Anti-woke cop calls for new rules amid storm over 'two-tier policing' following murder of teenager Henry Nowak

By RICHARD MARSDEN, GENERAL REPORTER Published: 00:01, 22 June 2026 | Updated: 00:01, 22 June 2026 Police guidelines on dealing with incidents involving race 'need to be revisited' to end accusations of 'two-tier' policing, one of Britain's most senior officers has urged. Current National Police Chiefs' Council guidance highlights a need for 'not treating everyone the same or being colour-blind'. But Sir Stephen Watson, Chief Constable of Greater Manchester, said there is a need for police to 'double down on our impartiality' following an outcry over the Henry Nowak case. The 18-year-old bled to death last December after police in Southampton handcuffed him, believing a claim by his Sikh murderer that Mr Nowak had racially abused him – and ignored the dying teenager when he said he had been stabbed, with one officer telling him 'I don't think you have, mate'. Sir Stephen said: 'Fairness isn't getting involved in the language of activism and social engineering. 'It's that which led us into conflict with the perception of reality. I certainly understand how it came about and I'm certainly concerned that we address that.' Referring to NPCC guidelines, Sir Stephen said: 'We have in some contexts adopted the language of activism. 'This is something we need to revisit, refresh and make sure that whatever we produce has the effect of doubling down on our impartiality.' Sir Stephen Watson is unhappy police have 'adopted the language of activism' Accusations of 'two-tier' policing have been levied after the murderof Henry Nowak, 18 His comments come after Henry's family, who have met Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, said they want a return to 'common sense policing'. Meanwhile, Tory leader Kemi Badenoch criticised police for replacing 'thinking with box ticking'. Speaking earlier this month, she said officers are juggling 'race action plans, political pressure and activist expectations' – and criticised policing's senior leaders, 'who have allowed these ill-advised frameworks to take hold'. Ms Badenoch said that 'just like Stephen (Lawrence's) shocking killing in 1993, Henry's death at the hands of an assailant who lied about claims of racism needs to be a turning point.' Sir Stephen, dubbed the 'anti-woke' chief constable, was speaking as latest figures showed a dramatic turnaround at the force he took over five years ago, when it was in special measures for poor performance. A renewed focus on neighbourhood policing and responding to low-level crimes as well as major incidents in Greater Manchester has seen dramatic falls in the amount of gun crime, burglary, robbery and shoplifting. Meanwhile, the arrest rate has doubled and 999 calls are being answered twice as quickly as the national average. The 57-year-old, who has almost 40 years' experience in the police, was appointed to the helm of Greater Manchester in 2021. It is now rated as 'good' by HM Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services. He is credited with previously turning around the performance of South Yorkshire Police, which was also in special measures prior to his five-year stint. Sir Stephen has turned Greater Manchester force with a focus on neighbourhood policing Sir Stephen with an officer on patrol in Woodley, Stockport, where crime has fallen 33pc  Sir Stephen said: 'I'm not naïve to the fact that, in the light of the tragic murder of Henry Nowak, this idea of two-tier policing is now widespread. 'I don't think it's justified but I can understand where it's coming from. We have to double-down in everything we do to make sure we are impartial, we treat people equally before the law and treat everyone fairly.' He added: 'I think some of the reason the public have come to believe this is perhaps because we have become uncritical. 'We've adopted the language of activism, we have taken on board what are unchallenged contexts with the best of reasons. All these are held up with the charge we do not treat people equally.' Sir Stephen described the case of Mr Nowak as 'just truly awful'. 'I watched the footage and found it deeply distressing and shocking to see,' he said. Sir Stephen added the national controversy has 'allowed the impression to take hold that we are not policing without fear or favour' and risks jeopardising the notion of 'policing by (the public's) consent'. He said police should 'plough that impartial furrow down the middle' and that ideals of Sir Robert Peel, the founder of the Metropolitan Police, who advocated policing without fear or favour 'still stand good'. Sir Stephen outside a flat in Woodley which was raided last week over suspected 'cuckooing' The father-of-two added: 'I would encourage everybody not to get into culture wars. 'The Greater Manchester Police that I lead does not exercise two-tier policing. We do not set out to treat individuals differently.' He said he opposed officers 'taking the knee, wearing rainbow lanyards or dancing around with environmental campaigners'. While the chief constable has no complaint about people wishing to 'have a barny about contemporary faddish stuff' he added: 'leave the police out of it'. 'We should never play out in that space because it's a mad world,' Sir Stephen said. Latest performance figures for Greater Manchester show the number of arrests in the year to April stood at 72,500, up from 33,500 in 2021. Shootings fell to just 16, compared with 70 five years ago, while the number of murders halved to 21 and knife crime incidents fell year-on-year by one fifth. Burglaries have nearly halved from 15,500 per year to 8,300. Crimes in some neighbourhood areas, including Stockport, have dropped 33pc. Sir Stephen said the results – which also show the average time taken to answer 999 calls falling to four seconds from 47 seconds since 2021 – come after he changed the entire senior leadership team, imposing good leadership 'at all levels', with a focus on 'doing all the basics brilliantly'. Sir Stephen said the sea change in crime in Greater Manchester has partly come about because officers are now expected to pursue low-level crimes in local neighbourhood teams, to prevent problems building up and lawlessness taking hold. 'Everyone was chasing their tail in ever-decreasing circles. We were being busy being busy badly,' he said. 'We were responding to issues which have occurred time and again.' But, Sir Stephen said, the new approach frees up officers because major incidents occur far less frequently. It means the force's 1,200 response officers are 'responding quicker than ever before'. Meanwhile, GMP is able to pursue 'shoplifters, people who drive off from petrol stations without paying, common assaults'. The force has also ended a role assisting mental health care services, passing it back to health services, saving an average of 150 incidents every day. Sir Stephen said he subscribes to the so-called 'Broken Windows Theory' that tackling signs of visible disorder and neglect removes an environment which can foster more serious crime. He spoke to reporters on Wednesday, before the Makerfield by-election, while visiting Woodley, a suburb of Stockport, where officers were raiding a flat belonging to a suspected victim of 'cuckooing' involving criminals taking over a vulnerable person's home and using it for illicit activities. Officers with a battering ram took 20 attempts to smash open the front door of a second-floor council flat which had been fortified with extra bolts on the inside. Sir Stephen is being touted as a potential successor to Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley - but he said he currently has 'the best job in policing', adding there are 'no vacancies' elsewhere. He also praised Andy Burnham saying the 'pragmatic', newly-elected Makerfield MP and likely successor to Sir Keir Starmer as Prime Minister 'discharged his role' as Greater Manchester mayor 'fairly, faithfully'. The officer was speaking during last week's national week of action on neighbourhood policing – which he has reinstated – focusing on drug dealing closing nearly 250 so-called 'county lines', anti-social behaviour and exploitation. Greater Manchester's neighbourhood teams are also involved in Operation Vulcan, the force's campaign against counterfeiting which has seen over 1,050 tons of counterfeit items seized and 216 counterfeit shops shut down, as well as countering street robberies and burglaries. No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. 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