Reform UK leader Nigel Farage has called for an end to "divisive" two-tier policing, as a political storm grows over the handling of the murder of Henry Nowak. The death of the 18-year-old last year has dominated headlines in Britain since his Sikh killer was sentenced on Monday.
Public backlash over police conduct
Footage of officers ignoring the pleas of a dying, innocent man has sparked a political firestorm about how police treat different ethnicities. In the attack last December, Nowak's killer Vickrum Digwa, 23, lied to police saying that Nowak had racially abused and assaulted him during a brief altercation in the street. In police bodycam footage, Digwa is seen lying on the ground saying, "I've been stabbed" and "I can't breathe" as he's being handcuffed, while an officer responds, "I don't think you have, mate." Digwa was sentenced to life in prison on Monday.
Protesters clashed with police and injured 11 officers on Tuesday night in the city of Southampton, in southern England, close to where Nowak was killed. Mr Farage said that efforts to promote diversity, equity, and inclusion among institutions such as the police have created a two-tiered system where fears of being called racist have led to ethnic minorities being given greater protections than others.
Farage's call for action
Speaking during a fiery exchange during Prime Minister’s Questions in the House of Commons on Wednesday, Mr Farage said that Prime Minister Keir Starmer should recognise "it is clear" millions of people are living under such a system. "The instructions that are given to police officers from police bosses are clear and written down in ink," he said. "It says 'you must treat different ethnic groups in different ways'. The upset and the anger over the circumstances of his death, the anger that you saw spilling out in Southampton last night... is in danger of getting considerably worse. If the public loses trust in being treated fairly by the police, can he take some action (to) end this divisive practice of two-tier policing and make sure that all British citizens are treated the same?"
Mr Starmer said he did not believe there was "two-tier policing" in Britain. In the wake of footage being released of Mr Nowak's arrest, British police chiefs said they would review guidelines which were drawn up in response to well-documented incidents of racism in policing, which had advised officers to treat ethnicities differently. Mr Starmer said there were "serious questions to answer", including how accusations of racism informed police thinking. An independent investigation into police conduct is underway, which Starmer said would get to the bottom of what happened.
Hampshire Police has apologised over its handling of Nowak's death. One officer resigned last year, and that officer, along with three others are being treated as witnesses in the investigation.
