what is offensive behaviour. Does someone have a right to be offensive?”
The PCC said social media was a vital tool to unearth evidence while investigating misogyny, violence against women and girls and domestic abuse, which makes up one in four crimes reported in Norfolk.
He added: “It is a fact of our modern society. So many people live their lives on social media, and so much of the evidence of what has gone on to support an allegation, means it's a logical place where the constabulary needs to go on occasions.
“So it is not as simple as ‘stop the police being woke’ and chasing online stuff. It is a case of what are we looking at and why?
“And I can assure you with the resources that we have, if the police don’t believe it is worth following up they don’t pay attention to it.”
Debate around the extent to which police should become involved in 'woke' political issues - such as the Black Lives Matter movement - or monitor debate on subjects like trans rights, has increased in recent years.
Some forces have also been criticised for taking an apparent 'light touch' to policing environmental protests by groups like Extinction Rebellion and Just Stop Oil.
In September, Mrs Braverman wrote to chief constables reprimanding forces for failing to tackle offences such as burglary, car theft, graffiti and drugs.
It followed a series of cases which saw forces face criticism for taking up 'woke' causes, and was interpreted as a call for 'back-to-basics' policing.
Mrs Braverman wrote: "Unfortunately, there is a perception that the police have had to spend too much time on symbolic gestures [rather] than actually fighting criminals. This must change. Initiatives on diversity and inclusion should not take precedence over common sense policing."
She stressed: "The public have a right to expect that the police get the basics right – driving down anti-social behaviour and neighbourhood crime which can so easily rip through our communities. To put it simply, the public want to know that an officer will visit them after a crime such as burglary.
"They want to feel safe in their cities, towns and villages. This is not just about doing your day job well, it is also about victims needing to feel supported and not ignored."
On another occasion, Ms Braverman accused a police force of “playing identity politics and denying biology” after it said “hateful comments” about a transgender criminal would not be tolerated.
She said Sussex Police should “focus on catching criminals not policing pronouns” after the force lashed out online against comments regarding the case of a transwoman who sexually abused children years before transitioning.
TAX HIKE NEEDED
Mr Orpen-Smellie is proposing increasing the part of bills earmarked for policing by 5.2% with families paying an extra £14.94 a year in a band D property and £11.62 for band B households.
He says the rise is needed to stave off cutbacks to areas like visible policing and detective investigators as the force tried to cope with the impact of inflation.
The cost of keeping police vehicles on the road alone is set to rise by 60%, with the fuel bill spiralling from £1m to an estimated £1.6m next year.
Police are also seeing increased costs from pay rises and energy bills.
Norfolk chief constable Paul Sanford has already sought 3% savings across every department.
A public consultation runs until 5pm on January 16. Views can be submitted online or at a series of meetings across the county.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here