Rhetoric on Nowak murder ‘risks pushing policing back to the 60s’

Policing could be driven back to the 60s by false claims officers are biased against white people, the leader of Britain’s black officers has said.

- Vikram Dodd, Steven Morris, Peter Walker

Chief inspector Andy George, president of the National Black Police Association, spoke out amid growing concerns that politicians such as Nigel Farage were stoking tensions over the murder of the teenager Henry Nowak by making baseless and provocative claims.

Senior policing figures were among those who pushed back against his assertion that the handcuffing of Nowak by officers in Southampton last December after he had been stabbed amounted to two-tier policing and a bias against white people.

They also denounced Farage for saying the response to the killing demanded “cold rage”. Keir Starmer accused the Reform UK leader of ignoring the wishes of the dead teenager’s family and called the Reform leader’s actions “unforgivable”.

Nowak’s father, Mark, had condemned the “inhumane and degrading” treatment of his son by police. But he added: “We do not want his death to be used to create further division, hatred or tension. We want his story to help make our streets safer for everyone.”

Last night Hampshire’s chief constable, Alexis Boon, whose officers are under scrutiny over the incident, apologised for the way the teenager had been arrested and handcuffed. He added: “I’m so sorry you’ve had to go through this.”

The killing of Nowak, an 18-year-old university student, has sparked a nationwide debate about policing. The teenager was stabbed last December by Vickrum Digwa, who falsely claimed that he had been racially abused by him.