Police chiefs launch urgent review into 'two-tier' guidelines after Henry Nowak murder

Police chiefs will launch an urgent review into "two-tier" policing guidelines in the wake of Henry Nowak's murder.

MPs have blamed the guidance for the actions of the officers who arrested Mr Nowak, 18, over false claims of racial abuse as he lay dying from stab wounds.

He was murdered with a 21cm Sikh knife by Vickrum Digwa, who told officers Mr Nowak had been racist towards him.

Gavin Stephens, the chairman of the NPCC, has now pledged to make changes "where needed" - though has insisted the guidelines exist to "improve the quality of policing".

While a source close to Shabana Mahmood admitted to the The Times the wording of the guidance was clumsy, adding: "The NPCC is rightly reviewing the wording to ensure there is no ambiguity, so everyone is equal in the eyes of the law."

Mr Stephens said: "We also know that people from black communities have the lowest levels of confidence in the police. Recent independent inquiries such as by Baroness Casey have also urged our service to renew its efforts to address racism and discrimination.

"This historic and ongoing mistrust between the police and black communities risks for example people not reporting things to the police if they are in trouble or aiding our efforts to catch criminals, fight crime and protect all communities.

"We are listening to legitimate concerns about how some of these commitments are worded or phrased, and where needed we can and will make changes, but this should not detract from the intent, which is to improve the quality of policing."

After the release of the bodycam footage of the murder, Sir Keir Starmer said there were "serious questions for police" over the handling of the case, but he rejected of two-tier policing - while his office has denied it exists.

The "two-tier" guidelines were brought in last March, when the NPCC published its "anti-racism commitment" document which advised officers to treat criminal suspects differently depending on their ethnicity.

The commitment said officers should "respond to individuals and communities according to their specific needs, circumstances and experiences, with understanding that these will be racialised and with the aim of reducing harm. It does not mean treating everyone ‘the same’ or being ‘colour blind’ (racial equality)".

It also warned officers to be aware of the risk that the police "criminalise people" and called for the rethinking of policies "that lead to people from different ethnic groups being over-policed, under-protected or marginalised".

HENRY NOWAK TRAGEDY - READ MORE:

• Ex-Met Police detective tears into 'appalling' treatment of Henry Nowak by officers
• Anti-knife crime campaigner left 'shocked' at murdered Henry Nowak arrest: 'It's unacceptable!'
• Martin Daubney left in tears over 'heartbreaking' murder of Henry Nowak: 'Sorry is not enough!'

Labour MP Jonathan Hinder and then-Conservative MP Robert Jenrick warned of the potential harms of the document when it was first unveiled.

Mr Hinder described it as "woke overreach" which risked "badly damaging confidence in our public institutions".

And Mr Jenrick said: "We need equality of treatment under the law, not attempts from the police to re-engineer outcomes to achieve equity. If individuals break the law, they must be punished evenly.

"Anything less creates a two-tier justice system and endangers the public," he warned.

Now both the Conservatives and Reform UK have called for the Home Secretary to intervene and prevent the publication of similar police guidance.

Chris Philp, the Shadow Home Secretary, said: "This has not happened by accident. It is enshrined in the police’s own so-called anti-racism commitment, published in March 2025. This shameful document urges police forces to treat different ethnic groups differently."

He added the document should be "withdrawn" and warned that the "ideology of so-called anti-racism" was dangerous and must end.

Zia Yusuf, Reform UK's home affairs spokesman said his party would "end two-tier policing for good" within 100 days of forming a Government by passing "The Equal Treatment Act".

Further guidance published by Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary - the force under fire over its handling of Mr Nowak's murder - told officers to understand the "impact, trauma and history" of policing ethnic minorities.

The guidance was written under the Tories following the 2020 death of George Floyd which was described as a "pivotal moment for policing in the UK, driving the need for real change" - even though it happened in the US.

The NPCC has said the anti-racism commitment was not formal policy and outlines the long-term aspirations of an anti-racist police service.

A Downing Street spokesman denied two-tier policing exists.

The Prime Minister's spokesman said: "There is no such thing as two-tier policing.

"We expect high standards from police officers, high standards of conduct, and they must treat everyone equally."