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Sarah Jones, the policing minister, has criticised anti-discrimination guidance to police after the Henry Nowak case prompted renewed scrutiny of how officers respond to allegations of racial abuse. The row centres on guidance that critics say could give the impression that suspects should be treated differently according to race.
The National Police Chiefs’ Council has said it will review the relevant anti-racism guidance, while maintaining that forces must respond properly to different communities’ experiences of policing. Conservative and Reform UK politicians have used the case to argue that equality policies have gone too far, while others have warned against drawing sweeping conclusions before the investigation is complete.
The issue is politically sensitive because it links operational policing, race relations and the wider argument about so-called two-tier policing. Ministers will need to show that they are taking public concern seriously without appearing to prejudge the conduct of individual officers.